For full admission, students must have a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy or its satisfactory equivalent. Those applying with Master of Arts degrees from other institutions may be asked to redo their graduate level work at DePaul. Previous academic work must present clear evidence of the applicant’s ability to pursue successfully the doctoral program. All applicants must submit the following material:
For full admission, students must have the following:
• Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy or a related field, with evidence of excellent undergraduate performance.
• Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 44 quarter hours (or its equivalent) in a major sequence in philosophy. Students who did not major in philosophy may be admitted conditionally, with the requirement that they complete certain undergraduate courses or directed study before being fully admitted into the program.
All applicants must submit the following materials:
- A completed University Graduate Application Form.
- Official transcripts from all previous college course work.
- Graduate Record Examination general aptitude scores (Verbal, Quantitative, & Analytical Writing): DePaul’s institution code is 1165.
- Three letters of recommendation from professors familiar with the applicant’s work.
- A personal statement indicating why the applicant desires to pursue graduate work in this program, including areas of proposed research.
- A writing sample (e.g., a term paper, seminar paper, senior thesis, or M.A. thesis or portion thereof). A standard writing sample is 15-20 pages long (3750-5000 words).
- Proof of English proficiency (required for all students educated outside of the U.S. at a non-English speaking institution). The minimum requirement is a TOEFL score of 80 (ibt) -- with all section scores at 17 or better – or a 6.5 on the IELTS. The English program prefers to see scores of 96 (ibt) with all section scores at 22 or better – or a 7.5 on the IELTS.*
Please see the department website for the application deadline.