Philosophy, MA
Chairperson: Corinne Bloch-Mullins, Ph.D.
Philosophy Graduate Programs website
Degree Offered
Program Description
The Department of Philosophy's master's program provides students with a broad grounding in philosophy, from ancient philosophy to current work. The specialization in history of philosophy prepares students for further graduate work in philosophy. The specialization in social and applied philosophy is designed for students who are interested in working in a variety of non-academic contexts.
Specializations: History of Philosophy, Social and Applied Philosophy
Students in the master of arts program in philosophy must choose either the history of philosophy specialization or the social and applied philosophy specialization, following the requirements listed below.
History of Philosophy
A history of philosophy master’s student must complete 30 credit hours of graduate-level course work and submit a master’s qualifying paper. At least 18 credits of the course work requirement must be in graduate-level philosophy courses, including one course in ethics. Courses must be individually approved by the director of the graduate program.
Required course work:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 6605 | Plato | 3 |
| or PHIL 6610 | Aristotle | |
| PHIL 6620 | Augustine | 3 |
| or PHIL 6640 | St. Thomas Aquinas | |
| PHIL 6650 | Descartes | 3 |
| or PHIL 6660 | Kant | |
| One course in the history of philosophy to be approved by the director of graduate studies | 3 | |
| Topics in Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Neo-Platonism | ||
| 17th and 18th Century European Philosophy | ||
| Husserl | ||
| Analytic Philosophy | ||
| German Phenomenology-Existentialism | ||
| French Phenomenology-Existentialism | ||
| Text/Seminar on Ancient Philosophy | ||
| Text/Seminar on Early or High Medieval Philosophy | ||
| Text/Seminar on Later Medieval or Renaissance Philosophy | ||
| Text/Seminar on Nineteenth-Century Philosophy | ||
| Text/Seminar on Twentieth-Century Philosophy | ||
| One ethics course | 3 | |
| History and Theory of Ethics | ||
| Problems in Ethics | ||
| Seminar in Professional Philosophy | ||
Additional courses as approved by the director of graduate studies. | ||
| Electives from the graduate philosophy course offerings, as approved by the director of graduate studies | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 30 | |
Social and Applied Philosophy
A social and applied philosophy master's student must complete 30 credit hours of graduate-level course work, 3 credits of which must be the practicum PHIL 6965 . No qualifying paper is required for the social and applied philosophy specialization. At least 18 credits of the course work requirement must be in graduate-level philosophy courses. Cognate courses must be individually approved by the director of the graduate program.
Required course work:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 6310 | History and Theory of Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 6960 | Seminar in Professional Philosophy | 3 |
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Plato | ||
| Aristotle | ||
| Augustine | ||
| St. Thomas Aquinas | ||
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Descartes | ||
| 17th and 18th Century European Philosophy | ||
| Kant | ||
| PHIL 6965 | Practicum in Philosophy (may be taken for 6 credits OR 3 credits with an additional 3 credit philosophy elective) | 6 |
| Electives from the graduate philosophy course offerings | 6 | |
| Topics in Philosophy | ||
| Modern Logic | ||
| Writing-Intensive Seminar in Philosophy | ||
| Seminar in Philosophy | ||
| Problems in Ethics | ||
| Aesthetics | ||
| Philosophy of Language | ||
| Philosophy of Knowledge | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Philosophy of Freedom | ||
| Problems in Metaphysics | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Neo-Platonism | ||
| Husserl | ||
| Analytic Philosophy | ||
| German Phenomenology-Existentialism | ||
| French Phenomenology-Existentialism | ||
| Political Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Text/Seminar on Ancient Philosophy | ||
| Text/Seminar on Early or High Medieval Philosophy | ||
| Text/Seminar on Later Medieval or Renaissance Philosophy | ||
| Text/Seminar on Nineteenth-Century Philosophy | ||
| Text/Seminar on Twentieth-Century Philosophy | ||
| Seminar in Philosophy | ||
| Seminar on Teaching Philosophy | ||
| Independent Study in Philosophy | ||
| Two graduate-level cognate courses from outside philosophy | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 30 | |
Accelerated Bachelor's-Master's Degree Program
The accelerated degree program (ADP) in philosophy is designed to give Marquette University undergraduates a more efficient means to obtain a master's degree in philosophy. Interested Marquette students in their junior year (or equivalent) must meet the following criteria in order to apply for the ADP:
- Students must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.000.
- Students must have taken at least 18 credits of course work in philosophy (6 courses).
Students accepted into the program may transfer up to 12 credits of approved 5000-level courses into their graduate program. Undergraduates participating in this program are granted early admission to the Graduate School and are allowed to take specific graduate-level courses during their senior year.
