American University of Beirut

People study philosophy for its enormous and enduring interest, for its disciplined inquiry into questions of fundamental importance, such as the nature of reality, mind, knowledge, and ethics. In this sense, philosophy is the most “useless” field of inquiry, as it serves only to satisfy and inspire our natural desire to know and to learn. But for these same reasons, philosophy is also the most useful of disciplines, since it emphasizes intellectual skills (critical thinking, reading, and writing) that are indispensable to any particular field of inquiry, such as psychology, sociology, history, political science, and physics. All fields of knowledge employ reasoning and operate according to standards of evidence, but only philosophy examines the very foundations of reasoning and evidence, thus providing an added dimension of understanding to these fields. 

The MA program in philosophy aims to provide students with in-depth training in the discipline of philosophy, while involving them in the research programs of individual faculty members. The graduate program in philosophy exposes students in a more intensive manner to a wide range of philosophical questions, through coursework in a variety of topics largely determined by the faculty’s broad research interests. 

The program is designed to prepare students for a PhD program in philosophy, for developing writing and thinking skills useful for careers outside of philosophy, or simply for personal enrichment.

The philosophy department endeavors to offer a balance among historical and contemporary courses as well as courses in a variety of philosophical areas. The graduate adviser oversees the students’ progress from the time they enter the program until students choose a thesis adviser. Students typically register in two courses each term for the first three terms. In their fourth term, students register in their seventh course as well as in PHIL 395A to prepare a thesis proposal. Students will defend their proposal no later than the end of the first month of the following term. Students may then register in thesis (PHIL 399) in their fifth term in the program, and proceed to the MA thesis stage, under close supervision of their thesis adviser. Typically, students will write and defend the thesis no later than the end of the students’ sixth term in the program. The defense is conducted orally, before the thesis adviser and two other faculty members who will serve as readers. The evaluation of the written thesis and oral defense will emphasize clarity of writing, cogency of argument, and critical engagement.