LibrariesGoSolaruLearnWebMailDirectoryMapEventsIndex

Degree Requirements

 

(Requirements for students who entered the program before Fall of 2006, and before Fall of 2000.)

Download degree requirement worksheet for the Traditional and Neurophilosophy tracks.
Documents are in Microsoft Word format.

With the exception of the J.D./M.A. track, our program is designed to be finished in two years.

Requirements which Apply to All Tracks

  1. No 'double-counting.' Classes can count towards only one distribution requirement. Example: a person who takes Phil 8030, Seminar in Ancient Philosophy, can count it towards either the History or the Seminar requirement, but not both.
  2. Only one Phil 8950, Directed Readings, course may be counted towards the degree. Additional Phil 8950 courses may be taken but they will not count towards the degree. (To register for this course you need to take this form to the faculty member with whom you wish to work.)
  3. Thesis Submission Deadlines. The department has submission deadlines so that theses can receive the full consideration that they deserve. Students who do not meet these deadlines must postpone their graduation.
  4. Other than the exceptions specifically indicated below, only six hours of credit earned outside the Department of Philosophy at Georgia State University may be applied towards the Georgia State M.A. in philosophy.
  5. No student who has taken the 4000-level version of a course at Georgia State may take the 6000-level version of that course without advance permission of the Director of Graduate Studies. The Director will verify that the course content and requirements of the 6000-level course are different enough to warrent graduate credit for the course.
  6. Students must be enrolled in the semester in which they graduate. Any students who are enrolled for no classes for a full academic year (3 semesters running, including summer semester) and are not on official leave or covered by other exceptions will automatically be made inactive in the program, and if they wish to continue, are required to follow reentry procedures. The graduate office has further details on this continuous enrollment policy, which goes into effect Fall 2006.
  7. M.A. students whose course work is unsatisfactory may be subject to scholastic warning or scholastic termination.

Requirements of the traditional track

  1. Twenty-seven hours of graduate coursework in philosophy.
    Courses numbered 8960 and higher do not count towards the 27-hour requirement.
  2. Distribution requirements
    1. Logic requirement
      Phil 6520, Symbolic Logic, is required of every full-time student in their first year in the program, unless they pass the department's logic competency exam. The course is offered each year in the Spring Semester, and the competency exam is offered just prior to the start of each Spring Semester. If you are a part-time or special-status student, please consult with the Director of Graduate Studies about when to enroll in logic.
    2. History Requirement
      At least one history course.
      See below for the list of courses in this area.
    3. Ethics and Social/Political Requirement
      At least one course in ethics or social/political philosophy.
      See below for the list of courses in this area.
    4. Metaphysics and Epistemology Requirement
      At least one course in metaphysics or epistemology.
      See below for the list of courses in this area.
    5. Seminar requirement
      At least three courses with the word "Seminar" in the title.
      (Note that seminars used to satisfy other distribution requirements cannot also be used to satisfy this requirement.)
      1. Six hours of thesis research, Phil 8999 (To register for this course you need to have the approval of your thesis advisor and fill out this form. During their first three hours of thesis research, students are expected to write and have approved by their thesis committee a thesis prospectus. Approval of the prospectus is normally required before registering for additional hours.)
      2. A thesis which meets the departmental standards.
      3. An oral thesis defense.

          Students entering prior to Fall 2007 may take a general examination, which (if passed) counts for one seminar and three credit hours in the requirements above.

          History Courses
          Phil 6010 Plato
          Phil 6020 Aristotle
          Phil 6030 Topics in Ancient Philosophy
          Phil 6040 Augustine and Aquinas (Formerly Phil 6120)
          Phil 6050 Special Topics in Modern Philosophy (Formerly Phil 6150)
          Phil 6055 Hume
          Phil 6060 Kant (Formerly Phil 6160)
          Phil 6070 Marxism (Formerly Phil 6790)
          Phil 6075 Topics in 19th Century Philosophy
          Phil 6080 Wittgenstein (Formerly Phil 6170)
          Phil 6090 Topics in Continental Philosophy (Formerly Phil 6190)
          Phil 6095 Topics in Analytic Philosophy
          Phil 8030 Seminar in Ancient Philosophy
          Phil 8050 Seminar in Analytic Philosophy
          Phil 8060 Seminar in Modern Philosophy
          Phil 8090 Seminar in Continental Philosophy

