MA Philosophy at University of Illinois Chicago

Programme overview

The MA in Philosophy is a coursework-only 36-hour degree. The department admits PhD candidates; matriculated UIC graduate students in other programmes may be admitted to a terminal MA alongside their primary degree.

Faculty: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | Department: Department of Philosophy | Duration: 36 semester hours | Study mode: full-time | Location: Chicago, IL, United States

What you will study

At least 24 hours at the 500 level and 24 hours in Philosophy, with a grade of B or better in one course each in history of philosophy; metaphysics, epistemology, logic, philosophy of science or language; and ethics, political philosophy or aesthetics.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants are generally admitted as PhD candidates, not terminal MA candidates. PhD requirements: no field restriction (prior work in formal logic, ethics, history of philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics and philosophy of science/language expected); at least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 hours; three letters; 250-word personal statement; writing sample. Qualified UIC students for the terminal MA have no GPA minimum and need only a letter from their home-department director of graduate studies. International applicants: minimum English scores TOEFL iBT 80 (reading 19, listening 17, speaking 20, writing 21) for exams before 21 Jan 2026 or 4.5 overall on the new scale, IELTS Academic 6.5 (6.0 each section), PTE Academic 54, Duolingo 130.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate and professional programmes admit for Fall, Spring and Summer terms depending on the programme; applications for Fall 2027, Spring 2028 and Summer 2028 are expected to open on August 1, 2026.

Graduate and professional application deadlines are set per programme, with separate deadlines for domestic and international applicants for most non-online programmes; optional earlier priority, recommended or fellowship dates apply to both. Applications are made through the UIC graduate application or a centralized application service for some professional programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.uic.edu/admissions/

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