MA Programs: SFSU, CSULB, CSULA

[Obi]

SFSU, CSULB, and CSULA

 

Any information on these three MA programs (such as faculty, reputation, placement, personal experience, etc.) would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

I am aware of the inclusion of SFSU and CSULA on the philosophical gourmet, but am looking for more information. Additionally, I have viewed the placement information made available by these institutions, but am left wanting more (SFSU offers little in terms of specifics, and CSULB offers no information beyond 2010). 

Edited May 8, 2014 by Obi

[Establishment]

SFSU has Van Frassen. Those other programs don't. So, there's that.

[Obi]

SFSU has Van Frassen. Those other programs don't. So, there's that.

 

Agreed. However it looks like he's teaching very sparsely and I am unsure how large his role within the department actually is. Does his mere presence there really justify my acceptance of their offer? Also, I have heard that the number of grad students in the program at SFSU is incredibly high (Compared to the 25 or so at say CSULB). Can anyone confirm this?

[alethicethic]

Bas teaches at least one course per semester (usually, a logic workshop with varying topics, which you can repeat for credit.) He has sat on committees and written letters for students. The other faculty are outstanding.

 

As for the # of students: I don't know the official number of active students. It doesn't seem like that many. Students get plenty of time with professors in office hours. As with any program, however, you need to be proactive if you want to go on to a top program. You can't just show up to class and go home. You need to go to office hours with specific topics and questions, etc--get to know the profs so that they will write you strong letters.

 

SFSU's placement is stronger in recent years than CSULA or CSULB. 

[happyphilapplicant]

SFSU has 160+ graduate students and 12 faculty.

 

Approximately 20 graduate students graduated this semester alone.  

[Establishment]

Checking the APA Guide to Graduate Programs, they do state that SFSU has about ~130 graduate students each year. That said, with ~20 graduating each year, that sounds appropriate if we take those 20 to be those who are on track to get a 2-year MA degree and move on to other things. That would give a size of  ~40 students for that demographic. Furthermore, there are 35-45 teaching fellowships and assistantships per year, according to the APA, enough to cover all them.

 

It'd be interesting to hear from some inside sources how such a large "class" though affects the program.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Establishment

[Nastasya_Filippovna]

Checking the APA Guide to Graduate Programs, they do state that SFSU has about ~130 graduate students each year. That said, with ~20 graduating each year, that sounds appropriate if we take those 20 to be those who are on track to get a 2-year MA degree and move on to other things. That would give a size of  ~40 students for that demographic. Furthermore, there are 35-45 teaching fellowships and assistantships per year, according to the APA, enough to cover all them.

 

It'd be interesting to hear from some inside sources how such a large "class" though affects the program.

There is something I find strange about there application, and I noticed this because it's one school I'll be applying to (I'm applying to both MAs and PhD programs for Fall 2015) . Letters of Rec are optional... This strikes me as really odd. GREs are not required and that's awesome, but optional letters? Seems like that would be a real necessity.

Edited June 22, 2014 by Nastasya_Filippovna

[4shot espresso]

Recently got my BA in Philosophy from UCLA. Was not planning on applying to graduate school--PHD programs--until the end of 2014, but things changed. I decided to apply to two master's programs in California (initially thought about applying to three--CSULA, SFSU, and CSULB--but finally did not apply to CSULB). Happily, I got admitted to both CSULA and SFSU!!

 

I am currently exploring every aspect that comes to mind for making this decision. Already excited about starting either program, but would appreciate if already enrolled graduate students, from both universities--CSULA and SFSU--can share their experiences. Interested in hearing about faculty, culture within the institutions, and anything that could be of help.

[dgswaim]

Checking the APA Guide to Graduate Programs, they do state that SFSU has about ~130 graduate students each year. That said, with ~20 graduating each year, that sounds appropriate if we take those 20 to be those who are on track to get a 2-year MA degree and move on to other things. That would give a size of  ~40 students for that demographic. Furthermore, there are 35-45 teaching fellowships and assistantships per year, according to the APA, enough to cover all them.

 

It'd be interesting to hear from some inside sources how such a large "class" though affects the program.

Just in philosophy? How do they have that many assistantships?

[Establishment]

Just in philosophy? How do they have that many assistantships?

 

Not that it answers your question directly, but Georgia State also seems to fund a large amount of students, which is to say all of their students, all ~50 of them. They both also (if I'm reading SFSU's page correctly) pay below the average MA stipend (they're both around $5k a year), but a $5k/50% reduction in salary doesn't fully explain how they're funding 5 to 10 times as many MA students.

[dgswaim]

Not that it answers your question directly, but Georgia State also seems to fund a large amount of students, which is to say all of their students, all ~50 of them. They both also (if I'm reading SFSU's page correctly) pay below the average MA stipend (they're both around $5k a year), but a $5k/50% reduction in salary doesn't fully explain how they're funding 5 to 10 times as many MA students.

Geez. LSU funded me and one other person this year. Maybe SFSU could send LSU some money...