MA Philosophy

MA Philosophy or Master of Arts in Philosophy is a 2-year postgraduate course that offers studies related to Schools of Classical as well as Modern philosophy. This program is the study of reality, existence, and the fundamental nature of knowledge. 

The course includes a comprehensive and thorough study of Philosophy as a discipline at an advanced level. It involves the study of a critical and systematic approach and its reliance on a reasoned argument to address general problems. The problems usually concern matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, law, justice, validity, mind, and language.

The study of MA Philosophy includes topics such as Moral Philosophy, Theory of Knowledge and Reality, Logic and Language, Ethics, Religion, Philosophy of Mind, Western Metaphysics, Indian Epistemology, Traditional and Propositional Logic, History & Philosophy of Natural Science, Analytic Philosophy, Plato, Descartes, Early Buddhism, Schools of Vedanta Philosophy of Social Science, etc.

Philosophy is a thorough study of the philosophies of various philosophers from different countries. It situates the historical philosophies in the current state of affairs and provides an acute critical insight on them. This is a huge course that includes various philosophical principles like that of Marxism, imagination, feminism, symbolization, etc.

Philosophy includes a study of philosophical methods which include questioning, and systematic presentation. This course is closely related to religion, mathematics, natural science, education, and politics.

MA Philosophy Course Highlights

Tabulation below is the details of the MA Philosophy program followed by the duration, course fee, admission process, job profiles, areas of employment, etc.

Why study MA Philosophy?

- MA Philosophy aims at providing students with knowledge of the fundamental issues in ethics, politics, economics, human rights, culture, etc. Thus, helping them to identify and analyze the basic reasons that motivate the above dimensions of human life.

- Candidates of this philosophy degree program explore a number of topics, including the moral implications of human actions on society, the status of being, and the examination of words, dialogues, and idioms.

- MA Philosophy degree holders can go for further higher studies and can achieve a career in various areas such as Epistemology, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language, Cognitive Science, etc. This program benefits a lot for those who study this subject as a passion as it comes along with basic ethics and moral values.

- A degree in Philosophy satisfies a student’s desire who has a keen interest in the study of philosophy, the history of philosophy and also situating philosophy in different historical and geographical contexts.

- All higher study aspirants can go for M. Phil in Applied Philosophy, Ph.D. in Philosophy, and Research in Philosophy. There are various high profile MA Philosophy job opportunities on completion of a master's degree in Philosophy both in India and abroad.

- They can select their career path in areas such as Public service, Law, Teaching, Diplomacy, Ministry, Research, Publishing, Journalism, Insurance, and Student Affairs, etc.

MA Philosophy Eligibility

The candidates who want to pursue this course should fulfill the minimum eligibility criteria, that usually includes:

• The candidate should have a Bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognized University.

• However, many of the reputed universities prefer a graduation degree with Honors in Philosophy or Philosophy as one of the subjects studied in graduation from any of the recognized universities/ colleges of the country.

• They should have a minimum of 45-50% marks in graduation.

• Some relaxation is offered to the reserved categories. 

MA Philosophy Syllabus

MA Philosophy Syllabus is almost the same in most of the colleges. The table below shows common subjects that are included in the structured MA Philosophy syllabus:

MA Philosophy Job Prospects and Career Options

• MA Philosophy degree holders can opt for a career in various specializations of philosophy like in Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Moral Philosophy, Aesthetics, etc.

• On successful completion of this degree, a student can apply for the UGC-NET or JRF exam; the success in these exams makes them eligible for teaching or research.

• Candidates having this degree/ program can be hired in diverse fields such as Ethics Advisor, School Teacher, Social Worker, Charities Administrator, Information Science, Survey Interviewer, etc.

The following table shows some of the major areas where you can find employment after pursuing the MA Philosophy degree:

MA Philosophy Future Scope

The post-graduation in Philosophy will provide students to understand society and lives. After completion of the course of MA Philosophy, candidates get a lot of understanding of the world and human behavior.

- Candidates can choose Ph.D. Philosophy / M.Phil. Philosophy as their higher studies, if they want to study further.

- MA Philosophy degree holders can appear for the competitive exams like UPSC and MPSC and join IPS, IFS, IAS, etc. or take JRF/NET/SET exams for the academic pursuit of philosophy.

- This imparted knowledge will help them to enter into professional areas pertaining to research, teaching, content development, or program instructor in various educational and corporate organizations.

- One can go for teaching positions in leading schools and universities as a Junior Faculty or as a Research Associate.

- Thus, there are a lot of opportunities open for students after they complete this course.  Some of the major profiles are Student affairs, Administrator, Insurance Underwriter, Interviewer, Archivist, etc.

- Some of the popular employment areas for MA in philosophy postgraduates are Public Service, Health & Social Work, Public Administration, Community, Social & Personal Service, Research Centers, and Schools.

Conclusion

An MA Philosophy will help students develop their communication skills by training them to present well-structured, reasoned, and seasoned arguments in a cohesive and engaging manner. An MA Philosophy course will help students broaden their horizons, and learn about things from many perspectives and schools of thought.