Our M.A. Program normally admits full-time students only in the fall semester. Exceptions are possible in special circumstances. We do encourage part-time students and Commonwealth Campus students to join us at whatever time is convenient for them. (Additional information is available below.)

Admission to our program does not require that a student have completed an undergraduate philosophy major; a number of our students have come to philosophy too late in their undergraduate years to complete a major--and many are returning to school some years after completing their undergraduate degrees.

Application Deadline:  Feb. 1

A complete application consists of:

(1) the online Graduate School application, including the supplementary material requested in the instructions on the application (e.g. official GRE scores, transcripts, etc.). Please pay careful attention to the destination address(es) for each.

For information about the Graduate School application, please go to http://www.grads.vt.edu/admissions/applying/index.html. The application itself is done online at http://www.applyweb.com/apply/vtg/indexa.html, or you can print the application by going to http://www.grads.vt.edu/admissions/applying/index.html#paper. You may also request a paper application by writing to the address listed on http://www.grads.vt.edu/admissions/faq.html. (Online applications are preferable, but not required.) The application is due by February 1st, at least for full consideration for competitive funding in the form of GTA-ships. 

(2) three letters of reference. If submitting an online application, applicant has the option to indicate that references are being submitted online (instructions on application). If references are not being submitted online, the reference letters should be mailed directly to the philosophy department.* All reference letters must be accompanied by a completed Reference form found at http://www.grads.vt.edu/forms/academics/Application_Reference_Form.pdf. The reference letter may be typed on letterhead or directly on the Reference Form.

(3) an official transcript, this one mailed directly to the philosophy department.* (The application instructions will have you send this transcript to the philosophy department, as well as one mailed directly to the Graduate School.)

(4) a writing sample (mailed directly to the philosophy department*). Ideally, a writing sample should be an undergraduate paper of about 15 pages, preferably from a philosophy course. However, if such materials are not available, we will also consider professional reports or other appropriate documents of which the applicant was sole author. For students who have completed Masters Degrees in other fields, a chapter of a thesis may also be appropriate as a writing sample.

*The philosophy department’s address for items (2), (3), and (4) is:

    Director of Graduate Studies
    Department of Philosophy (0126)
    Virginia Tech
    Blacksburg, VA 24061

Assistantships are available only to full-time students. New students are considered for assistantships only for entry into the program in the fall semester. Initial offers of assistantships will be made sometime between March 15-April 1. We will continue to offer assistantships later, as needed, until we have utilized all available assistantships.

Prospective students who wish to take a few classes prior to applying to our M.A. Program are welcome to apply for the Commonwealth Campus Program, which allows people who have completed their undergraduate degrees to take up to 12 credit hours (4 courses) without first being admitted into a departmental program, assuming the department has space for them in its classes and agrees to it. For information about the Commonwealth Campus Program, please go to http://www.grads.vt.edu/academics/programs/non_degree.html For contact information, go to http://vtrc.grads.vt.edu/Ccp/cc p.html (of the people listed, Angela Duncan is the person to contact for more information). The application is the same as for the Graduate School, and can be done online.

If you need to place an inquiry concerning information not covered on our websites, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. William FitzPatrick, by email at wfitzpat@vt.edu.