The ADP in philosophy is not restricted to philosophy majors. For additional information about requirements, interested students should contact the Department of Philosophy.
Those who have completed a master of arts in philosophy have gone on to excellent philosophy doctoral programs or law schools, and gained employment in the non-profit and private sectors. Graduate courses in our program offer students the possibility to pursue topics of interest to them in more depth than they are able to do in undergraduate classes. These courses provide smaller class sizes, more opportunities for participation, and an emphasis on the refinement of student research skills.
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PHIL 5000 Modern Logic (3 credits)
Introduction to modern symbolic logic, with primary emphasis on translation into symbolic form and natural deduction. Covers propositional logic and predicate logic with identity. Possible additional topics include the philosophical implications of modern logic.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 5931 Topics in Philosophy (1-3 credits)
Lectures and discussions in an area which, because of its topicality, is not the subject of a regular course. The special topics are designated in the Schedule of Classes.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 5953 Seminar in Philosophy (3 credits)
Designed to initiate a group of qualified students in the techniques and discipline of scholarly research by concentrated work in a defined subject area. Critical reading and analysis of sources. Specific subjects of seminars to be announced in the Schedule of Classes.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 5954 Writing-Intensive Seminar in Philosophy (3 credits)
Designed to initiate a group of qualified students in the techniques and discipline of scholarly research by concentrated work in a defined subject area. Critical reading and analysis of sources. Specific subjects of seminars are announced in the Schedule of Classes.
Level of Study: Graduate
Marquette Core Curriculum: Writing Intensive
PHIL 6310 History and Theory of Ethics (3 credits)
A theoretical investigation into the moral dimensions of human life. Covers the principal traditions in Western moral philosophy as well as significant work in contemporary moral philosophy.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6330 Problems in Ethics (3 credits)
Considers various metaethical and normative problems, such as: values; the justification and nature of ethical norms; moral responsibility; moral failure; the relation of morality to religion, law, and aesthetics.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6340 Aesthetics (3 credits)
Considers one or more of the following problems in aesthetic theory: expression, representation, art and knowledge, aesthetics and society, and method.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6420 Philosophy of Language (3 credits)
Studies topics such as the structure and function of language, philosophy and linguistics, and language and mind. Considers philosophers such as Austin, Morris and Chomsky.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6430 Philosophy of Knowledge (3 credits)
A study of major epistemological problems and theories of knowledge.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6440 Philosophy of Science (3 credits)
A survey of basic problems and methods in contemporary philosophy of science. Topics may include demarcation of science, realism and antirealism, representation, models and idealizations, reduction and emergence, laws of nature, inductive inference, underdetermination, revolution and meaning change, rationality in theory choice, experiment and simulation, causation, explanation, and values in science.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6450 Philosophy of Mind (3 credits)
A study of what mind is and its relation to the body; various concepts related to the mental and to human action.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6460 Philosophy of Freedom (3 credits)
A systematic investigation of problems involved in the assertion of human freedom.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6470 Problems in Metaphysics (3 credits)
Studies doctrines on the nature of ultimate reality; associated topics such as substance, relation, process or change, causality, universals, particulars, space, time, eternity, freedom, necessity; and the meaning of metaphysics as a philosophical discipline.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6510 Philosophy of Religion (3 credits)
Inquiry into the religious dimensions of human existence and into divine reality. Topics include: religion as a cultural institution, religious experience, the existence and nature of God, the problem of evil, faith and reason, religious language, and the rationality of religious belief.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6605 Plato (3 credits)
A study of Plato's thought, especially his ethics, epistemology, psychology and metaphysics.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6610 Aristotle (3 credits)
A study of key themes in Aristotle’s thought.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6620 Augustine (3 credits)
The early philosophical dialogues and The Confessions, The City of God, and The Trinity, considered in their significance as sources of Christian thought.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6630 Neo-Platonism (3 credits)
A study of the origin and character of neoplatonic thought, especially its metaphysics, epistemology and psychology. Concentration on writers such as Plotinus and Proclus; medieval neoplatonists may also be included.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6640 St. Thomas Aquinas (3 credits)
A study of St. Thomas Aquinas' philosophy, especially his metaphysics, epistemology and psychology.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6650 Descartes (3 credits)
A study of some principal works of Descartes.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6652 17th and 18th Century European Philosophy (3 credits)