          Ethics and Social/Political Courses
          Phil 6650 Religion and Ethics
          Phil 6680 War, Peace, and Religion
          Phil 6700 Ethics
          Phil 6720 Environmental Ethics
          Phil 6740 Advanced Biomedical Ethics
          Phil 6750 Topics in Ethics
          Phil 6800 Social and Political Philosophy (Formerly 6760)
          Phil 6820 Philosophy of Law (Formerly Phil 6720)
          Phil 6822 Topics in Philosophy of Law
          Phil 6830 Philosophy of Art
          Phil 6850 African American Ethical and Legal Issues (Formerly Phil 6750)
          Phil 6860 Topics in Political Theory
          Phil 6870 Philosophical Perspectives on Women
          Phil 6890 Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
          Phil 8700 Seminar in Ethics
          Phil 8710 Seminar in Bioethics
          Phil 8810 Seminar in Social and Political Philosophy
          Phil 8820 Seminar in Philosophy of Law
          Phil 8860 Seminar in Political Theory
          Phil 8870 Seminar in Feminist Philosophy

          Metaphysics and Epistemology Courses
          Phil 6100 Epistemology (Formerly Phil 6420)
          Phil 6150 Topics in Epistemology
          Phil 6130 Philosophy of Science (Formerly Phil 6430)
          Phil 6300 Metaphysics (Formerly Phil 6600)
          Phil 6350 Topics in Metaphysics
          Phil 6330 Philosophy of Mind (Formerly Phil 6440)
          Phil 6530 Philosophy of Language (Formerly Phil 6400)
          Phil 8100 Seminar in Epistemology
          Phil 8130 Seminar in Philosophy of Science
          Phil 8300 Seminar in Metaphysics
          Phil 8330 Seminar in Philosophy of Mind
          Phil 8520 Seminar in Logic
          Phil 8530 Seminar in Philosophy of Language

      The Neurophilosophy Track

      Neurophilosophy is one of the fastest growing subfields in contemporary philosophy. The Neurophilosophy Track offers students a unique opportunity to study philosophical issues at the intersection of philosophy and neuroscience, psychology, biology, and artificial intelligence. The Neurophilosophy Track is designed to take full advantage of the Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University. The Neuroscience Institute aims to take the neurosciences at Georgia State to a position of international prominence by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty and students from partnering departments. Successful completion of the Neurophilosophy Track, the first Masters program of its kind in the US, will provide students with a broad interdisciplinary background and prepare them to apply for graduate work in either philosophy or the relevant sciences.

      The philosophy department has four Neurophilosophy fellowships that are awarded to the most qualified students applying to the MA program with an interest in the Neurophilosophy Track. The Neurophilosophy fellows receive a stipend of $15,000 plus tuition and do not have to serve as graduate assistants or instructors. Applicants who wish to receive this fellowship should indicate their interest in their personal statement, and they should include a brief description of why they feel well-qualified to receive the fellowship.

      Visit the Department's Neurophilosophy web site.

      In addition to meeting the requirements noted above for the Traditional Track, students on the Neurophilosophy track

      1. must pass Phil 6330, Philosophy of Mind, or Phil 8330, Seminar in Philosophy of Mind. NB: this requirement is exempt from the usual 'no double-counting' rule for distribution requirements; e.g. Phil 8330 can count both toward this requirement and the seminar requirement.
      2. must pass 6 hours at the graduate level in another related department, such as biology, neuroscience, psychology, etc. These hours will count towards the 27 hours required for the M.A. in philosophy. These courses must be approved, in advance, by the philosophy Neurophilosophy Faculty and the Philosophy Director of Graduate Studies.
      3. must write a thesis on a topic related to neurophilosophy (interdisciplinary philosophy of mind or cognitive science).

       

      The J.D./M.A. Track

      The J.D./M.A. track, offered in conjunction with the College of Law at Georgia State University, allows students to receive the M.A. in philosophy and the J.D. in four years instead of the usual five.

       

      The J.D./M.A. track is a demanding course of study. Each student in the track is assigned an advisor from the College of Law faculty and an advisor from the faculty of the Department of Philosophy. Students must work closely with their advisors to make sure that they correctly progress towards the degrees. Below are the requirements for the M.A. degree on the J.D./M.A. track. For the J.D. requirements, see the College of Law web site.

