Graduate Degrees

Philosophy Graduate Program

The department offers the degrees of M.A. and Ph.D. and, in cooperation with the law school, a program leading to a joint M.A./J.D. degree. An M.A. degree requires 30 hours of graduate course work, including a first-year graduate tutorial and at least 12 additional hours of seminar and/or thesis work. M.A. candidates must pass a comprehensive examination over their course work or must write and successfully defend an M.A. thesis. The Ph.D. degree requires 39 hours of graduate course work, including a first-year graduate tutorial and a research tutorial. Ph.D. candidates also must satisfy the University's Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement, pass both a departmental examination over the research tutorial and an oral comprehensive examination, and write and successfully defend a dissertation. The M.A./J.D. degree combines into three years and one summer session the programs for both degrees.

For additional information on specific program requirements, please visit the Department of Philosophy pages of KU's Online Catalog.

If you completed a Bachelor’s degree and wish to take an upcoming graduate-level course in the Department of Philosophy ad hoc, you may apply as a non-degree-seeking (NDS) student.

Degrees offered:

• Ph.D.
• M.A.
• M.A./J.D.
• NDS