School of Liberal Arts

Departmental URL: liberalarts.indianapolis.iu.edu/departments/philosophy

Program URL: liberalarts.indianapolis.iu.edu/departments/philosophy/current-students/graduate/ma-in-philosophy

Departmental E-mail: crcarmic@iu.edu

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts in Philosophy, accelerated Five-Year Bachelor of Arts/Master of Arts in Philosophy, joint Master of Arts/Doctor of Jurisprudence (with the School of Law), joint Master of Arts/Doctor of Medicine (with the School of Medicine), joint Master of Arts/Master of Public Health (with the Department of Public Health in the School of Medicine), Ph.D. Minor, and Graduate Certificates in Bioethics and American Philosophy.

Master of Arts in Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy M.A. program offers two distinct paths to the M.A. degree: a general track that covers historical and topical areas of the discipline, and a bioethics track that integrates theory with practice to address an urgent need both in medical science and in the health care industry. Students who pursue the general track may take a number of elective courses focused on classical American philosophy, which is an area in which the department has particular strength.

Special Departmental Requirements

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the M.A. program are expected to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or its equivalent, with a grade point aver­age of at least 3.0 overall (on a 4.0 scale) and at least 3.0 in the student’s major. There is no specific major requirement, but applicants must show a record of course work (or equivalent experience), demonstrating that they are sufficiently prepared to do graduate work in philosophy. For applicants interested in the Bioethics concentration, professional training or experience that involved health care or research ethics could be accepted in lieu of coursework. Applicants must also show an appropriate level of achievement on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test unless they already hold an advanced degree.

Foreign applicants are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). They must also take the IU Indianapolis English (ESL) examination prior to their first semester of coursework and may be required to take additional classes in English as a second language.

Deadlines for receipt of completed applications are as follows:

January 15th – For applicants who wish to be considered for a University Fellowship.
March 1st – For applicants seeking admission in the summer or fall semesters.
October 15th – For applicants seeking admission for the spring semester.

A complete application includes the following materials:

1. Graduate School Application form with Application Fee
2. Three Letters of Recommendation
3. Statement of Purpose
4. GRE Scores*
5. TOEFL Scores (non-native English speakers only)
6. Official Transcripts (required from all institutions attended or currently attending)
7. Writing Sample†

Transcripts and writing sample should be sent directly to:

Philosophy Department

ATTN Graduate Admissions

425 University Blvd., CA 331

Indianapolis, IN 46202

USA

Program Requirements

Students are required to take a minimum of 30 credit hours. Students must complete a set of core courses as well as a set of open or concentration-specific electives. Students may apply to write a 6 cr. thesis in place of two 3 cr. graduate courses. Students must attend and complete these courses at IU Indianapolis, except those courses accepted for transfer. At least 15 credit hours must be taken at IU Indianapolis and at least 18 credit hours must be philosophy courses. No course with a grade lower than a B will count toward the degree.

General M.A. Curriculum

Philosophy Core (15 cr. required)

1. History (6 cr. required)

• PHIL P515 Medieval Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P522 Topics in History of Modern Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P536 Topics in the History of Contemporary Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P558 Classical American Philosophy (3 cr.)

2. Topics (6 cr. required)

• PHIL P514 Pragmatism (3 cr.)
• PHIL P540 Contemporary Ethical Theories (3 cr.)
• PHIL P543 Social and Political Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P553 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
• PHIL P560 Metaphysics (3 cr.)
• PHIL P562 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)

Electives (15 cr. required)

• Any course from the Philosophy Core (above)
• PHIL P503 Semiotics of C.S. Peirce (3 cr.)
• PHIL P507 American Philosophy and the Analytic Tradition (3 cr.)
• PHIL P520 Philosophy of Language (3 cr.)
• PHIL P525 Topics in the History of Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P542 Ethics and Values of Philanthropy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P545 Legal Philosophy
• PHIL P552 Philosophy of Logic
• PHIL P561 Philosophy of Mind
• PHIL P572 Philosophy of Religion
• PHIL P600 Topics in Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P650 Topics in Semiotic Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P701 Peirce Seminar (3 cr.)
• PHIL P730 Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P748 Seminar in American Philosophy (3 cr.)
• Any PHIL course offered in the Bioethics concentration

Thesis option: Students may petition to write a thesis (P803, 6 cr.) under certain circumstances. They must secure permission from their graduate director and three faculty members who are willing to constitute a thesis committee. Students who receive permission to write a thesis need only take 9 cr. of electives. 

