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Philosophy

About the Program

Ask fundamental questions about reality, value, and knowledge, and develop your analytical skills. Receive individual attention while immersing yourself in the community that our well-respected philosophy department provides. The strengths of Brandeis University's Master's Program in Philosophy lie in a number of subfields - metaphysics and epistemology, ethics, social and political philosophy, philosophy of language, logic, philosophy of the mind and cognitive science, history of modern philosophy, aesthetics, gender and philosophy, and philosophy of law.  The M.A. can enhance your credentials and prepare you for applying to leading Ph.D. programs in philosophy.

Here are some features that distinguish the M.A. Program in Philosophy at Brandeis:

• Close Supervision: Brandeis is a small research university. Seminars and classes - especially those a master's degree student is likely to take - are usually small. Given that Brandeis does not have a competing doctoral program, master's degree students have the opportunity to work closely with members of the philosophy faculty.
• Reputation: The reputation of Brandeis as a research university places the M.A. Program in Philosophy among the top-ranked programs in the country. Our department is recognized as among the top ranked undergraduate programs for students to consider who wish to go on to study philosophy at the graduate level, and the addition of the M.A. Program builds upon and enhances that reputation.
• Breadth: Brandeis has a number of strong departments and programs that can be complementary to the study of philosophy. Faculty members from American Studies, English, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, and Women's and Gender Studies regularly teach courses that are cross-listed with Philosophy and that offer students the opportunity to pursue a broad education.
• Placement: The high quality of the Philosophy faculty who hold Ph.Ds. from top programs in the country (including UC Berkeley, Chicago, CUNY, Harvard, NYU, Princeton, Rockefeller, UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania) is an advantage for students who enter the Brandeis program, giving them the opportunity to work with faculty members who are highly regarded within the field, thereby enhancing students' chances of getting into top graduate programs in philosophy.
• Department Life: The department runs its own colloquium series with speakers from major philosophy departments around the country, providing M.A. students with the opportunity to keep up with the most recent debates within the field and participate in conversation with philosophers from other universities.
• The Boston Community: The Boston area is a lively academic community of colleges and universities and has a large and exhilarating network of philosophy students and scholars. Announcements of colloquia, public lectures, conferences, informal discussion groups, and other events and activities in philosophy throughout the Boston area are regularly exchanged among departments and event organizers via a listserv created and maintained by our department. The listserv connects other departments in the area including Harvard, M IT, Boston University, Boston College, Tufts, Wellesley, and the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
• Mentoring and Career Counseling: Each incoming master's degree student is assigned a mentor drawn from the philosophy faculty, who not only supervises their work, but helps plan their best route through the program and gives career advice.

Degree Options

M.A. in Philosophy

Courses and Completion Requirements

For the most updated course listing, course descriptions, and degree requirements, please click here.

Faculty

We encourage you to explore one of the department’s greatest assets through our faculty pages. Learn more about the people who will help guide you along your graduate school path here.

Additional Resources

Consortium: Our membership in the Boston consortium allows you to take courses at Tufts University, Boston University, and Boston College, thus enhancing your Brandeis experience and the spirit of collaboration which Brandeis embodies.
Student Services: At Brandeis, you will become part of a community that is strengthened by life both within and outside of the classroom and laboratory walls. Please visit Student Services to see the array of University resources, events, and programming for graduate students, including our Graduate Student Services Center, Off-Campus Housing, Health Insurance, English as a Second Language (ESL) program, Disability Resources, Counseling Center, Career Services, and the Graduate Student Association.

Admission Information

Admission Semester:

Fall only

Application Deadlines

The deadline for full consideration for admission and financial aid is February 15, and preference will be given to those who apply by then. Admission may continue on a rolling basis until April 15.

Admission Requirements

Although the Brandeis Philosophy Department expects that applicants to the M.A. Program will have had some philosophy coursework as undergraduates, the Department does not require an undergraduate degree in philosophy. We encourage applications from students with little to no experience in philosophy, but who are eager to become better acquainted with the discipline and enhance their credentials to apply for a more advanced degree in philosophy or in another area.

To apply for the M.A. program, you need to submit

• An application to the graduate school, which can be electronically submitted here;
• An application fee (please click here for instructions);
• Official transcripts from all universities and colleges attended; applicants must provide a final transcript indicating successful completion of an undergraduate degree program before registration;
• Three letters of recommendation, which the admissions committee prefers to be submitted online (please click here for more information);
• A curriculum vitae (CV) or resumé;
• A statement of purpose indicating your reasons for undertaking graduate study. In addition, please describe your qualifications for the academic program, your career objectives, and your relevant experience.
• A critical writing sample not to exceed 35 pages; the 35 page maximum may consist of a single paper or two shorter essays of approximately equal length;
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) required. Our ETS institution code is 3092.

International students:  For additional requirements for international applicants (non-U.S. citizens or non-permanent residents), minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores, and important information regarding visas, please click here.

For a more comprehensive description of application requirements, please click here.

Financial Aid

Generous financial aid is available; for more information please click here.