Masters Program in Philosophy

Program Overview

Students enter the masters program in philosophy at the University of Wyoming for a variety of reasons. Some wish to enrich their understanding of the world in an advanced and intellectually challenging environment. Others find that it provides invaluable preparation for many pre-professional degree programs (such as law or medicine). Most, however, come to us with the goal of preparing for advanced study in a top flight graduate program in philosophy (or cognate discipline).

Our track record promoting the specific goals of our students in each of these areas compares very favorable to those of other nationally recognized M.A. programs. Our success derives from a number of specific characteristics of the department.

Full Financial Support allows our M.A. students the freedom to pursue their studies with greater focus than would be possible in programs geared primarily to the production of PhDs or those providing nominal financial support for their M.A. candidates. 

A broad graduate curriculum gives our students a solid philosophical foundation as well as providing a number of courses at the cutting edge of the discipline. The program emphasizes work in the core areas of contemporary analytic philosophy as well as providing students with a strong historical foundation. We have particular strengths in epistemology, the philosophy of mind, and environmental ethics, but our graduates have written successful theses in a broad range of philosophic subject areas.

An extremely favorable faculty to student ratio (effectively 1:1) allows for the opportunity to work very closely with an enthusiastic, research-active faculty mentor.

A lively and collegial atmosphere among the graduate students and faculty means that you won't encounter the turf wars and hierarchy typical of many programs. Instead, you'll encounter hallways lively with discussion, and be encouraged by everyone to work with each other. You'll also be invited to all department functions, and have special sessions with visiting speakers."

Substantive (though not onerous) teaching experience gives students the opportunity to develop skills associated with public speaking, course design, and student evaluation. At UW we are fortunate to have a number of superlative teachers―graduate students might as well learn their craft from the best! 

UW departmental life is extremely active. We have a vibrant colloquium series where students can interact with some of the biggest names in philosophy. The faculty members are research active and regularly engage graduate students in their research projects by way of departmental talks, reading groups, and informal discussion. The activity level around the department tends to be contagious and the culture among our graduate students is almost always collegial but philosophically intense. As a result, our students have been quite successful in presenting their work at both graduate and professional conferences.

In addition to the exciting academic atmosphere, the natural beauty of the area make this an incredible place to spend a few years of study. Laramie is surrounded on three sides by the Medicine Bow National Forest. A simple 15 minute drive east of campus on Vedauwoo, which sports world class Nordic skiing, mountain biking, and rock climbing. For those who prefer a true backcountry experience, the Snowy Range, is only 30 minutes west of town with over 3 million acres of untrammeled wilderness, watched over by the majestic 12,000' Medicine Bow Peak. Indeed, the University of Wyoming was named as one of the top 40 outdoor colleges in the US and Canada by Outdoor Magazine.

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