Academic Advising

Who is my academic advisor?

Academic Advising in School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies is provided by the Graduate Program Coordinator. Your Coordinator works with you from admission through graduation. The role of your Graduate Program Coordinator is to provide resources to help you achieve academic success including information on: registration, drops & withdrawals, academic policies, tutoring, plan of study (iPOS), and graduation. 

Please contact your Graduate Program Coordinator, Mark Barrios, if you have questions at Mark.Barrios@asu.edu or 480-965-5778.

1. Program Description

General areas of research in the Philosophy MA program include ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of law, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, philosophy of religion, and the history of philosophy. Members of our faculty are involved in interdisciplinary work in a variety of fields and enjoy close ties with the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, the College of Law, and a number of other graduate programs at ASU. Philosophy sponsors an active colloquium series and regular philosophical conferences on diverse topics. The Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics also sponsors a wide range of activities, including large-scale conferences, distinguished visitors, and support for graduate study.  

The MA program in Philosophy is designed to prepare students to: 

• • teach philosophy at the community college level,

  • enter doctoral programs, and

  • work in any area that requires critical, analytical thinking (such as medicine, law, government, or publishing). 

The program seeks to maintain a balance between course offerings in the traditional areas of philosophy and opportunities for study of current philosophical developments. In addition to coursework, students must complete and defend a culminating experience, which may be the thesis or the non-thesis option (portfolio). There is no foreign language requirement. 

Students enrolled full-time in the Philosophy MA program are able to complete their program and receive their degree within two years. The Graduate College requires continuous enrollment every fall and spring semesters for the duration of the program and has set a time limit of six years to complete the degree. The count begins from the first semester of admission to the program. 

2. Course Requirements 

CLICK HERE to download a list of required courses.

CLICK HERE to download a list of courses that fulfill each requirement.

3. Supervisory Committee

Students enrolled in the program are required to establish a supervisory committee, consisting of a committee chair and at least two additional faculty members, to direct their graduate study. This committee has three basic charges:

• •  to recommend and approve the student's program of study;

  • to advise a student regarding their thesis or portfolio; and

  • to administer the final oral examination in defense of the thesis/portfolio.

 The committee is comprised of at least three members: a chair who is a tenured or tenure track SHPRS Philosophy Graduate Faculty member in an area of research closely related to the student’s area of research and two or more additional members with expertise in the student’s area of research. At least two members, including the chair or at least one co-chair, must be from the ASU Philosophy internal unit graduate faculty. 

 The student’s chair must be a tenured or tenure-track member of the SHPRS philosophy internal unit graduate faculty who is endorsed to chair committees in the program. Students have the option of having two faculty members serve as co-chairs (co-advisors). A list of the faculty approved to serve on supervisory committees and their endorsements as chairs or members can be found here.  

The supervisory committee, chair or co-chairs, and members must be selected by April 1 of the student’s first year. All members of the committee must be approved by the Associate Head of Graduate Studies (AHGS) and the Graduate College and at least two members, including the chair or one co-chair, must be ASU Philosophy Graduate Faculty. 

A. Committee Selection Form

At the end of a student’s first year in the program, the student prints and completes the Committee Selection Form, obtains the signature of the chair and additional members, and submits the form to the graduate coordinator. The student must then enter the committee on the iPOS. The graduate coordinator will seek approval of the committee and iPOS course selections from the AHGS.

B. External Supervisory Committee Members

A student may select one university faculty not affiliated with ASU to serve on their supervisory committee. To seek approval for an external Committee Member, please contact the Graduate Programs Coordinator. The external Committee Member’s current CV and date of birth will be needed.

C. Committee Member Change

The Committee members listed on the plan of study serve as the supervisory committee. Any changes must first be approved by the AHGS and then submitted through the online iPOS system for final approval by the Graduate College. Students complete the Supervisory Committee Member Change Request form to request a change and submit it to the graduate coordinator. Students must obtain the signatures from the desired member(s), outgoing member(s), and committee chair, then submit the original form with signatures to the graduate coordinator, who will obtain the signature of the AHGS.

4. GPA and Grade Requirements

Students enrolled in the Philosophy MA program are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on the iPOS GPA, Overall Graduate GPA, and Cumulative GPA. The iPOS GPA is based on all courses that appear on a student’s approved iPOS. The Cumulative GPA represents all courses completed at ASU during the graduate career. The Overall Graduate GPA is calculated based on all courses numbered 500 or higher that appear on the transcript after admission to the program. These GPAs are all visible through MyASU. If a student’s GPA falls below 3.0, the student is automatically placed on academic probation for one semester with the expectation that the GPA will improve and meet the requirement by the end of the following semester. Failure to raise the GPA and meet other terms set in the academic probation letter may result in dismissal from the program. The AHGS may also recommend a student for dismissal from the program if the following situations occur:

• • The student receives three C or lower grades (including incompletes) in  courses taken after admission to the program.

