Why Pursue a Master's Degree in Philosophy
UTSA’s Master of Arts in Philosophy equips students with advanced, comprehensive, and critical understanding of core ideas that shape how we view our world and live in it. The program offers a wide range of courses in Western and Eastern, analytic and continental, historical and contemporary philosophy. Students will be prepared for competitive admissions and success in top PhD or JD programs across the country. The program also provides preparation for success in leadership, scholarship, and creative but thoughtful endeavors in the public and private sectors.
Exceptional Faculty
The MA in Philosophy has a diverse cohort of graduate faculty with international reputations of excellent scholarship. Graduate students will take courses from and be mentored by faculty members with expertise in areas such as ethical theory, bio-medical ethics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, epistemology, metaphysics, and German philosophers such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.
Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.
| Philosophy (MA) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Required Degree | Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. | |
| Minimum GPA | 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours | |
| Coursework | 18 credit hours in an area related to this graduate degree and at least 12 hours must be at the upper-division level. | |
| Transcripts* | Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English | |
| Credential Evaluation | Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform | |
| English Language Proficiency | 550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100 | |
| Purpose Statement | Required | |
| Letters of Recommendation | 2 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time) | |
| Writing Sample | It is highly recommended that applicants submit a writing sample. A paper written for a philosophy course is preferred, but other writing samples are acceptable. Length of 8-15 pages preferred. | |
| *Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. | ||
Application Deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.
| Philosophy (MA) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing on Admission Decision: Completed applications will be reviewed for admission on a rolling basis. Decisions generally will be made and sent to applicants within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the application. | |||
| Application Deadlines for: | Priority | International | Domestic |
| Spring 2025 | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Summer 2025 | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Fall 2025 | June 1 | June 1 | |
| Spring 2026 | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Summer 2026 | Not Available | Not Available | |
Funding Opportunities
ResourcesCareer Options
UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.
- Thesis or internship track available
- Brackenridge Philosophy Symposia
- UTSA faculty publish regularly in leading journals, present at a variety of conferences, and have received the President’s Distinguished Achievement Awards for Research and Teaching Excellence and an NEH Fellowship.
