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Carleton's Philosophy Department excels in two key areas: the study of mind, language, and epistemology, as well as ethical, social, and political philosophy. The department additionally offers courses and research opportunities in historical philosophy.
Our distinctive MA program blends coursework with independent research across two years. Students first engage with advanced material through a collaborative proseminar, then progress to a research seminar where they formulate thesis or essay proposals. The program features dynamic graduate seminars with annually refreshed topics, covering subjects like Kantian philosophy, women in early modern thought, Stoic emotion theory, consciousness studies, theories of justice, bioethics, AI philosophy, environmental philosophy, development ethics, and scientific naturalism. Students may further pursue specialized interests through small-group sessions or individual faculty tutorials.
This comprehensive two-year curriculum delivers thorough knowledge of current scholarship while developing independent research skills. Our graduates have leveraged this rigorous training to gain entry to top-tier PhD programs, present at academic conferences, win competitive scholarships, and publish in peer-reviewed journals.