Graduate Admission
Applications are welcome from students whose philosophical interests correspond with those of our faculty members, particularly in those areas in which our department has notable strengths (e.g., PPE, applied ontology, metaphysics, history of early modern philosophy).
Applicants to our Ph.D. program are automatically considered for funding. No additional application is necessary. Funded students receive an assistantship of $23,690 per year for five years (which may increase in subsequent years), plus a tuition scholarship that covers all tuition expenses, and discounted health insurance. Ph.D. students have no TA, RA, or teaching duties during their first year in the program but are expected to serve as TAs for professors teaching larger, lower-level courses or as research assistants.
We do not offer funding to M.A. students and only rarely admit students into the Ph.D. program without funding.
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Graduate Admission
Application deadlines
September 1, 2024: Spring 2025 M.A. applications
January 1, 2025: Fall 2025 Ph.D. applications
April 15, 2025: Fall 2025 M.A. applications
Deadlines for accepting admission offers
November 1, 2024: Spring 2025 M.A. admission offers
April 15, 2025: Fall 2025 Ph.D. admission offers
June 15, 2025: Fall 2025 M.A. admission offers
All supporting materials must be uploaded by the application deadline, including transcripts, personal statement, writing sample, and letters of recommendation. See below.
No waivers for the application fee will be granted.
Admission criteria
Students entering the Ph.D. program must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students entering the M.A. program must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Please note that these are minimum requirements and that higher GPAs are desired and may be necessary for admission.
Applicants to the Ph.D. should have completed some prior coursework in philosophy, preferably at least six courses in logic or critical thinking, ethics, the history of philosophy, and in areas such as metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, political philosophy, social philosophy, or aesthetics. Applicants to the M.A. program should have completed prior coursework in philosophy as well, preferably at least four courses.
Please note that the guidelines about prior coursework represent minimal conditions. Satisfying such a criterion does not guarantee that we will view an applicant as having sufficient preparation for graduate work in philosophy at UB. If an applicant's previous coursework was completed a long time ago, the applicant did not perform well in those courses, or the contents of the courses do not serve as adequate preparation for graduate work in philosophy, more coursework will be required.
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 1,00 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 but are strongly encouraged.
International applicants
In addition to submitting all of the above required materials, international applicants must follow the additional procedures for international student admissions found here.
Please note that barely satisfying the university's minimal requirements for English proficiency will generally not be sufficient for admission into one of our graduate programs. We do not grant waivers for the English proficiency requirement.
Department contact
Graduate student handbook and program requirements
Information about the requirements for the Ph.D. and M.A. programs in philosophy can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook.
Students should familiarize themselves with both department and university policies. University-wide rules for graduate study at UB can be found in the Graduate School's Policy Library.
University rules supersede those of the department.