Graduate Admission
Applications are welcome from students whose philosophical interests are consonant with any of the areas studied within the Department.
Current graduate students come from virtually every geographical region of the United States. The Department regularly admits qualified students from other countries as well.
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Application Deadlines
November 1, 2024: Spring 2025 MA applications
January 1, 2025: Fall 2025 PhD applications
July 1, 2025: Fall 2025 MA applications
All supporting materials must be uploaded by the application deadline, including transcripts, personal statement, writing sample, and letters of recommendation. See below.
Admission Criteria
- Students entering the PhD program must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- Students entering the MA program must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
What will my application include?
All applications must include the following materials and must be uploaded by the relevant deadline above.
- Completed application form.
- Electronic copies of transcripts of all previous undergraduate or graduate coursework. Only admitted applicants will be required to submit official transcripts.
- Three letters of recommendation, preferably from professors who have taught you philosophy (though other letters will be accepted). Once you submit your application for final review, your recommenders will receive an automated email requesting that they upload their recommendation letter. Please note that your recommenders should upload their letters by the relevant deadline. You should submit your application much earlier than the deadline so as to give your recommenders time to submit.
- A personal statement of 500 to 750 words, double-spaced. Please include a description of your background in philosophy and the areas of philosophy that interest you
- A writing sample of your philosophical work that is 3,000 to 6,000 words (about 10 to 20 double-spaced pages).
- GRE scores are not required.
International Applicants
International Applicants will include all of the above, plus:
1. International Applicant Financial Statement.
2. Results of the TOEFL (test of English as a Foreign Language) for international applicants whose native language is not English.
Please be sure to review all requirements for International Student Admission on the UB Graduate School website.
TOEFL Exam
- Applicants whose native language is not English must establish proficiency by means of the TOEFL examination. For international students who are already in the US to complete a degree program, TOEFL is automatically waived.
- The minimum scores required for each of the forms of the exam are:
(1) 555 for the paper based test (TOEFL PBT);
(2) 213 for the computer based test (TOEFL CBT);
(3) 79 for the Internet based test (TOEFL IBT). - If you are a currently unable to take IELTS, PTE or TOEFL due to cancellations related to COVID-19, please contact the current Director of Graduate Studies in the Philosophy Department (see Department Contact below).
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Code
- 2925 — TOEFL Institution Code for UB
Department Contact
Graduate Student Handbook and Program Requirements
Details in the UB Philosophy Graduate Student Handbook and Program Requirements apply to all graduate students who are newly admitted to the program. The handbook contains the department’s rules and requirements, and offers advice to help students succeed in UB’s graduate philosophy program. The handbook is divided into two parts. Part 1 states the rules and requirements; Part 2 offers advice regarding the rules and requirements and strategies to promote graduate student success.
The philosophy department’s graduate student handbook is here.
Students are responsible for being familiar with department and university rules; the latter are available from the graduate school's policy library, here.
University rules supersede those of the department.