ADMISSIONS
Because of the pandemic and the difficulty some people may have in taking the GRE, the department of philosophy will not be requiring applicants to the M.A. program to submit GRE scores. For the sake of fairness, we also will not be considering GRE scores in our admission decisions. So please do not send in your official GRE scores to GSU, and do not enter your GRE scores into your application.
MA Program: Who May Apply
We sometimes have applicants who have never taken philosophy classes before (or have taken just one or two classes), having majored in some other field, but who have read philosophy on their own and have an interest in pursuing graduate studies in philosophy. We do not admit students in this sort of case: some prior academic background in philosophy is necessary for admission. However, these students are urged to enroll as postbaccalaureate students at Georgia State, or at another university or college if coming to GSU is inconvenient, in order to take additional undergraduate classes. ("Post-bacc" status students are students who already have a bachelor's degree and may take additional undergraduate classes but are not enrolled in a degree program.) With those classes, the student will be able to a have a philosophy writing sample, letters of recommendation from philosophy faculty, and a track record in philosophy, in order to be able to make a stronger application for our M.A. program. Students who are interested in pursuing this route should contact the Director of Graduate Studies in order to arrange a suitable course of study to prepare for graduate-level work.
Our program has also had many international students. International students are eligible for the same types of stipends through the Department as are other students. International students who received their degree from a school where English is not the primary language of instruction must take the TOEFL or IELTS. The minimum scores are either a 100 in the TOEFL or 7 in the IELTS.
MA Program: Deadlines
However, we accept applications up until our final deadline of April 15, and applications received between February 1 and April 15 will be considered on a rolling basis. Applicants during this period are much more likely to be placed on our wait-list rather than immediately receiving an offer. However, strong applicants still have a chance of being admitted.
Do Not Send Docs to Department
Admissions Requirements
Admissions FAQs
If you’re score is more than 5 years old, you will have to re-take the GRE. Scores are only good for 5 years.
See the admissions data.
You can check your status through the application system OR please contact Annette Clark, aclark110@gsu.edu
No, we do not. In the past, officials at the College and University level have asked the Department to start a PhD program. While the Department appreciates that the administration has such a complimentary view of the Philosophy faculty, we feel that there is already an over-supply of philosophy PhD programs and have chosen to focus on our MA program.
Fairly high. It varies from year to year. In 2014, we waitlisted thirty-one people. Of those, seventeen were offered admission. Eight withdrew from consideration before we made a decision. Six were denied.
Contact Us
The Department of Philosophy
Office Hours (Available Remotely):
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Office Hours (In Person):
By appointment
Department Chair
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Director of Graduate Studies
Business Manager
Administrative Specialist
Administrative Coordinator, Staff Liaison to JBB Center for Ethics
Office/Delivery Address
Department of Philosophy
Georgia State University
25 Park Place, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
USPS Mailing Address:
Department of Philosophy
Georgia State University
PO Box 3994
Atlanta, GA 30302-3984