If you want to get a masters in philosophy, make sure the departments you apply to does not have a PhD program, but rather a terminal masters. Two schools that I remember that have excellent terminal masters programs in philosophy are the University of Vermont and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

If by advice you mean the choice of a school, there is no better initial advice from one or two of your professors. I am sure that if you set up an appointment and discuss with them the kind of studies that you wish to pursue, they will happily recommend universities where you will be happy. If you are interested in religion and not a particular religion, a school not affiliated with some sect would probably be more congenial, but this would seem to mean going to larger institutions that could offer more courses in the direction you want to take because of their larger faculties.

Another option would be to continue to major in Philosophy, but do independent work in P of R with guidance from a knowledgeable faculty member, at least until you begin your doctoral studies, which would require more specialization.

I already got my B.A. in Philosophy and am currently out of school. I've already spoken with one of my professors about grad school, but I suppose contacting the others and asking them would be a good idea.

Why should I go to a school that does NOT have a Ph.D. program? Seems to me that a school with a Ph.D. program would have more qualified professors. Thank you for your input.

Hi Axis Austin!

I have been down that road before and there are a few things I have learned that you may benefit from. This information was not privy to me when I was an undergraduate so I hope you can utilize it.

First, I take it that you are an undergraduate, so this is partially under that assumption. This following bit was from another post I had written for another member. You, as an undergraduate, can take graduate classes that count towards your master's degree. Normally, departments vary as to how many credits can be fulfilled as an undergraduate. My school limited prospective current-matriculate applicants to half the program credits. This is great considering that a master's in philosophy is two years, so you basically have a one year program. Also, you can get permission through the philosophy department chair and your particular college (i.e. liberal arts) to incorporate an independent study as a preliminary thesis evaluation this is not the case with Philosophy or Religion doctoral programs. veryOther than that, be sure to get a very good score on your GMAT

First off, many philosophy departments do not admit students that intend on receiving a masters if they grant PhD's. If they do, you will probably not receive as much attention from the faculty as you should considering the lower status of student. Many departments also, only grand a terminal masters degree when one fails to meet the requirements of the PhD or just gives up. If you want to get a masters degree go to a school that specializes in that area of study. Not to mention, there are more opportunities to TA when you are not competing with PhD candidates. When you go for the PhD then go to a school that specializes in the study you desire.

At a certain stage in your educational process and once you have a firm idea of your area of interest and specialisation, you will want to find a faculty that will provide instruction and guidance in that area. Each university faculty has its own "personality" in which some schools of thought or areas are better represented than others both in number and quality. Nor do you want to attend a school where you and one other grad student are majoring in P of R because you will miss the many different perspectives (and late night discussions) that a larger number of fellow grads will provide.

Obviously, church supported schools will have a large number of students and faculty in your area; however, many of these schools tend to be "training centres" for one particular sect or religion.

Thank you everyone for the advice. To VideCorSpoon, I really appreciate the help, but I guess I wasn't clear enough before because there were a few things not applicable to me. I am not an undergrad. I've already graduated. I am not looking at returning to the school I attended because they do not have a grad program. Also, I am taking the GRE and not the GMAT. I am studying for it and will only take it once (when I'm prepared). Thank you for your advice.

Thaetetus, that makes since.

Jgweed, do you have any suggestions for good Philosophy of Religion schools/profs? Of course I have some ideas, but other's input helps. The only problem with church sponsored schools is that I haven't found many good ones that are universities with grad programs (most are small undergrad colleges). I'm probably not looking in the right places. Thanks.

I know Marquette University here in Milwaukee, WI (Jesuit university) has a very good philosophy department and I am assuming that philosophy of religion is one of their strong points (along with ethical study). It's one of the grad schools I am considering and I have little interest in studying religion so that says something about the quality of the department and college.

Sorry about that, I meant the GRE, not the GMAT (which is for Business School). To tell the truth, you may have an easier time depending on how long you have been out of school. A few years of work experience really reflects well on applications from what I understand.

My advice in this respect is to get in contact with an admissions adviser and lay everything out on the table for them. Advisers do a pretty good job of telling you what you need to do in order to qualify for their specific programs. If you are lacking in some specific area, they can tell you what you can do to make it up and they will note it on your file. Cool thing is, if you apply and do not get in the first time, they will, if you reply with a thank-you note (optional but essential) and an inquiry statement, give you a list of things you need to do in order to get in. Most people that follow this path usually get in after a few rounds.

If you are looking for a good grad program and university for religious/philosophy, you may want to contact Loyola University, New Orleans. I went there my freshman year and it is a superb school. The school is also founded on Jesuit teachings, and I believe there is a seminary right behind it next to Tulane University so the school is very well equipped for your type of degree. Extremely good professors. My mother used to work in the institute for ministry section before they discontinued it, but many of the professors (many of whom are priests and surprisingly very liberal) are still there in different departments now. The hurricane did not effect the quality of the school, so its still as good as it was. But it is a very tight knit academic community there. I changed from there to a school up in Philadelphia and have not even encountered a fraction of the level of commitment the professors give to their students they had given. One professor in particular was a man by the name of Prof. Roger White. Quite possibly the best professor I ever had. I believe he still teaches there.

Alas! I would probably be the LAST one to ask about P of R universities, so I am unable to offer specific advice; that is why I mentioned talking to a favourite professor who may have taught a class in P of R that you attended. Generally, philosophers who specialise in one subject or one philosophical "school" have a large (networked to be sure) knowledge of both "hot topics" and "hot universities" that may narrow down your choices. You can then spend some happy time looking at their course catelogs on-line.

Hmmm, jgweed suggested I post here about finding Philosophy of Religion programs. The first thing for you to do, especially since you have been out of school for a bit, is to think about what you want to do in a more specific way. The right program and/or professor will be determined by your own personal goals and what kind of study you want for yourself, i.e., what kind of work you want to be doing, what area of interest you want to work in, etc.

I did my undergraduate work at Columbia U. in New York City, starting in anthropology, then moving to the religion dept. to study philosophy. I went through a process of evaluating whether or not to go into the philosophy dept. or the religion dept. and chose religion since it was much more open and flexible in terms of what I could do. From there, I applied to three schools, all of which had programs that fit what I wanted to do. I ended up at Princeton, which has an incredible religion dept. with top-drawer professors. It's an extremely open program and made up of very generous group of people. Since I really wanted to study philosophy and not so much religion (or even philosophy of religion), it was a good place for me to be, because they were very open and let me do what I wanted within certain, open-ended parameters. It worked out very well for me!

But again, it really depends on what your more specific area of interest is. It's different in grad school than undergrad. You are there for more focused study of your own choosing, and it makes it more important to know a bit about what you want to do beforehand. If you end up in the wrong program for your particular needs, it can make it difficult when you get to the thesis level.

Also, the program entered at Princeton was a Ph.D. program from the outset. I received my M.A. along the way by writing four generals papers, so the process is a bit different than with a M.A. program alone.

So, I don't know if any of that helps you!!! I guess in sum I'd say you need to think first about what kind of program you are looking for, i.e., what it is you want out of it and what you want to study. Do you want a program that is open and flexible, like mine was, or something with more structure that might offer more direct guidance than mine did.

I'd be happy to answer specific questions if you have them!

Alexandria