Students from all over the world are drawn to graduate study at the University of Oregon Philosophy Department. They come for:
- Our unique mix of strengths across continental, American, Feminist and Analytic philosophy;
- Our overlapping emphasis in Emerging and Engaged philosophies, like Latin American philosophy, Critical Philosophy of Race, Environmental Philosophy, and Philosophy of Data/Science/Technology;
- Our commitment to pluralism and openness to interdisciplinary perspectives;
- A faculty that is dedicated equally to excellence in teaching and excellence in research, and the typically close mentoring relationships between faculty and students that result;
- The supportive and engaged rather than competitive culture among graduate students;
- And the stunningly beautiful location of the program in Eugene, Oregon, between the Cascade mountains and the Oregon coast.
Prospective graduate students may apply either for the doctoral (PhD) program or to the Master's (MA) program.
PhD Applicants
- Typically wish to teach philosophy at the university level, and/or do research at a research institution.
- Generally receive tuition remission and may apply for paid graduate employment for up to five years, so long as they are making satisfactory progress in the program.
- Should expect to complete the program in five years.
MA Applicants
- Typically apply to the master's program for one of two reasons
- They Desire a master's degree as their terminal degree in philosophy.
- They want to use the master's degree to strengthen their preparation in philosophy for later application to another doctoral program.
- Should not expect to have an advantage in applying to our doctoral program. We do not typically admit students from our own master's program into our doctoral program.
- Are occasionally given single-term graduate employment/tuition remission when there is a need for additional teaching assistants and funding is available.
- Should complete the program in two years.
For questions about the philosophy program, contact our director of graduate admissions.
How to Apply
The Philosophy Department accepts master's and doctoral applications for Fall Term only. Interested applicants may find general information and apply through the Division of Graduate Studies.
The application process opens on September 15, 2024, and the deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. on January 2, 2025.
Anyone applying for the PhD program who does not already hold an MA in Philosophy, may ask to also be considered for our MA program (if not accepted to the PhD). This question appears in the “Philosophy, PhD Supplement” section of the application. MA decisions are made in mid-March, after the doctoral admit list and alternate list are finalized.
Domestic Applicants
International Applicants
You are an international applicant if you are one of the following:
- Are a citizen or permanent resident of a country other than the United States and you intend to return
- Are in the United States on an educational, worker, or visitor visa, or are residing in your home country
- Have filed an application for United States citizenship or permanent residency, but have not yet been granted approval
Application Fee
The Philosophy Department’s Graduate Program Admissions Committee will not be able to see your application until you complete it and pay the application fee ($70 for domestic applicants, $90 for international applicants, although fee waivers are available in some cases).
Before you pay the fee, you will be able to edit and update your application. Once you pay the fee, you will no longer be able to do that; however, you can communicate any important changes by email to our department.
Please note that the fee waiver questionnaire appears at the very beginning of the application. If you believe you are eligible for a waiver, DO NOT pay the application fee unless your waiver has been considered and denied. If you pay the fee and later qualify for a waiver, you will not receive a refund.
Please also contact the department if you are experiencing any other difficulties with the application or have further questions.
Application Materials
The following materials are required to complete an application for either the master's or the doctoral programs.
- Personal statement: A brief personal statement explaining your philosophical background and specific philosophical interests. Please use this opportunity to give us some sense of how you think philosophically, who you are as a person, and why UO is the right university for you. This helps the department’s faculty decide whether UO is the most appropriate philosophy department for the applicant’s goals. If you are interested in working with specific faculty members, please name them here.
- Letters of recommendation: Three letters of recommendation, completed by teachers (preferably philosophy teachers) familiar with the applicant’s academic background.
- Writing sample: One writing sample that reflects your highest quality work in philosophy. There is no strict policy on length for your writing sample, but no more than 10 to 15 double spaced pages is strongly recommended.
Transcripts
College transcripts for all graduate and undergraduate course work in philosophy. Unofficial transcripts need to be uploaded into the graduate applicant file for the Philosophy department. Official transcripts are not required by the Philosophy department.
After admission, the UO Registrar’s Office requires official transcripts showing the date the bachelor's and/or master's degree(s) was/were awarded. To be official, transcripts must be sent directly to the UO Registrar’s Office from your educational institution, either by a physical delivery service or by email.
Mailing address for official hard copy transcripts:
5257 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-5257
For additional information about this process, please see the Graduate School’s instructions for submitting official transcripts.
Test Scores
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for applicants and will not be considered in the admission process for students applying to the doctoral or master’s degree programs.
International Students
Since a satisfactory command of the English language is required for admission to UO, international applicants must show proof of language proficiency.
International applicants must also complete the Financial Certification & Immigration Information Form. International Student and Scholar Services oversees this requirement. Find details on visas and financial verification from ISSS. Please note that the financial verification statement is not required for the Philosophy department’s initial evaluation of applicant files.
For doctoral teaching positions, international students will be required to prove spoken English proficiency by way of the SPEAK or the TSE.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the answer to your question does not appear below, please send questions to the director of graduate admissions.
How many students do you accept and what percentage of applicants do you accept?
Admission to graduate studies in philosophy at UO is competitive for both the master's and the doctoral programs.
For the Fall 2024 doctoral class, the department received 133 applications for 5 positions. We initially made offers to 7 applicants, or around 4% of those who applied. Just before and after the April 15 decision deadline, we made additional offers, eventually to the top 6 applicants on our alternate list, for a total of 13 offers. Over the entire process, just under 10% of those who applied received offers before all of our available positions were filled. How far we move down our alternate list varies from year to year.
Master's admission is less competitive but still selective. Of 79 applicants to the MA program in Fall 2024, we offered 42 applicants admission (admission rate of 53%).
Should I apply for the master's or doctoral program? Can I apply for both?
Students typically apply to the master’s program for one of two reasons: either (1) they desire a master’s degree as their terminal degree in philosophy, or (2) they want to use the master’s degree to strengthen their preparation in philosophy for later application to a doctoral program.
Most applicants applying for our doctoral program wish to teach philosophy at the college or university level and/or conduct original philosophical research in an academic capacity. In many cases, students who apply for our doctoral program and are not admitted may wish to be considered for admission to the terminal master's program.
To apply for both programs, you only need to submit one application. Simply complete an application to the doctoral program and select "yes" when asked whether you want to be considered for the master's program during the application completion. You will be considered first for the doctoral program and, if not admitted, will automatically be considered for admission to the master's program.
What is your placement record for doctorate graduates?
From 2013-2023, we graduated 38 students with the doctoral degree. Of these 38 graduates, 31 (82%) currently hold academic positions. Fourteen (37%) of our PhDs are currently in tenure-track positions. Seventeen (45%) of or PhDs are currently in short-term academic positions. An additional 4 PhDs (10%) hold non-teaching positions, either inside or outside academia.
According to the Academic Placement Data and Analysis project (www.placementdata.com), the placement record in philosophy at University of Oregon surpasses the average in the philosophy profession. For tenure-track and temporary academic positions from 2011-2021, the average for the philosophy profession was 42%, while UO’s average was 82%. According to 2011-2014 data, the UO Philosophy Department ranks among the top 20 philosophy departments in the US in terms of tenure-track placement.
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