Carnegie Mellon University

Master's in Philosophy (M.A.)

The Philosophy M.A. provides exciting opportunities to pursue postgraduate studies in Philosophy for students with a degree in Philosophy who wish to continue their work in a more focused and advanced way, as well as for students with a degree in another field who wish to add a concentration in Philosophy. Students in this program will develop an understanding of a wide variety of philosophical subfields. The flexible course of study can be tailored to a student's interests and background. Students are expected to complete a Master’s thesis by the end of their second year, though a purely course-based option is also available for students who do not wish to continue in academia.

Core (2 courses)

Core Seminar I & II are required for all students with no exceptions.

  • 80600 (fall term)
  • 80602 (spring term)

Formal Methods (2 courses)

  • 2 Formal Methods Minis (FMM)
    • 80603 FMM: Tools & Techniques
    • 80604 FMM: Computability Theory
    • 80607 FMM: Topology
    • 80608 FMM: Evolutionary Game Theory
    • 80609 FMM: Classical Logic
    • 80613 FMM: Language and Meaning
    • 80616 FMM: Decisions and Games
    • 80617 FMM: Causation
    • 80618 FMM: Algorithmic Complexity
    • 80619 FMM: Epistemic Logic and Topology
  • 1 “formal methods” course, broadly construed (starred* in the course list)

    • If your “formal” course is not in the Logic category, one of your Formal Methods minis must be Classical Logic.

Philosophy Breadth (4 courses)

One from each of:

  • Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Math, and Epistemology
  • Language, Linguistics, and Mind
  • Value Theory
  • History

Interdisciplinary (1 course)

1 course outside of Philosophy, e.g.:

  • from another department at Carnegie Mellon University
  • from a non-Philosophy (and non-HPS) department at The University of Pittsburgh
  • This requirement can be satisfied through one or more internships, subject to advisor and DGS approval.

Elective (1 course)

  • Any course from our department.

Master’s thesis


Notes:

  • This is 10 courses in total.
  • No course may be used to satisfy more than one requirement.

  • No more than 2 directed readings may be used to satisfy non-elective requirements.

  • At least 1 course must be a seminar (see course list): advanced, discussion-based courses that engage with professional philosophy and include a significant writing component.

Core (2 courses)

Core Seminar I & II are required for all students with no exceptions.

  • 80600 (fall term)
  • 80602 (spring term)

Formal Methods (2 courses)

  • 2 Formal Methods Minis (FMM)
    • 80603 FMM: Tools & Techniques
    • 80604 FMM: Computability Theory
    • 80607 FMM: Topology
    • 80608 FMM: Evolutionary Game Theory
    • 80609 FMM: Classical Logic
    • 80613 FMM: Language and Meaning
    • 80616 FMM: Decisions and Games
    • 80617 FMM: Causation
    • 80618 FMM: Algorithmic Complexity
    • 80619 FMM: Epistemic Logic and Topology
  • 1 “formal methods” course, broadly construed (starred* in the course list)

    • If your “formal” course is not in the Logic category, one of your Formal Methods minis must be Classical Logic.

Philosophy Breadth (4 courses)

One from each of:

  • Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Math, and Epistemology
  • Language, Linguistics, and Mind
  • Value Theory
  • History

Interdisciplinary (1 course)

1 course outside of Philosophy, e.g.:

  • from another department at Carnegie Mellon University
  • from a non-Philosophy (and non-HPS) department at The University of Pittsburgh
  • This requirement can be satisfied through one or more internships, subject to advisor and DGS approval.

Elective (3 courses)

  • Any course from our department.
  • Optionally: one of these may instead be a second Interdisciplinary course.

Notes:

  • This is 12 courses in total.
  • No course may be used to satisfy more than one requirement.

  • No more than 2 directed readings may be used to satisfy non-elective requirements.

  • At least 1 course must be a seminar (see course list): advanced, discussion-based courses that engage with professional philosophy and include a significant writing component.

The department's interdisciplinary research thrust affords an unusually broad range of career possibilities. Graduates of the program have been offered positions in Philosophy, Mathematics, Psychology, Computer Science, and Statistics, as well as research positions in industry. This wide range of interesting career opportunities reflects the department's unique dedication to serious, interdisciplinary research ties.

For a complete listing of our graduates and placement record, see our Masters alumni page.

The Philosophy Department offers all admitted master’s students with demonstrated financial need a tuition fellowship of up to 50%

In addition, qualified master’s students may have the opportunity to serve as teaching assistants or graders for undergraduate courses, for a stipend rate set annually by the department. In the 2023-2024 academic year, master’s students earned a $5,000 stipend for grading one course or a $6,000 stipend for serving as a TA. Such positions are subject to availability and are not guaranteed. 

Both the M.A. in Philosophy and M.S. in Logic, Computation and Methodology programs require two years of coursework. Students are not required to write a master’s thesis, although there is an option to do so. The normal full-time graduate course load in Philosophy is a minimum of three, 12-unit courses per term. Students must pass all required courses with a grade of B or higher. In order to receive a master’s degree, students must have a cumulative QPA of 3.25 or higher.

Advanced students can sometimes complete the program in a single year (including the following summer), corresponding to the fifth year of the combined 5-year B.S./M.S. degree. Also, there is a part-time version M.S. program, designed for students, such as qualified CMU staff employees using their staff benefits, who are able to pursue graduate study with only 1 or 2 courses per term.