Bioethics Concentration Curriculum

Philosophy Core (6 cr. required)

1. Required foundational course (3 cr.)

• PHIL P540 Contemporary Ethical Theories (3 cr.)

1. Core electives (3 cr. required)

• PHIL P514 Pragmatism (3 cr.)
• PHIL P515 Medieval Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P522 Topics in the History of Modern Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P536 Topics in the History of Contemporary Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P543 Contemporary Social and Political Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P553 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
• PHIL P558 Classical American Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHIL P560 Metaphysics (3 cr.)
• PHIL P562 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)

Concentration-specific Courses (18 cr. required)

1. Required foundational course (3 cr.)

• PHIL P547 Foundations of Bioethics (3 cr.)

2. Concentration-specific electives (15 cr. required)

2a. Areas of central importance (5 cr. required)

• PHIL P548 Clinical Ethics Practicum (3 cr.)
• LAW DN838 Bioethics and Law (2 cr.)
• MHHS M504 Introduction to Research Ethics (3 cr.)

2b. Specialized electives (9 cr. required)

• ANTH E445 Medical Anthropology (3 cr.)
• COMM C510 Health Provider-Consumer Communication (3 cr.)
• HIST H546 History of Medicine (3 cr.)
• LAW DN761 Law and Public Health (2 cr.)
• LAW DN845 Financing and Regulating Health Care (3 cr.)
• NURS N534 Ethical and Legal Perspectives in Advanced Nursing Practice (2 cr.)
• PHIL P549 Bioethics and Pragmatism (3 cr.)
• PHIL P555 Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research (3 cr.)
• PHIL P600 Topics in Philosophy (3 cr.) [When content is track-specific]
• PHIL P696 Topics in Biomedical Ethics (3 cr.)
• PHIL P730 Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy (3 cr.) [When content is track-specific]
• SOC R515 Sociology of Health and Illness (3 cr.)
• SOC S560 Topics: Death and Dying (3 cr.)

Thesis or Research Project (6 cr. required)

• PHIL P803 Master’s Thesis in Philosophy (6 cr.)

In lieu of a thesis students may opt to complete a research project under the guidance of an ap­propriate faculty committee. Examples of admissible research projects: research that leads to a paper of sufficient length and quality to be considered for publication in a peer-reviewed journal; a comprehensive briefing paper for a legislative hear­ing; and analysis of a hospital, institutional, or research policy.

In lieu of the above, students may also opt for six credits of general electives; i.e., any graduate-level philosophy course offered by the IU Indianapolis Philosophy Department that falls within the General M.A. Curriculum or the Bioethics Concentration Curriculum.

Five-Year Bachelor of Arts/Master of Arts in Philosophy

Available to philosophy majors only, this program allows students to complete a B.A. and M.A. in five years instead of six, with three years of undergraduate coursework, a fourth year of combined undergraduate and graduate coursework, and a final year devoted exclusively to graduate work. The program is open to students who have:

• Achieved junior status.
• A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.3 or better, and a GPA in their major of 3.5 or better.
• Completed at least 60 of their undergraduate credit hours and at least 15 of their Philosophy credit hours at IU Indianapolis.
• Completed the 9 hours of introductory-level required undergraduate courses for Philosophy. Interested students may declare their interest in the program to the Director of Graduate Studies in Philosophy as soon as they start at IU Indianapolis, in which case particular efforts will be made to advise them in their choice of courses during their first three years.

Before the end of their junior year, students whose eligibility has been confirmed must apply to the five-year program. Applications include all the materials listed above for the M.A. program, with the exception of the GRE, which is not required. Applications are due on March 1 of the student’s junior year (October 15^th if the student’s final semester as a junior is in the fall).

Once admitted, during their senior year, participants in the program must complete and pass a maximum of four Philosophy courses (12 cr.) [CC3] offered as combined undergraduate/graduate courses (e.g., PHIL-P560/P385: Metaphysics), having registered and completed the requirements for the graduate course, with a grade of at least a B. These may then be double-counted towards the M.A. degree.

Students who are admitted to the program will take their remaining credits of graduate courses in their fifth year, and will complete the remaining program requirements for the M.A. degree as listed above. Students who double-count the maximum allowed 12 hours of graduate credit will only be required to take a total of 138 credit hours of coursework for their B.A. and their M.A., rather than 150 (120 + 30).