Readings and discussions on problems ranging from the existence of laws of nature to problems in epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of religion, ethics, and political philosophy. Readings are drawn from such thinkers as Descartes, Cavendish, Hobbes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Astell, Mandeville, Newton, Gassendi, Bayle, Wollstonecraft, Locke, Berkeley, Shepherd, Cudworth, Shaftesbury and Hume.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6660 Kant (3 credits)
A study of some principal works of Kant including the Critique of Pure Reason.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6664 Husserl (3 credits)
A textual study of some principal works.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6680 Analytic Philosophy (3 credits)
A study of selected figures and problem areas in analytic philosophy. Philosophers may include Frege, Russell, Moore, Ayer, Carnap, Goodman, Quine, Ryle, Austin, Kripke, Putnam, Nagel, Davidson, Sellars, McDowell, Anscombe, Williams, Foot, Thomson, and others. Selected problems may include metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, ethics, applied ethics, and philosophical methodology.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6690 German Phenomenology-Existentialism (3 credits)
Reading and discussion of the works of such thinkers as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Jaspers and Scheler.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6695 French Phenomenology-Existentialism (3 credits)
A study of problems, such as meaning vs. absurdity, theism vs. atheism, and intersubjectivity vs. solipsism, in such thinkers as Sartre, Marcel, Camus and Merleau-Ponty.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6710 Political Philosophy (3 credits)
Consideration of the genesis and justification of the state; questions concerning the best form of government; problems especially germane to democracy, such as the nature and justification of equality and liberty, and of the balance of power and the majority rule.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6750 Philosophy of Law (3 credits)
A study of the various philosophical approaches to the basic problems and values in law.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6953 Text/Seminar on Ancient Philosophy (3 credits)
Either the study of a specific period within Ancient Philosophy, such as Pre-Socratic thought or Roman moral philosophy; or the intensive reading of a major work such as Plato's Sophist or Theaetetus or Aristotle's Metaphysics or Nicomachean Ethics; or the investigation of a theme running through Ancient Philosophy such as problems with the veracity of perception, the ontological status of ideas, or Aristotle and the Peripatetics.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6954 Text/Seminar on Early or High Medieval Philosophy (3 credits)
Either the study of individual thinkers, such as St. Anselm, St. Bonaventure, St. Albert the Great; or on specific texts, such as St. Thomas' Treatise On Spiritual Substances; or on problems, such as the nature of man according to St. Bonaventure or doctrines on Divine Illumination in the 13th century.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6955 Text/Seminar on Later Medieval or Renaissance Philosophy (3 credits)
Either the study of individual thinkers, such as William of Ockham, Duns Scotus, Nicholas of Cusa, Giordano Bruno, Niccolo Machiavelli; or on themes running through these periods, such as the nature of man, or theories of knowledge, or the Platonism of the 15th and 16th centuries.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6957 Text/Seminar on Nineteenth-Century Philosophy (3 credits)
Either the study of major philosophers, such as Marx, Fichte, or Peirce; or on major texts, such as Hegel's Logic, or Kierkegaard's Concluding Unscientific Postscript; or on philosophical problems, such as the individual and the social order, or pragmatic views of knowledge and truth.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6958 Text/Seminar on Twentieth-Century Philosophy (3 credits)
Either the study of philosophical movements, such as existentialism, phenomenology, analysis, or pragmatism; or of specific philosophers, such as Sartre or Russell; or of major philosophical works, such as Philosophical Investigations, or Being and Time.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6959 Seminar in Philosophy (1-3 credits)
Subjects and credits according to arrangement.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6960 Seminar in Professional Philosophy (3 credits)
Prepares students for a variety of professional careers, with a focus on the skills developed through the pursuit of an advanced degree in philosophy. Focuses on: (1) the practice of philosophy in/as the public humanities; (2) career discernment; (3) professional ethics, equity, and inclusion training in relevant career paths; and (4) the development of professional narratives and job materials that communicate with a broad range of audiences, including non-scholarly.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6965 Practicum in Philosophy (3-6 credits)
Internship designed to develop a student's ability to use philosophical thinking and concepts in dealing with problems which arise in the context of a specific job, vocation, or institutional setting. Students arrange placement on an individual basis. S/U grade assessment.
Prerequisite: Cons. of dept. Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6970 Seminar on Teaching Philosophy (3 credits)
An introduction to the theory and practice of teaching philosophy.
Prerequisite: Graduate stndg.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6995 Independent Study in Philosophy (1-3 credits)
Faculty-supervised, independent study/research of a specific area or topic in Philosophy.
Prerequisite: Cons. of dept. ch. Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 6998 Professional Project in Philosophy (1-12 credits)
S/U grade assessment.
