The M.A. program is intended for students who wish to develop an advanced competence in Philosophy prior to the Ph.D. degree. Many students who enroll in this program are not (yet) well positioned to win admission into a distinguished Ph.D. program because they do not have an adequate background in Philosophy. The M.A. program gives such students the opportunity to begin graduate studies by taking classes alongside the students enrolled in our Ph.D. program.
However, the M.A. program in Philosophy at Columbia is not intended as the first step toward earning a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Columbia. M.A. students who wish to pursue a Ph.D. should plan to make applications to Ph.D. programs at other universities. Any M.A. student who wishes to try to pursue a Ph.D. here must make a separate application to the Ph.D. program, which will be evaluated competitively with all of the other applications we receive. There is no guarantee whatsoever that they will be admitted to the Ph.D. program, nor should there be any expectation that their chances of being admitted are improved by the fact of having obtained a M.A. degree in the Department.
Students who are pursuing the M.A. in order to enhance their chances of being admitted to a distinguished Ph.D. program should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) about how best to pursue that goal. Usually, it is wise to plan for two years for the M.A. rather than one. That will give you more time to amass a record at Columbia, and to become known by the faculty members from whom you will be requesting letters of recommendation. If there are financial or personal reasons for trying to complete the degree within one year, we advise you to wait until after you complete the M.A. before applying to Ph.D. programs.
Part-time Study. Students in the M.A. program may elect to distribute tuition costs over a period of several years, by attending the program on a part-time basis. (Part-time study is not available to students enrolled in the Ph.D. program.) The Residence Unit (R.U.) constitutes the basis of the University's tuition charges. Rather than charge students for individual courses, tuition is set for full-time registration for one semester. One Residence Unit equals one semester of full-time registration. Part-time students register for ½ R.U. and are charged accordingly. This entitles a student to enroll in a maximum of three courses.
Due to budgetary constraints, the Department is not able to offer financial aid to students enrolled in the M.A. program. However, since some students may qualify for fellowships from other sources, it is wise to investigate as many such sources as possible. Prospective and incoming students should check with the Office of Student Affairs, 107 Low Library and the Philosophy Department Office for information about sources for external funding.
