Philosophy
Through Duquesne’s M.A. program, you will earn an advanced degree in philosophy, preparing you for either doctoral studies or a career in a wide variety of allied fields. From the pre-Socratics, Plato and Aristotle to Kant, Nietzsche and Heidegger, you will be immersed in the works of the greatest minds in human history, exploring philosophy in depth, across cultures, continents and generations.
As a student in our M.A. program, your intellectual life will be nourished by a wide range of courses, our visiting speakers series, a graduate research colloquium, student- and faculty-run reading groups and strong graduate student organizations.
Program Information
Duquesne's M.A. program in philosophy prepares you for doctoral studies or diverse careers. Immerse yourself in the works of great thinkers, explore philosophy across cultures and generations.
Degree
Master's
Academic Department
Philosophy
Duration
2 years
Required Credit Hours
30
Master’s-level philosophy teaches you the ‘pragmatics’ of the field while you curate and deepen your interests within philosophy. There are many opportunities for leadership within the department, and the community is made up of kind and supportive friends.
Program Features
Duquesne’s Department of Philosophy was among the first in the United States to concentrate on phenomenology and, more broadly, 19th- and 20th-century Continental thought. In our M.A. program, you’ll work with dedicated faculty specializing in German idealism, the phenomenological traditions, social and political philosophy, psychoanalytic theory, structuralism, poststructuralism and their aftermaths.
We integrate this approach into a broader emphasis on the history of philosophy as
a cluster of research areas in their own right and as necessary background for understanding
contemporary thought. To this end, you’ll take courses with experts in each of the
main periods of the history of philosophy, including ancient, medieval, modern and
contemporary philosophy.
As a new M.A. student entering the program in the fall and enrolling in 6 or more credits, you will be eligible to receive a 25% award on tuition.
Also, graduate assistantships outside the Philosophy Department are usually available
and provide tuition assistance, a stipend, or an hourly wage. These are awarded by
direct application to the assistantship, not as part of a Philosophy Department-based
funding package.
In recent years, our M.A. students have obtained positions in the University Writing
Center, the Honors College, the Center for Interpretive and Qualitative Research and
the Center for Women and Gender Studies, as well as through faculty-edited journals
and individual faculty research grant initiatives. Students joining the program are
alerted as opportunities become available.
See recent M.A. placements
Application Requirements
Submit the online application through the graduate application portal. Once submitted, the system will generate an application checklist page and allow applicants to upload all supplementary documents.
Deadline for Spring 2025 admission: November 1, 2024.
Deadline for Fall 2025 admission: March 1, 2025.
Submit a transcript from each college or university you have attended. For the application process, transcripts from U.S. institutions may be submitted as legible scans (if you are accepted, you will be required to submit official transcripts before matriculating). If you hold prior degrees from an institution located outside the U.S., you are required to have an official course-by-course report from a transcript credential evaluation service sent directly to Duquesne University.
M.A. applicants are expected to hold or be in the final stages of completing a B.A. or equivalent degree in philosophy or a related discipline. Applicants holding B.A.- or M.A.-level degrees in more distantly related fields will be considered when they can demonstrate they have successfully pursued significant coursework in philosophy.
Only applicable to international students.
Valid TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo language test scores are required for all applicants who do not hold U.S., Australian, Canadian, Irish, New Zealander, or U.K. citizenship; U.S. permanent resident status; or U.S. refugee/asylum status. If you are not covered by this list, you may still request a language test score waiver if you meet any of the following conditions: English is your native or primary language; you have completed four years of undergraduate-level coursework or two years of graduate-level coursework at an accredited U.S. university; you have completed four years of undergraduate-level coursework or two years of graduate-level coursework at an accredited non-U.S. university where English is the language of instruction. A prompt to request a waiver on any of these grounds is built into the online application system - please do not directly contact the Philosophy Department to request a waiver. If you are required to submit a language test score, applications cannot be reviewed (and application checklist page test score items will remain marked as 'Awaiting materials') until official language score reports are received directly from testing agencies.
Submit a two-page maximum curriculum vitae (no resumes please) clearly indicating the following: name and contact information; academic degrees with institution, major or discipline, and dates conferred or expected; any academic fellowships, awards, scholarships or honors; any academic publications; any academic conference presentations; language proficiencies (reading, speaking and writing indicated as fluent, advanced, intermediate or basic); and any additional academically relevant information.