Graduate Program Information for Master's Degree Candidates

MA & MS degrees in philosophy have been used successfully by many students as a basis for entering Ph.D. programs at other universities or at the University of Utah. They have been used ina variety of other ways as well -- by students pursuing careers in the legal, medical, or business professions, the sciences, or the humanities. Recognizing this wide variety of student needs, the Philosophy Department endeavors to be as flexible and helpful as possible in arranging individual programs for individual purposes, within the guidelines and requirements listed below. Completion of these requirements will normally take two years; with planning, however, it is possible to complete them in one year (including one summer) of full-time study.

University Requirements for Master's degrees are listed officially in the University General Catalogand in the Graduate Handbook published by the University of Utah Graduate School.

 

Masters Degree: Departmental Requirements

In addition to University Requirements, Departmental Requirements include:

Demonstration of Satisfactory Progress Toward Degree:

Students receiving University or Departmental financial awards or tuition waivers must:

* Take and complete at least nine hours of graduate level work (6000-7000 level courses or thesis hours) during each semester of the award. Students may take a maximum of twelve credit hours per semester. Funded students are awarded credit for attending department colloquia.

* Maintain a high level of quality in all graduate work. Students must maintain a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0. While an occasional grade of "Incomplete" in a course will not, by itself, be regarded as a failure to comply with this condition, an inordinate number of unremoved "Incompletes" -- normally two or more -- will. Students with "Incompletes" are not nominated for any fellowship awards and are not eligible for tansfer into the Ph.D. program.

* Pass the Graduate Student Qualifying Examination (GSQE) taken during the first semester of study as a matriculated graduate student. If a student fails the exam it must be taken over again in the second semester of study. (The intent of this examination is to assess the student's background and ability to undertake graduate study in philosophy).

* Comply with the Department and Graduate School requirements for the formation of a Supervisory Committee during the second semester of graduate study, and meet with the Supervisory Committee Chair (or in the first two semesters, the Graduate Committee Chair) for program approval. Supervisory committees consist of three philosophy faculty members

* Receive Supervisory Committee approval of a written thesis proposal no later than the start of the third semester of graduate study.

* Complete all degree requirements within two years of admission.

Students not receiving University or Departmental financial awards or tuition waivers must demonstrate satisfactory progress towards degree as determined by the student's Supervisory Committee and/or the Graduate Committee Chair.

Details of Masters Degree Requirements:

Course of Study Approval - The Supervisory Committee must approve the graduate student's proposed course of study at the start of each semester. Prior to the appointment of a committee, the student's course of study should be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Proseminar Requirement - All students entering the program must take the introductory Philosophy Proseminar (PHIL 7010) during their first fall semester.

The Graduate Studenty Qualifying Examination (GSQE) - This examination is required of all students admitted into the Masters program. The GSQE is a three hour written examination which must be taken duirng the first semester of graduate study. Students are given three hours to read, summarize, and critically respond to two passages of philosophy.

The exam is graded by the Graduate Committee. If the exam is not passed on the first attempt it must be attempted again no later than the second semester of study. Failure to pass the exam on the second attempt will result in dismissal from the program. Sample exam passages may be obtained from the Graduate secretary and/or Director of Graduate Studies.

Course and Seminar Requirement - Each Masters degree student's must complete at least three 7000 level philosophy seminars as part of their course of study, including 7010 Philosophy Proseminar. (Note that individual or thesis research hourse are not seminars.) Students may substitute 6000 level courses for 7000 level courses other than the Proseminar only upon the recommendation of the studetn's Supervisory Committee and the approval of the Graduate Committee. Students are required to take a minimum of 7 graduate courses total including Seminars (as indicated in the Univeristy Requirements.)

Logic and Formal Methods Requirement - All entering students must demonstrate undergraduate capability in logic. Entering students should have a grade of B or better in an undergraduate deductive logic class that covered proof theory for propositional and prediate calculus. Any student lacking an undergraduate background in logic will be required to take our undergraduate deductive logic course (PHIL 3200) for graduate credit. East student must then meet the logic and formal methods course requirement by passing PHIL 6200 or another graduate level course with formal content witha grade of B or better. Eligible courses include 6000 level courses in Decision Theory, Game Theory, Probability Theory and so on. Courses from other university may be transferred to fulfill this requirements the the approval of the Graduate Committee.

Language Requirement - The MA requires standard proficiency in one approved foreign language, whereas the MS has no language requirement. French and German are approved languages for PHilosophy; the supervisory committee may approve another for a particular student if the languages is relevant to his/her research. Standard proficiency may be established by showing that one is a native speaker of the language, by passing a second semester language class with a grade of B, or by registering for and passing a standardized ETS examination (administered through the University Testing Center) with a score of 450 or better. Where the requirement is satisfied by course work, the student must obtain certification within four years of the course taken to satisfy the requirement. In every case, however, the student must obtain a certification form in person from the Graduate Language Advisor int he Department of Language and Literature. Certification is the responsibility fo the student, and cannot be obtained the the Department of Philosophy.

Transfer Credit and Non-Matriculated Hours - Students may transfer up to 9 hours of graduate level credit as long as it did not contribute to another degree. Students may count 9 hours of graduate level classes taken at the University of Utah as a non-matriulated graduate student toward the master's degree. Transferred credit must be at a grade of B+ or better and the course work must be approved by the graduate committee.

Approval of transfer credit is not automatic. Students must present a syllabus and a sample of work (e.g. a term paper) form any course that they wish to be considered for transfer.

Transfer from the Masters Program to the Ph.D. Program - Students may request a transfer from the Masters program to teh Ph.D. program. Such requests are evaluated by the graduate committee. Students must demonstrate that they are capable of completing Ph.D. level work. Their Masters work to date must be exemplary and they must not have any incompletes on their record. Student must accompany their request for transfer with a sample of recent written work and letter from their supervisor indicating that they are capable of completing a Ph.D..

 

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