MA in Philosophy

The M.A. program in philosophy at Boston College offers students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the history of philosophy and to work on topics as diverse as, for instance, Aristotelian naturalism, Medieval theories of language, Kantian views of space and time, theories of race, and contemporary debates at the intersection of science, ethics, law, and religion.

The majority of students who enroll do so with an eye to applying to Ph.D. programs at the beginning of their second year. Students have an adviser and receive help for the preparation of their applications, under the form of a writing seminar, and feed- back on their portfolio from a faculty panel. The M.A. program has a dedicated coordinator who organizes specific meetings and workshops for the cohort of M.A. students. Graduates have been successful in applying to doctoral programs such as Boston University, Brown, Columbia, Fordham, Georgetown, Loyola University of Chicago, Marquette, Notre Dame, Penn State, The New School for Social Research, Saint Louis, Temple, Vanderbilt, and also to the department own doctoral program. See the record below.

Because advanced training in philosophy develops skills in rigorous reasoning, clear analysis, writing and oral communication, a master’s degree can also be helpful to students who want to pursue a career in fields as diverse as law, publishing, political sciences, administration, human resources, economics, consulting, applied ethics, among others. See examples here.

Each year, M.A. students contribute in vital ways to the intellectual life of the department by (1) organizing and participating in a Workshop on Contemporary Philosophy in the fall and a Graduate Student conference in the spring and (2) organizing a Reader’s Series in cooperation with our faculty. Some funds are available to assist graduate students who are delivering papers at scholarly conferences. See also the section “Resources” in the Graduate Studies Handbook.

The M.A. may be taken on a full time basis (normally two years) or on a part time basis (five years maximum). The department is not able to offer tuition remission or stipends. Some employment and assistantship opportunities are available on campus, as well as other resources (see The Office of Graduate Student Life).