Fall 2024
Dear Prospective Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in our Graduate Program in Philosophy.
Deadline: Our deadline for Ph.D. applications is January 8, 2025, 11:59 PM (Eastern time). Our deadline for terminal M.A. applications is the same (see below).
To apply: Please apply online at Application Management. An application must include:
- three letters of recommendation, preferably from your Philosophy professors (forms not required)
- transcripts (official transcripts must be provided if admitted)
- a statement of your academic goals and interests
- a CV
- a 10-15 page sample of your best philosophical writing
GRE scores are not required.
Application fee waivers are no longer available for the Fall 2025 admissions cycle.
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 The Graduate School Admissions for more information.
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. Please visit the Graduate Payroll website to view information regarding Graduate Assistantship stipends, Graduate Payroll. 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 Office of Student Financial Aid Services or phone (860) 486-2819.)
Our program: Our graduate program, which is approximately 30-40 students in total, admits about 6 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 Philosophy 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.
M.A.’s from other institutions: We are often asked about M.A. degrees earned from other institutions. We count M.A. degrees in philosophy towards our Ph.D., but we do not count M.A. degrees earned in other fields.
Our M.A degree: 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).
If you have questions about our program, please contact me by e-mail.
Sincerely,
Lynne Tirrell
Professor of Philosophy and Director of Graduate Studies
e-mail: lynne.tirrell@uconn.edu