Admissions and Aid

The Department of Philosophy welcomes applicants to our graduate programs.

Admissions Deadline

January 8th for All Applicants

 

For more information, contact philosophy@uconn.edu.

Graduate Program Admissions

Our graduate program, which is approximately 30-40 students in total, admits about 7 new Ph.D. students per year. The interests and expertise of our faculty are wide-ranging and our students are exposed to a variety of areas in Philosophy. For information on our faculty, and their areas of research and publications, please see https://philosophy.uconn.edu/faculty/. Our faculty produces research that is internationally prominent, and the size of our program enables faculty members to devote close attention to each student.

Our department offers many opportunities for trying out ideas and brainstorming. They include: a weekly ‘brown bag’ discussion, in which graduate students and faculty in the department can try out papers and ideas; a colloquium series, with invited outside speakers; chapters of SWIP and MAP; and several research groups.

Ph.D. Program

Please apply online at https://connect.grad.uconn.edu/apply/.

An application must include:

  1. three letters of recommendation, preferably from your Philosophy professors (forms not required)
  2. transcripts (official transcripts must be provided if admitted)
  3. a statement of your academic goals and interests
  4. a cv
  5. a 10-15 page sample of your best philosophical writing

    GRE scores are not required.

    ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL and not to the Philosophy Department. All questions about TOEFL exams and application fees should be directed to the Graduate School. See the Graduate School website at http://grad.uconn.edu/online.html for more information.

    M.A. Program

    Our department cannot afford to fund M.A. students and we do not want students to personally pay for their degrees. For this reason, we only consider applications to our M.A. program when the student already has a commitment of funding from an external source (such as, an external fellowship).

    Financial Aid

    GA-ships and TA-ships for Ph.D. students

    Merit-based financial aid is available from the Philosophy department for students in our Ph.D. program in the form of Graduate Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships. Stipends can be found on the Payroll website. Tuition is waived for Graduate Assistantships who are awarded half- or full-time Teaching Assistantships and with full-time registration (6 credits or more & maintaining a 3.0 grade point average or better). Both half- and full-Teaching Assistants may purchase excellent health-care coverage, heavily subsidized by UConn. Graduate students accepted into the Ph.D. program are normally guaranteed up to five years of support at the full Graduate Assistant level contingent upon their making satisfactory progress through the program. (Need-based aid, which is distinct from GA-ships and TA-ships, is available through the Financial Aid Office. To access their form, please visit their website at http://financialaid.uconn.edu or phone (860) 486-2819.)

    Students typically receive the following types of appointments:

    Graduate Teaching Assistantships (typically for pre-MA students): involves assisting a faculty member in his/her undergraduate or graduate courses with preparation of exams, grading, meeting with students during office hours, class administration, and sometimes leading class discussion sections.

    Graduate Instructors (typically for post-MA students): involves full responsibility for teaching one’s own undergraduate class.

    Research Assistant: involves assisting faculty with their research projects that are funded by internal or external grants.

    Graduate Assistant stipend levels are as follows:

    Level I: graduate assistants with at least B.A.

    Level II: graduate assistants who achieve the M.A. in Philosophy or a closely related field from the University of Connecticut or another university.

    Level III: graduate assistants who have attained the M.A. in Philosophy and passed the doctoral general exam.

    All financial awards are the same, regardless of whether the student is an in-state or out-of-state resident or an international student. For more information about stipends, see the Payroll Department Website.

    Jorgenson and Harriott Fellowships for Ph.D. students

    In addition to the funding available from the Philosophy department, UConn sponsors two university-wide Fellowships of up to $20,000—the Jorgenson and the Harriott: https://grad.uconn.edu/prospective-student/internal-awards/.

    Each requires evidence of scholarly achievement, and the Harriott also requires evidence of the applicant’s commitment to enhancing diversity. After submitting applications to our Ph.D program via the link at The Graduate School (above), we strongly encourage qualified applicants to submit a form to request consideration for the Jorgenson and/or Harriott Fellowships from the Application Management Page: http://connect.grad.uconn.edu/apply. We are not allowed to consider your application for these Fellowships unless you fill out this form, so we encourage qualified applicants to complete it.

    Philosophy Conference Participation Award

    When department budget allows, Philosophy graduate students presenting at a conference are eligible for up to $350 per fiscal year to help support their participation in the conference.

    Students cannot receive more than $350 in a fiscal year in departmental funds. Fiscal years start on July 1st and run through June 30th of the subsequent year.

    Please complete this form to apply.