      1. Nine hours of qualifying courses in law. In consultation with the student and law J.D./M.A. advisor, the philosophy J.D./M.A. advisor will select those law courses most appropriate to the M.A. program and to the student's interests.
      2. Eighteen hours of graduate course work in philosophy with the following distribution requirements:
        1. Two courses which meets the seminar requirement.
        2. Either Phil 6700, Ethics or Phil 6800, Social and Political Philosophy (Formerly Phil 6760.).
        3. In addition to the courses taken to fulfill requirements 2.B., at least one of the following courses:
          1. Phil 6700, Ethics
          2. Phil 6710, Biomedical Ethics
          3. Phil 6820, Philosophy of Law (Formerly Phil 6720.)(If the student has already taken Law 7295, Jurisprudence, credit for Phil 6820, Philosophy of Law, will be given only if the J.D. advisor and the M.A. advisor determine that Phil 6820, Philosophy of Law, would not substantially duplicate Law 7295, Jurisprudence.)
          4. Phil 6800, Social and Political Philosophy (Formerly Phil 6760.)
          5. Phil 6822, Topics in Philosophy of Law
          6. Phil 6850, African-American Ethical and Legal Issues (Formerly Phil 6750.)
          7. Phil 6870, Philosophical Perspectives on Women (Formerly Phil 6770.)
          8. Phil 8700, Seminar in Ethics (Formerly Phil 8400.)
          9. Phil 8710, Seminar in Bioethcis
          10. Phil 8802, Seminar in Classical & Early Modern Political Thought
          11. Phil 8804, Seminar in Modern Political Thought
          12. Phil 8810, Seminar in Social and Political Philosophy
          13. Phil 8820, Seminar in Philosophy of Law
          14. Phil 8870, Seminar in Feminist Philosophy (Formerly Phil 8500.)
        5. Epistemology Requirement--at least one of the following courses:
          1. Phil 6100, Theory of Knowledge (Formerly Phil 6420.)
          2. Phil 6130, Philosophy of Science (Formerly Phil 6430.)
          3. Phil 8100, Seminar in Epistemology (Formerly Phil 8200.)
          4. Phil 8520, Seminar in Logic
        6. Metaphysics Requirement--at least one of the following courses:
          1. Phil 6300, Metaphysics (Formerly Phil 6600.)
          2. Phil 6330, Philosophy of Mind (Formerly Phil 6440.)
          3. Phil 6530, Philosophy of Language (Formerly Phil 6400.)
          4. Phil 8300, Seminar in Metaphysics (Formerly Phil 8150.)
          5. Phil 8330, Seminar in Philosophy of Mind
          6. Phil 8530, Seminar in Philosophy of Language
        7. The following courses do not count towards the 15-hour requirement:
          1. Phil 8900, Internship
          2. Phil 8960, Research in Philosophy
          3. Phil 8970, Teaching Philosophy
          4. Phil 8980, Teaching Philosophy Practicum
          5. Six hours of thesis research, Phil 8999 (To register for this course you need to write and have approved a thesis prospectus and to fill out this form).
    6. Either Phil 6820, Philosophy of Law or Law 7295, Jurisprudence. Phil 6820, Philosophy of Law, counts towards requirement 2.C. and Law 7295, Jurisprudence, counts towards requirement 1. (If one of these two courses has been taken, credit for the second will be given only if the J.D. advisor and the M.A. advisor determine that the second would not substantially duplicate the first.)
    7. A thesis which meets the departmental standards.
    8. An oral thesis defense.

        Other Notes Concerning the J.D./M.A. Track

        Students must independently meet the admission requirements of the Department of Philosophy and the College of Law. Admission to the College of Law creates no presumption favoring admission to the Department of Philosophy. Admission to the Department of Philosophy creates no presumption favoring admission to the College of Law.

        Students on the J.D./M.A. track may, if they wish, count one seminar course towards both the seminar requirement and one other requirement. For example, Phil 8150 might fulfill both the seminar requirement and the Metaphysics Requirment.

        The Department of Philosophy will only grant credit for those law courses in which the student earns a grade of 80 or better.

        Law students may not take any philosophy courses while completing the first-year law curriculum.

        The J.D. degree must be completed within six years of the initial semester of enrollment in the J.D. program.

        Students enrolled in the J.D./M.A. program may subsequently elect not to pursue both degrees and may remain in either the J.D. or M.A. program; but any hours earned in a degree program from which a student withdraws will not be credited toward a degree granted by the program in which the student remains.

        Frequently Asked Questions about the Joint J.D./M.A. Program.

        For more information about the J.D./M.A. track, please contact Dr. Andrew I. Cohen (aicohen(at)gsu.edu), Philosophy J.D./M.A. advisor or Dr. William Edmundson (wedmundson(at)gsu.edu), Law J.D./M.A. advisor.

        The M.A. with Distinction

        Students who meet all of the following requirements shall be awarded the M.A. with distinction:
        1. A graduate Georgia State philosophy GPA of 3.85 or better.
        2. A thesis that, upon vote of the committee grading the thesis, is judged to merit distinction.
        3. The Director of Graduate Studies judges that the student's record at Georgia State is one of distinction.