Master of Arts in Philosophy (1 year)

One-year Philosophy MA program, overview of the planned curriculum (example)

1st term

• Academic Writing (Credits 2)
• Departmental Colloquium (Credits 1)
• Logic (Credits 2)
• Elective Courses (Credits 6)

2nd term

• Departmental Colloquium (Credits 1)
• MA Thesis Seminar (Credits 2)
• Elective Courses (Credits 8)
• MA Thesis (Credits 8)

Credits earned: 30 CEU credits. The spring term is mainly for thesis writing. MA Thesis work starts however already in the second year in Fall.

The Structure of the Program

One-year program

To graduate in the one-year MA program, students must complete a total of 30 CEU credits (equals 60 ECTS), of which they earn:

• 8 credits altogether from required courses (Logic, Academic Writing, Departmental Colloquium, and MA Thesis Seminar)
• 14 credits from elective courses
• 8 credits for the thesis (12,000–15,000 words total (references excluded); minimum passing grade C+)
  While the minimum passing grade for all courses is C+, students must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.66 (B–) to graduate.

Logic

This course is offered on a pass/fail basis and is mandatory for all MA students.

Academic Writing

The course is offered on a pass/fail basis by the Center for Academic Writing and is mandatory for all MA students. After the first three meetings, the academic writing instructor can recommend that a student be exempted from attending the course. The decision on whether to grant the exemption will be made by the MA Director and Head of the Department.

Departmental Colloquium series

The series consists of papers delivered by invited speakers and faculty members followed by a Q&A. Attendance at these colloquia is a key component in meeting the program objective of developing increased familiarity with current debates in philosophy. All MA students enroll each Fall and Winter term in the one-credit pass/fail course entitled “Departmental Colloquium”. A pass grade is earned by students who attend at least 70% of the colloquia.

MA Thesis Supervisions

One-year MA students enroll in the mandatory Thesis Supervisions I, II, and III courses in the Fall, Winter, and Spring Terms respectively, on a pass/fail basis. A pass grade is earned by students who meet with their supervisors regularly and make due progress on their thesis. Though mandatory, these courses are zero credit in the US program.

MA Thesis Seminar

MA students enroll on a pass/fail basis in the thesis seminar in the Winter Term before their defense. Students give presentations of their work and attend the presentations of others.

Elective courses

Students in the one-year program earn 14 credits from other courses of their choosing. These courses are taken for a grade. Up to 4 of these credits may be earned from courses offered by other programs at CEU or University Wide Courses (courses cross-listed with the Department of Philosophy do not count toward this limit). The rest are from Master’s or Doctoral courses either offered by the Department of Philosophy or cross-listed with it. (Doctoral elective courses are usually open to MA students as well, and students are advised to check them too.) Elective courses can be distributed between terms according to students’ preferences.

Retake

Students who fail to achieve the minimum pass grade during an examination or for course assignments are allowed one retake (both for mandatory and elective courses). The maximum grade allocated in a retake assessment is “RP” (2.33 grade points; equivalent to C+, minimal pass). For the details on retakes, see the respective sections in the document on "Student Rights, Rules, and Academic Regulations"

Thesis

MA Thesis Supervisor

When choosing the topic for their MA thesis, students specify potential supervisors. The department will do its best to give students the supervisor of their choice. However, in the interest both of students and faculty, the department can limit the number of supervisees per faculty member.

Every faculty member in the department is eligible to be a supervisor. In exceptional cases, a CEU faculty member outside the Department of Philosophy can be appointed as supervisor.

Students have only one supervisor. Other faculty may respond to questions or offer some other help, but cannot be expected to read thesis drafts.

Regulatory Limit on Submission of MA Theses

The Master’s thesis must be submitted within a maximum of two years of finishing the coursework of a program, with the MA Director’s prior agreement if this has not been done in due course.

MA Thesis Writing Process and Deadlines

Thesis supervision course step I (fall):

In early November (see the academic calendar for the exact date), students are required to submit a thesis title and abstract (400-600 words) and a ranked list of three potential supervisors. Based on these submissions the MA Director and Head of Department, in consultation with the faculty, will assign supervisors. The decision will be communicated to students by the end of November.

Thesis supervision course step II (winter):

Students should meet with their supervisors at least once a month during Winter Term, and at least once every two weeks during Spring Term.

Each of the following formal submissions including the final thesis submission will be collected via assignments through the Moodle (e-learning) page of the MA Thesis Seminar. Other pieces of thesis writing (e.g., draft chapters) can be emailed directly to your supervisor.

Thesis supervision course step III (spring):

In the Spring term, students develop the partial draft into a full thesis.

In Early May (see the academic calendar for the exact date), a full draft of the overall thesis will be submitted through the Moodle site. The supervisor decides on its basis whether the student may pass the June defense phase. If the supervisor recommends, seeing a member of the Center for Academic Writing is mandatory either for the partial or the full draft of the thesis, to ensure that standards of academic writing are followed.

Grading criteria for MA theses

The thesis is assessed by the Supervisor and a Second Reader assigned by the Head of Department and MA Director (the second reader is normally another member of the Philosophy Department faculty). The Supervisor and Second Reader, are each asked to provide a one-page written report on the thesis, to be sent to the MA Coordinator (at least 24 hours before the oral defense). The report should conclude with a proposed grade for the thesis, taking into account the evaluation criteria. The proposed grade can be changed as a result of the oral defense. The MA Coordinator will share examiners’ reports with other members of the exam committee before the defense, and with the candidate (without proposed grades) afterward. The evaluation criteria are as follows:

• The thesis is formatted in a commonly recognized academic style with a coherent system of citations and bibliography.
• The thesis is logically organized.
• The language is fluent and free from mistakes.
• The student has formulated a well-defined research project and has situated it in a broader philosophical context.
• The mode of presentation and research methodology are appropriate to the subject matter.
• The student has made a judicious selection of primary and secondary literature for discussion and analysis.
• The student has a good understanding of the current debates and theories on the subject under investigation.
• The student has used specialized philosophical terminology clearly and accurately.
• The argumentation of the thesis is clear, thorough, and rigorous.
• The student has differentiated his or her ideas from the ideas of others.

MA defense

The MA defense is the final examination. The supervisor and second reader form the student’s examination committee, which is chaired by a third faculty member - normally the MA Director. At least one of the faculty members present is a senior faculty member. At the defense, students are asked to present a 10-minute summary of their thesis and then answer questions about the thesis and questions relating to the topic of the thesis posed by members of the committee for around half an hour.

This is followed by the committee conferring in private and deciding upon a grade for the thesis, taking into account both the written thesis and the student’s performance at the oral defense. The grade is announced after departmental approval.

Students failing the defense (combined grade of thesis and defense performance lower than grade point 2.33, equals C+) have the right to retake it once. The maximum grade allocated in a retake assessment is “RP” (2.33 grade points; equals C+).

In case of a failing grade, the student receives a transcript of studies but no MA diploma.