Admission Requirements

Eligible students may apply to the philosophy B.A./M.A. program no later than March 1^st during the final semester of their junior year (October 15^th if their final semester as a junior is in the fall). The establishment of eligibility for the B.A./M.A. program does not automatically guarantee acceptance into the program. Complete applications include the same materials as listed above for the M.A. program, minus the GRE score, which is not required.

Joint Degrees

Master of Arts in Philosophy and Doctor of Jurisprudence in the School of Law

This joint degrees program, in which 12 hours of course work may be creditable toward both degrees (provided the degrees are received simultaneously), affords the opportunity to earn both a Doctor of Jurisprudence (with an optional concentration in health law) and a Master of Arts in Philosophy (with a concen­tration in bioethics) while completing a total of only 108 credit hours. Program requirements include:

1. 90 hours credited in the School of Law, including all its required course work; and
2. 30 hours credited in the Department of Philosophy, includ­ing all of its required course work; and
3. a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.3 on all work done in the School of Law and at least 3.0 on all work done in fulfillment of the requirements for the M.A.

Master of Arts in Philosophy and Doctor of Medicine in the School of Medicine

The Department of Philosophy and the IU School of Medicine offer combined degrees in Medicine (M.D.) and Philosophy (M.A.), with a concentration in bioethics. Through the combined degrees program, the two degrees can be obtained with a total of 181 credits of coursework rather than the 194 cred­its required if the two degrees are obtained independently. Furthermore, the IU School of Medicine requires students to achieve a level 3 (the mastery level of competence) in three of the nine competencies that comprise the IUSM curriculum in order to be eligible for graduation. The combined degrees program provides participating students with the opportunity to achieve a level 3 in the Moral Reasoning and Ethical Judg­ment competency.

Master of Arts in Philosophy and Master of Public Health Degree

Students completing this joint degree program will receive a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree and a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Philosophy, with a concentration in Bioethics. Through the dual degrees program, the two degrees can be obtained with a total of 60 earned credits, as compared with the 75 cr. required if the degrees are obtained separately.

• P602: Public Health Internship (3 cr.) will be counted in place of PHIL P548: Clinical Ethics Practicum (3 cr.).
• Students must complete a capstone research project which will be counted for both degrees by receiving 3 cr. under P702/704/705 and 3 cr. under PHIL P803; the 6 cr. total will be counted toward both degrees.
• Students may also select up to 6 cr. of the following electives from either the M.A. or the M.P.H. curricula (no more than 3 cr. from each) which will be counted for both degrees:

M.A. Electives

• LAW DN761: Law and Public Health
• LAW DN838: Bioethics and Law
• SOC R515: Sociology of Health and Illness (Cross-listed course)
• PHIL P548: Bioethics and Pragmatism
• PHIL P555: Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research
• PHIL P696: Topics in Biomedical Ethics

M.P.H. Electives

• PBHL R515: Sociology of Health and Illness (Cross-listed course)
• PBHL P611: Policy Development, Implementation and Management
• PBHL P613: Public Health and Emergency Preparedness
• PBHL P631: Maternal, Child, and Family Health
• PBHL P632: History of Public Health   

Ph.D. Minor

To earn a doctoral minor at IU Indianapolis, the student must earn 12 credit hours of graduate courses in philosophy, with a grade point average of at least 3.0 (B), including 6 credit hours in courses selected from the Philosophy Core (P514, P522, P536, P540, P543, P553, P558, P560, P562).

Graduate Certificates

The department offers two graduate certificates, one in Ameri­can Philosophy and one in Bioethics.

Admission Requirements

Applicants are expected to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or its equivalent, with a grade point aver­age of at least 3.0 overall (on a scale of 4) and at least 3.0 in the student’s major. There is no specific major requirement, but ap­plicants must show a record of coursework (or equivalent expe­rience) demonstrating that they are sufficiently prepared to do graduate work in philosophy. Acceptable coursework includes an undergraduate degree in philosophy. For their application, students are required to submit in addition to their application form: a statement of purpose, official transcripts, and at least one letter of recommendation.

Program Requirements

To complete the certificate students should take 15 credit hours in the IU system, at least 9 of which must be taken at the IU Indianapolis campus. All courses must be at the 500-level or higher and be completed with a grade B or higher. Students for the American Philosophy certificate are required to take PHIL P558, whereas students for the Bioethics certificate are required to take PHIL P547. In addition, students should take nine credit hours in concentration-specific courses, while taking the remaining three credit hours either in concentration-specific courses or in courses that fall within the M.A. core.