Degrees
Most philosophy graduate students are working towards a Ph.D. degree and receive an M.A. in the course of their work for this. Students intending to obtain only an M.A. degree are admitted only in special circumstances. The requirements for these degrees are set out in the department's graduate regulations.
Financial aid
Students admitted to the Ph.D. program are offered financial aid, in the form of fellowships or assistantships, which cover living expenses and include a waiver of tuition and service fees. This aid will usually be continued for up to five years provided the student is making normal progress. Further details are qualifications are given in the department's graduate regulations.
Financial aid for graduate students is not affected by any hiring freeze announced by the University.
Requirements for admission
Applicants must have a bachelor's degree and a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate work.
Applicants should have taken courses in symbolic logic, ancient and early modern philosophy, ethics, and the theory of knowledge. Students who have not taken courses in one or more of these areas may still be admitted but will be required to make up their deficiencies early in their graduate program.
In evaluating applications, we look for applicants who have often received an A in philosophy courses, a writing sample that shows an ability to do graduate-level work in philosophy, and reference letters that testify to that ability. We no longer require the GRE beginning for Fall 2021 admission.
International applicants whose native language is not English must have a TOEFL score of at least 600 on the paper-based test or 100 on the internet-based test. You must also obtain at least the minimum score required for teaching assistants on an oral English proficiency test; these are described in the information for teaching assistants.
Application procedure
- Complete an online application. The deadline for applications is Monday, January 2, 2024 (11:59 p.m., Central Standard Time) for admission in the Fall 2022 semester. As part of this Application:
- Submit a writing sample, preferably in philosophy, such as a term paper or part of a thesis, normally 10-20 pages in length. Upload this in the "Statements" section of the application, in response to "Program-Specific Question 1." Here is a useful discussion of how to prepare a writing sample.
- Arrange for three letters of recommendation in the "Recommendations" section of the application.
- Submit your statement of purpose and CV
- Submit transcripts from each school you have attended
Notification of decisions
We will normally give you a decision via email by early March. Students offered admission have until April 15 to accept or decline the offer but your earliest response is appreciated.
Please contact the chair of admissions, Professor Kohei Kishida at kkishida@illinois.edu.