Arts and Humanities Fact Sheet (PDF)

Philosophy: Social, Political, Ethical and Legal

The graduate program in Social, Political, Ethical, and Legal Philosophy (SPEL) offers graduate students advanced coursework and individual research in classical, modern, and contemporary social and political philosophy, ethics, and the philosophy of law. SPEL recognizes and respects work in both the Anglo-American (analytic) and the Continental (European) traditions, as well as in various non-Western traditions, in feminist philosophy and critical race theory, and in other emerging areas of philosophy. Students with a variety of philosophical interests should feel welcome to apply to the SPEL program. The SPEL program offers a terminal MA and a PhD, with specializations in social, political, ethical, and/or legal philosophy.

Graduate Degrees Offered

• MA in Philosophy
• PhD in Philosophy

Accelerated Degree: Philosophy, Politics and Law BA + Philosophy MA (Learn more about Accelerated Degree Programs.)

Application Deadlines

Admission Requirements*

The standards maintained by The Graduate School and individual departments and programs are applied to ensure that applicants admitted to the University are well qualified and trained to study at this institution and have a reasonable expectation of successfully completing a graduate program, and who, with the benefit of graduate education, are most likely to contribute substantially to their academic or professional fields.

To be eligible, you must have and provide:

• A bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university
• Complete set of your undergraduate and graduate transcripts. At minimum, a 3.0 GPA is required. See details.

All applicants must submit the following:

• Online graduate degree application and application fee
• Transcripts from each college/university you have attended
• Two letters of recommendation (third letter of recommendation accepted for review)
• Personal statement (2-3 pages) describing your reasons for pursuing graduate study, your career aspirations, your special interests within your field, and any unusual features of your background that might need explanation or be of interest to your program's admissions committee.
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages)
• Official GRE scores
• Writing sample (maximum 20 pages)

And, for international applicants:

• International Student Financial Statement form (PDF)
• Official bank statement/proof of support
• Official TOEFL or IELTS scores

*This information is subject to change. While we make every effort to keep it accurate and up-to-date, we recommend you contact the department for program-specific requirements.