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Degree Programs
Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy Master of Arts degree 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.

Student Learning Outcomes for both tracks are below.

Students completing the Philosophy M.A. curriculum will:

  • Know and understand important figures, theories, and arguments in core areas of classical and contemporary philosophy.
  • Know and understand important figures, theories, and arguments related to a specific subject area: American philosophy, bioethics, or international research ethics.
  • Comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate complex philosophical concepts, claims, and arguments.
  • Conduct mentored philosophical research leading to competent, well-researched, in-depth argumentative essays on specific topics.
  • Develop and deliver clear, accurate, informative research presentations for academic or professional audiences.

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-P 515: Medieval Philosophy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 522: Topics in History of Modern Philosophy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 536: Topics in the History of Contemporary Philosophy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 558: Classical American Philosophy (3 cr.)

2. Topics (6 cr. required)

  • PHIL-P 514: Pragmatism (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 540: Contemporary Ethical Theories (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 543: Social and Political Philosophy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 553: Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 560: Metaphysics (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 562: Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)

Electives (15 cr. required)

  • Any course from the Philosophy Core (above)
  • PHIL-P 503: Semiotics of C.S. Peirce (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 507: American Philosophy and the Analytic Tradition (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 520: Philosophy of Language (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 525: Topics in the History of Philosophy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 542: Ethics and Values of Philanthropy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 545: Legal Philosophy
  • PHIL-P 552: Philosophy of Logic
  • PHIL-P 561: Philosophy of Mind
  • PHIL-P 572: Philosophy of Religion
  • PHIL-P 600: Topics in Philosophy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 650: Topics in Semiotic Philosophy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 701: Peirce Seminar (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 730: Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 748: 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-P 540: Contemporary Ethical Theories (3 cr.)
  2. Core electives (3 cr. required)
    • PHIL-P 514: Pragmatism (3 cr.)
    • PHIL-P 515: Medieval Philosophy (3 cr.)
    • PHIL-P 522: Topics in the History of Modern Philosophy (3 cr.)
    • PHIL-P 536: Topics in the History of Contemporary Philosophy (3 cr.)
    • PHIL-P 543: Contemporary Social and Political Philosophy (3 cr.)
    • PHIL-P 553: Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
    • PHIL-P 558: Classical American Philosophy (3 cr.)
    • PHIL-P 560: Metaphysics (3 cr.)
    • PHIL-P 562: Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)

Concentration-specific Courses (18 cr. required)

1. Required foundational course (3 cr.)

  • PHIL-P 547: Foundations of Bioethics (3 cr.)

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

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

  • PHIL-P 548: Clinical Ethics Practicum (3 cr.)
  • LAW-DN 838: Bioethics and Law (2 cr.)
  • MHHS-M 504: Introduction to Research Ethics (3 cr.)

2b. Specialized electives (9 cr. required)

  • ANTH-E 445: Medical Anthropology (3 cr.)
  • COMM-C 510: Health Provider-Consumer Communication (3 cr.)
  • HIST-H 546: History of Medicine (3 cr.)
  • LAW-DN 761: Law and Public Health (2 cr.)
  • LAW-DN 845: Financing and Regulating Health Care (3 cr.)
  • NURS-N 534: Ethical and Legal Perspectives in Advanced Nursing Practice (2 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 549: Bioethics and Pragmatism (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 555: Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 600: Topics in Philosophy (3 cr.) [When content is track-specific]
  • PHIL-P 696: Topics in Biomedical Ethics (3 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 730: Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy (3 cr.) [When content is track-specific]
  • SOC-R 515: Sociology of Health and Illness (3 cr.)
  • SOC-S 560: Topics: Death and Dying (3 cr.)

Thesis or Research Project (6 cr. required)

  • PHIL-P 803: 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.

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.

  • PBHL-P 602: 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-DN 761: Law and Public Health
  • LAW-DN 838: Bioethics and Law
  • SOC-R 515: Sociology of Health and Illness (Cross-listed course)
  • PHIL-P 548: Bioethics and Pragmatism
  • PHIL-P 555: Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research
  • PHIL-P 696: Topics in Biomedical Ethics

M.P.H. Electives

  • PBHL-R 515: Sociology of Health and Illness (Cross-listed course)
  • PBHL-P 611: Policy Development, Implementation and Management
  • PBHL-P 613: Public Health and Emergency Preparedness
  • PBHL-P 631: Maternal, Child, and Family Health
  • PBHL-P 632: History of Public Health   

