Master of Arts Degree

Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree: (Min. 33 hours)

33 total hours of coursework with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better, including:

  1. At least one course in each of the following areas: history of philosophy, value theory, and metaphysics/epistemology. Only courses in which the student earns a grade of "B" or better will count towards fulfilling this distribution requirement. A student may petition the graduate committee to take an exam in one or more of the above areas which, if passed, would satisfy the distribution requirement for the specified area(s)
  2. Nine hours of course work in graduate seminars.
  3. An acceptable thesis and a successful oral examination before the thesis committee. With the approval of the graduate committee, the oral exam may be taken a second time.
  4. Six credits of thesis hours.

Guidelines/Timetable for M.A. Theses:

An M.A. thesis should be a clearly written, well-organized piece on a sharply-defined research topic. It should generally be 40-50 pages and consist of two components: a literature review of the relevant research area, and a piece of original research that could function as a writing sample for a PhD program or perhaps a journal article.

Below is a timetable that includes both guidelines and deadlines pertaining to the writing of the thesis. M.A. students planning to apply to Ph.D. programs (including ours) should pay special attention:

  1. Consider taking one course in the fall semester and two courses in the spring semester of your second year. (This frees up valuable time for working on your writing sample and applications for PhD programs).
  2. Select the general topic of your thesis and your director prior to the beginning of the fall semester of your second year, ideally before the end of the spring semester of your first year.
  3. Have a full first draft of your thesis done by April 1st of your second year.
  4. In order to complete your thesis, the April draft will need to undergo substantial revision and tightening. Students are required to maintain close contact with their advisors during this revision process. Permission to defend will only be granted when the advisor deems the student to have achieved a defensible draft.
  5. Students are strongly encouraged to finish their theses by the end of the fourth semester. Faculty are often hard to reach or out of town during the summer, making the scheduling of defenses difficult during that time.
  6. Defend your thesis by the end of the first week of classes the following fall. For those admitted to our Ph.D. program and receiving an assistantship, this is a requirement---failure to defend by this time will mean forfeiture of the 2nd and 3rd years of the offered assistantship

Admission to the Master of Arts Program

Admission to the M.A. program is subject to the approval of the Graduate School of the University of Arkansas and the graduate committee of the Department of Philosophy. The department encourages both philosophy majors and students with majors in other fields to apply. Though the normal expectation for admission to the M.A. program is at least 18 undergraduate hours in philosophy, including logic, exceptions are sometimes made. Students with significantly fewer hours in philosophy may be admitted "with deficiencies" (i.e., admitted but required to take more than the usual number of courses to satisfy the M.A. requirements). It is possible, but rare, for students with deficiencies to receive assistantships.The Graduate School has additional requirements, posted here.

Application Materials

Application is a two-part process. Submit application form, fee, transcripts, and at least three confidential letters of recommendation to the Graduate School. Send a sample of written work and statement of purpose directly to the Philosophy Department, at the address below. The Graduate School has additional requirements for International students.

Send application materials to:

Graduate Admissions
Department of Philosophy
MAIN 318
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701