MA in Philosophy in Santa Cruz United States | University of California, Santa Cruz

The Philosophy program welcomed its inaugural doctoral candidates in 2001. Currently, in Fall 2023, the department has 22 graduate students enrolled. Annually, the program accepts 4-5 new Ph.D. candidates and 1-3 M.A. students.

Four key research areas define the Department: Ethics and Technology, Social & Epistemic Injustice, Disagreement & Rationality, and Public Engagement (details on the About page). Faculty members emphasize philosophy's historical foundations while engaging with modern disciplinary concerns. Their scholarly work spans traditional philosophical domains found at top-tier institutions, mirroring other UC philosophy departments: philosophy of science, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, epistemology, aesthetics, philosophy of language, philosophy of religion, ethics and moral psychology (see Research page). This contemporary scholarship draws from influential thinkers like Kant, Aristotle, Hume, and Wittgenstein, while uniquely incorporating medieval scholars, including Islamic philosophers - an exceptional focus for a department of this size.

Students typically complete the M.A. program within one to two years.