Courses

  • PHIL-P 503 The Semiotics of C. S. Peirce (3 cr.)A rigorous initiation to Peirce's logic of signs, including his theory of knowledge, his categoriology, his definitions and classifications of signs, the three branches of semiotics, with an applied research component.
  • PHIL-P 514 Pragmatism (3 cr.)The origins of contemporary philosophical analysis. An examination of the most important philosophical writings of Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell, as well as the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus of Ludwig Wittgenstein.
  • PHIL-P 520 Philosophy of Language (3 cr.)Advanced study of selected topics.
  • PHIL-P 522 Topics in the History of Modern Philosophy (3-9 cr.)A variable-title course. Selected topics from key movements, figures, or controversies in modern (17th/18th century) Western philosophy.
  • PHIL-P 525 Topics in the History of Philosophy (3 cr.)An advanced study of important themes or major figures in the history of philosophy. May be repeated for credit if topics vary.
  • PHIL-P 536 Topics in Contemporary Philosophy (3 cr.) A study of one or more contemporary (mainly 20th-century) schools of Western philosophy (e.g., analytic philosophy, phenomenology, existentialism) or a selection of influential thinkers related to a specific contemporary topic.
  • PHIL-P 540 Contemporary Ethical Theories (3 cr.)Fundamental problems of ethics in contemporary analytic philosophy from G. E. Moore's "Principia Ethica" to present.
  • PHIL-P 542 The Ethics and Values of Philanthropy (3 cr.)An inquiry into the ethics and values of philanthropy rooted in a general understanding of philanthropy, as voluntary action for the public good, as an ethical ideal. A consideration of philanthropic activity in light of this ideal.
  • PHIL-P 543 Social and Political Philosophy (3 cr.)Advanced study of central issues, theories, and topics in social/political philosophy, such as property rights, distributive justice, political liberty, and the limits and foundations of state authority.
  • PHIL-P 547 Foundations of Bioethics (3 cr.)A rigorous examination of bioethical theory and practice. Stress is placed on moral and conceptual issues embedded in biomedical research, clinical practice, and social policy relating to the organization and delivery of health care.
  • PHIL-P 548 Clinical Ethics Practicum (3 cr.)This course provides learning experiences in a clinical setting, enabling students fully to appreciate ethical issues that face health care professionals. The course is administered through the Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics at IU Health.
  • PHIL-P 549 Bioethics and Pragmatism (3 cr.)This course provides a critical examination of recent contributions by American philosophers to bioethics. The course will have a strong focus on a growing group of thinkers who seek their inspiration in Dewey, James, Peirce, Royce, and Mead, while dealing with contemporary issues in medical ethics.
  • PHIL-P 553 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)The aim of this course is to gain a thorough understanding of the basic issues in the philosophy of science.  Attention will be given to issues such as the cognitive significance of theories, the scientific method (hypothesis formation, theory construction, and testing), research paradigms, reductivism, and social epistemology.
  • PHIL-P 554 Practicum in International Research Ethics (4-8 cr.) The Practicum in International Research Ethics involves a combination of observation and discussion with mentors while conducting an individual research project that will serve as the capstone for the student's master's degree.
  • PHIL-P 555 Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research (3 cr.)This course examines ethical and policy issues in the design and conduct of transnational research involving human participants. Topics discussed include: economic and political factors; study design; the role of ethics review committees; individual and group recruitment/informed consent; end-of-study responsibilities; national and international guidelines.
  • PHIL-P 558 American Philosophy (3 cr.)A general overview of the most significant contributions of American philosophers, such as Emerson, Thoreau, Peirce, James, Dewey, Santayana, Mead, Jane Addams, Alain Locke.
  • PHIL-P 560 Metaphysics (3 cr.)In-depth discussion of representative contemporary theories.
  • PHIL-P 561 Philosophy of Mind (3 cr.)In-depth treatment of central issues, problems, and theories (both classical and contemporary) in philosophy of mind, such as mental causation, the nature of consciousness, and dualism.
  • PHIL-P 562 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)Advanced study of selected topics.
  • PHIL-P 590 Intensive Reading (1-4 cr.)A tutorial course involving in-depth consideration of a specific philosophical area or problem or author. May be repeated for credit.
  • PHIL-P 600 Topics in Philosophy (3 cr.)A detailed examination of a specific topic in philosophy. May be repeated for credit if topics vary.
  • PHIL-P 696 Topics in Biomedical Ethics (3 cr.)Selected topics in bioethics, such as international research ethics; ethical issues in pediatrics; ethical issues in genetics. May be repeated for credit if topics vary.
  • PHIL-P 701 Peirce Seminar (3 cr.)This seminar is devoted to a critical examination of the general structure and development of Peirce's systematic philosophy with a special emphasis on those tensions in the development of his thought that led to modifications in his philosophy, and on the nature and significance of those changes.
  • PHIL-P 748 Seminar in American Philosophy (3 cr.)Advanced study of a principal philosopher or a set of selected topics in classical American philosophy. May be repeated for credit if topics vary.
  • PHIL-P 803 Master’s Thesis in Philosophy (6 cr.)
  • PHIL-P 561 Philosophy of Mind (3 cr.)In-depth treatment of central issues, problems, and theories (both classical and contemporary) in philosophy of mind, such as mental causation, the nature of consciousness, and dualism.