Department of Philosophy

Graduate Programs

MA in Practical Philosophy & Applied Ethics

Admission & Contacts

The Philosophy Department admits graduate students for the MA in Practical Philosophy & Applied Ethics each Fall semester. Students for the Graduate Certificate in Applied Ethics are admitted both Fall and Spring. MA students who need additional background in philosophy may be admitted for the Spring semester (see below for details).

The department offers various forms of aid and support, including Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships, and University Scholarships.  Closely associated with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Center for Ethics, Public Policy, and the Professions, the program also offers a year-long Ethics Center Fellowship.  Other forms of aid are available through the University.


For information concerning application, requirements, and details of the Masters Program and the Graduate Certificate, contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator, Dr. Andrew Buchwalter, at abuchwal@unf.edu.

Program Mission and Goals

The Graduate Programs seeks to foster application of ethical and philosophical knowledge to concerns in social, political, economic, and cultural life. Its primary objective is to offer practically oriented but philosophically grounded expertise in ethics and normative theory generally. The program leads to two distinct ends: an MA and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Ethics.

The MA provides training in the cultural understanding, ethical decision-making, and analytic reasoning needed to address the dilemmas that increasingly confront present and future professionals, policy makers, and citizens generally. It also provides an excellent foundation for further graduate studies in philosophy.  The program is designed to ensure that its graduates possess a command of the basic subfields of philosophy as well as a specialized knowledge of their applications in medicine, business, education, law or other areas of public life. Accordingly, the curriculum includes foundational core courses in philosophy and specialized courses in practical philosophy and applied ethics.

Program Options
Two options are available for students to meet the MA requirements. The thesis option—recommended for students wishing to pursue a teaching career, further graduate study, or specific training in the articulation of applied philosophy—requires 24 credit hours of core and specialized courses plus 9 hours of thesis writing and supervision, together with a thesis defense. The internship option offers hands-on opportunities to explore ethical issues as they emerge in professional and public life, and requires 27 credit hours of coursework, six hours of applied internship work, as well as a written report and presentation.

The Graduate Certificate in Applied Ethics is designed for professionals and policy makers who wish to develop an expertise in ethics that is directly relevant to their working environments. It provides a valuable credential for those who, for example, serve on ethics committees and compliance boards or seek advanced ethics training to meet licensure requirement.

Admission Requirements for the MA in Practical Philosophy and Applied Ethics

In order to be eligible for admission to a Graduate Programs at UNF, students must have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (or an international equivalent).  Applicants must also submit scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The GRE requirement may be waived for students with an earned graduate or professional degree from an appropriately accredited institution.

In addition, eligible applicants must have either

  • a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher for the last two years (60 semester hours) of undergraduate course work, or
  • a combined score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE.

Applicants need not have any prior degree in philosophy.  Students without a BA in philosophy may be asked, depending on their background in philosophy, to take up to three (9 credit hours) courses in general philosophy, including but not limited to theoretical philosophy, history of philosophy, and logic.

Students transferring from other graduate programs may, with departmental approval, be awarded up to nine credit hours towards satisfaction of the degree requirements.

 

Application Requirements

The items here listed should be sent directly to The Graduate School at the address indicated below. Unless otherwise noted, all items must be received by the deadline for the intended term.

Applicants must submit:

  • a completed application form by the stated deadline;
  • a non-refundable $30 application fee (check or money order).  (Non-degree, e.g., certificate only, students are not required to pay the application fee.);
  • a letter of application, including a statement of career goals and the applicant’s specific interest in the program;
  • official GRE scores;
  • official undergraduate transcript(s), indicating earned baccalaureate or equivalent degree;
  • relevant transcript(s) of previous graduate training;
  • three letters of reference that speak to the applicant’s ability to undertake graduate work;
  • a writing sample (10-15 pages).

Application forms may be obtained from the UNF website at www.unf.edu/graduatestudies/.  They can also be obtained in person from the Graduate School (Bldg 1 Room 1200), by phone (904-620-1360), or by email (graduatestudies@unf.edu). Applications can be completed online at the Graduate School website noted above.  Applications and supporting documents should be sent directly to:   

The Graduate School
University of North Florida
1 UNF Drive
Jacksonville FL 32224

International Student Admission Requirements
In addition to the items listed here, international students may be asked to provide a course-by-course transcript evaluation from a member of National Association of Credential Evaluation Service.  (A list of current members can be found at the NACES website http://www.naces.org/members.htm.) Students from countries where English is not the official/native language must demonstrate proficiency in English. An applicant may demonstrate proficiency by taking and receiving an acceptable score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  TOEFL scores should accompany application submissions.  Additional information regarding international student requirements may be obtained from the Graduate School or the UNF International Center: www.unf.edu/dept/intlctr

Application Deadline for the MA in Practical Philosophy & Applied Ethics

For the Fall term: March 1 of the same year.

The deadline may be extended under special circumstances; contact the Graduate Coordinator for details.