Prerequisite: Cons. of dir. of graduate studies. Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 8097 Career Discernment/Career Diversity Skills (0 credits)
Provides students with an understanding of the career realities of their discipline and to offer them the opportunity to discern their career values and how to obtain the skills and experiences that will match that valued career direction.
Prerequisite: Enrolled in the PHIL Ph.D. program. Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 8098 Communication Skills (0 credits)
Provides students with the ability to effectively communicate and lead discussions across various academic and non-academic audiences within various contexts, formats and media.
Prerequisite: Enrolled in the PHIL Ph.D. program. Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 8099 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Skills (0 credits)
Provides students with foundational understandings of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) along with practical tools to engage across difference. Discusses how, in today’s interconnected world, understanding DEI is essential for professional growth, effective communication, fostering inclusive communities and reimagining our physical and social realities for greater accessibility. Designed to equip students with knowledge, skills and perspectives necessary to examine how they might engage in more equitable and inclusive practices in their future careers.
Prerequisite: Enrolled in the PHIL Ph.D. program. Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 8995 Independent Study in Philosophy (1-3 credits)
The mode of instruction offers a student the opportunity to study or do in-depth research on a topic or subject matter not usually offered in the established curriculum, with a current Marquette faculty of the student's choice and independent of the classroom setting.
Prerequisite: Cons. of dept.; cons. of graduate prog. dir. Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 8999 Doctoral Dissertation (1-12 credits)
S/U grade assessment.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9964 Master's Qualifying Paper Preparation: Less than Half-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of less than half-time status. Requires that the student is working less than 12 hours per week toward their master's qualifying paper.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9965 Master's Qualifying Paper Preparation: Half-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of half-time status. Requires that the student is working more than 12 to less than 20 hours per week toward their master's qualifying paper. May be taken in conjunction with credit-bearing or other non-credit courses to result in the status indicated, as deemed appropriate by the department.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9966 Master's Qualifying Paper Preparation: Full-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of full-time status. Requires that the student is working 20 hours or more per week toward their master's qualifying paper. May be taken in conjunction with credit-bearing or other non-credit courses to result in the status indicated, as deemed appropriate by the department.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9967 Doctoral Qualifying Paper Preparation: Less than Half-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of less than half-time status. Requires that the student is working less than 12 hours per week toward their doctoral qualifying paper.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9968 Doctoral Qualifying Paper Preparation: Half-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of half-time status. Requires that the student is working more than 12 to less than 20 hours per week toward their doctoral qualifying paper. May be taken in conjunction with credit-bearing or other non-credit courses to result in the status indicated, as deemed appropriate by the department.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9969 Doctoral Qualifying Paper Preparation: Full-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of full-time status. Requires that the student is working 20 hours or more per week toward their doctoral qualifying paper. May be taken in conjunction with credit-bearing or other non-credit courses to result in the status indicated, as deemed appropriate by the department.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9970 Graduate Standing Continuation: Less than Half-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Designated as less than half-time status only, cannot be used in conjunction with other courses, and does not qualify students for financial aid or loan deferment.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9974 Graduate Fellowship: Full-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Designated as full-time status. If a student is already registered in other courses full time, this continuation course is not needed.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9975 Graduate Assistant Teaching: Full-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Designated as full-time status. If a student is already registered in other courses full time, this continuation course is not needed.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9976 Graduate Assistant Research: Full-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Designated as full-time status. If a student is already registered in other courses full time, this continuation course is not needed.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9979 Field Placement Continuation: Full-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of full-time status. Requires that the student is working 20 hours or more per week at their field placement.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9993 Professional Project Continuation: Full-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of full-time status. Requires that the student is working 20 hours or more per week on their professional project. Any professional project credits required for the degree should be completed before registering for non-credit Professional Project Continuation.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9997 Doctoral Dissertation Continuation: Less than Half-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of less than half-time status. Requires that the student is working less than 12 hours per week on their doctoral dissertation. All 12 dissertation credits required for the degree should be completed before registering for non-credit Doctoral Dissertation Continuation.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9998 Doctoral Dissertation Continuation: Half-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of half-time status. Requires that the student is working more than 12 to less than 20 hours per week on their doctoral dissertation. All 12 dissertation credits required for the degree should be completed before registering for non-credit Doctoral Dissertation Continuation.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate
PHIL 9999 Doctoral Dissertation Continuation: Full-Time (0 credits)
Fee. S/U grade assessment. Allows a student to be considered the equivalent of full-time status. Requires that the student is working 20 hours or more per week on their doctoral dissertation. All 12 dissertation credits required for the degree should be completed before registering for non-credit Doctoral Dissertation Continuation.
Prerequisite: Consent required.
Level of Study: Graduate