Requirements for the MA Degree
33 total credit hours

Year One: 18 credit hours
Two proseminar courses (6 credit hours, required)

  • PHI 6937 Proseminar in Practical Philosophy in Culture and Society
  • PHI 6938 Proseminar in Methods in Applied Ethics

One course in ethical theory:

  • PHI 5605 Ethics (3 credit hours, required)

One course in applied ethical issues (3 credit hours)

  • PHI 5627 Ethics of Sex and Gender
  • PHI 5634 Bioethics
  • PHI 5628 Business Ethics
  • PHI 5668 Ethics East and West
  • PHI 5675 Moral Conflict
  • PHI 5691 Environmental Ethics
  • PHI 5886 Ethics and Literature
  • PHI 5934 Selected Topics
  • PHI 6125 Ancient Greek Ethics
  • PHI 6907 Directed Independent Study
  • PHM 5056 Death and Dying

One course in practical philosophy (3 credit hours):

  • PHI 5808 Aesthetics
  • PHI 5034 Selected Topics
  • PHI 6405 Philosophy of Science
  • PHI 6425 Philosophy of Social Science
  • PHI 6458 Philosophy of Psychiatry
  • PHI 6907 Directed Independent Study
  • PHM 5105 Social Philosophy
  • PHM 5305 Political Philosophy
  • PHM 5365 Philosophy of Democracy
  • PHM 5405 Philosophy of Law
  • PHM 6345 Contemporary Political Philosophy
  • PHP 5764 Pragmatism

An elective in a graduate-level course (3 credit hours
PHH PHI PHM PHP
Year Two: 15 credit hours

  • Thesis option: 9 thesis credit hours (PHI 6971) plus 6 credit hours in graduate-level courses, including specialized graduate courses.
  • Internship option: 6 credit hours of internship (PHI 6942) plus 9 credit hours in graduate-level courses, including specialized graduate courses (PHI 5934 or PHI 6936).
  • Specialized Graduate Courses may include, but are not restricted to, themes in ancient ethics, animal rights, contemporary ethical theory, educational ethics, global justice, intercultural philosophy, mental health ethics, multicultural bioethics, philosophy of culture, philosophy of globalization, public health ethics, and theories of normative rationality.

 

Thesis/Internship Report Requirements
To complete the MA program, students must prepare and successfully defend either a thesis or an internship report.  Topics for theses or internships typically emerge from course work students complete during their first year in the program.  In identifying a topic, students should work with a faculty member who might serve as a thesis or internship advisor.  The graduate coordinator will assist students in selecting an advisor.  Whether the student selects the thesis or the internship option, he/she must submit a formal proposal, to be prepared in consultation with the thesis advisor.  Since students can register for thesis/internship course work only after the proposal has been departmentally approved, proposals must be submitted at least two weeks before the end of the semester preceding the one in which the relevant research and writing are to occur.  In preparing a proposal students should work with the advisor and program coordinator to select a committee of readers: three members for the thesis and two for the internship.  Thesis and internship proposal forms—which specify requirements in detail—may be obtained from the coordinator or the department secretaries.  They are also available online at Thesis Application; Internship Application.  Also available is a statement on Department timetables for thesis/internship preparation, defense scheduling, and final copy submission: Thesis timeline; Internship timeline.  Graduate School policies and guidelines on thesis preparation can be found at
www.unf.edu/graduatestudies/pdf/Guide%20to%20Writing%20Theses%20and%20Dissertations.pdf

Graduates of the Program and Thesis/Internship Titles

Graduate Certificate in Applied Ethics
The Graduate Certificate in Applied Ethics is designed for professional and policy makers who wish to develop an expertise in ethics that is directly relevant to their working environment.  It provides a valuable credential for those who serve on institutional ethics boards or seek advanced ethics training to meet licensure requirements.  Its primary objective is to offer practically oriented and philosophically grounded expertise in ethics, applied ethics in particular.  Information on Certificate Admission and Program Requirements can be found at http://www.unf.edu/coas/philosophy/grad-cert_appl_ethics.html

Enrichment Opportunities.
In addition to regular course work (including independent studies with particular faculty members), various special learning opportunities exist for graduate students, both individually and as a group.  These include participation in:

    • the Global Business Ethics Summer Abroad course
    • the annual Northeast Florida Student Philosophy Conference, sponsored by the department;
    • the Florida Philosophy Association (FPA) annual conference, which includes a graduate student paper prize competition.
    • the annual Symposium on Public Philosophy sponsored by the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida Center for Ethics, Public Policy, and the Professions.
    • the annual Faculty-Graduate Student Special Colloquium, which features a distinguished scholar who is also  on campus to present a university-wide public lecture.  Featured scholars have included (or will include) Anthony Appiah (Princeton), Dale Jamieson (NYU), Martha Nussbaum (Chicago), Peter Singer (Princeton), and Naomi Zack (Oregon).