  • A student’s Cumulative GPA, iPOS GPA, or Overall Graduate GPA falls below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters.

  • It becomes impossible for a student to graduate with a 3.0 iPOS.

5. Satisfactory Academic Progress

All graduate students are expected to make steady progress towards completion of their degree. Students must meet the standards and deadlines of the Graduate College as well as the requirements established by the Philosophy graduate program to maintain satisfactory progress in the program. Students who fail to meet requirements will receive written notice from the AHGS identifying the deficiency and given the opportunity to meet with the AHGS to discuss difficulties the student may be having in reaching goals of the program. The student’s Chair may be included in this meeting. A written plan will be set in place giving the student specific steps to remedy the deficiency and a time period to complete the plan, during which the student will be placed on academic probation for a specific period identified in the letter.  Students placed on probation may be restricted from teaching courses or being otherwise employed in the department and may lose funding.

 When the student remedies the deficiency satisfactorily, the probation will be lifted and a new letter issued stating that the student is back in good standing. Failure to resolve the issue as directed will result in one or more of the following options:

• • Termination of funding

  • Recommendation from the Director of School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies to the Vice Provost of Graduate College to dismiss the student from the degree program.

  A recommendation of immediate dismissal may occur under certain circumstances such as: 

• • Violation of the University’s academic integrity policies

  • Unprofessional or threatening behavior in the classroom, internship, or any public setting in which the student is representing their degree program, the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies or Arizona State University 

  • A student’s GPA falls below a 3.0 

  • Failure to follow proper procedure set by the office of Research Integrity and Assurance.

 The student will be notified in writing of the recommendation for dismissal and will be given 10 business days to appeal the dismissal decision or complete a voluntary withdrawal. Withdrawal from the program will avoid the notation of a dismissal on the student’s record. To appeal a recommendation for dismissal, the student should follow guidelines set out in the dismissal letter and contact the Director of the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies in writing by the specified date. All mail and email will be sent to the addresses on file for the student. The student is responsible for checking mail regularly. A student may appeal any action concerning dismissal through the Graduate Council Appeals Board (GCAB).

6. Colloquia

All students enrolled in the Philosophy MA Program are expected to be active participants in the intellectual life of the philosophy program. In particular, students are expected to attended philosophy colloquia, which normally take place Friday afternoons. These events offer learning and networking opportunities that go beyond what is offered in the classroom.

7. Culminating Experiences 

A. Thesis

The MA thesis must demonstrate the student’s ability to pursue advanced independent research, evaluate and analyze evidence, and present a reasoned and coherent argument. 

 i. Format 

The style of the document is determined by the Committee Chair and is usually based on style manuals, such as A Manual for Writers by Kate L. Turabian or The Chicago Manual of Style. Students may also select a style from a professional journal (i.e. Philosophy of Science) but must provide an article from the journal to Graduate College Format Review along with the thesis so reviewers can compare documents. 

 The format of the document must follow the specifications presented in the Graduate College Format Manual and students need to closely adhere to the requirements for setting margins, spacing, pagination, etc. At least one month prior to the date the student plans to defend, the student must submit a copy of the final thesis draft to the faculty members who officially make up the Supervisory Committee so they can provide a critical review of the arguments, narrative, footnotes, and bibliography. This gives the student the opportunity to make revisions before submitting the document to the Graduate College for format review. Students should also review the topic of Academic Integrity presented on this site.

ii. Scheduling a Thesis Defense

When revisions have been made and all members of the committee agree that the document is ready, for a defense, the student arranges a date and time for the defense with all committee members. The student can reserve a conference room for the defense by contacting the SHPRS Front Desk at (480) 965-5778 or shprsfrontdesk@asu.edu. 

At least 50% of the student’s Supervisory Committee must be physically present for the final defense. The Chair or at least one Co-Chair and the student must be in attendance. Absent members may participate by one of the following methods:

• • Video conference

  • Teleconference

  • Provide questions to a substitute (Philosophy Graduate Faculty member) to attend on his/her behalf.

Students are asked on the electronic Scheduling a Defense form how each member will be attending (in person, video conference, etc.). If the circumstances change on the day of the exam, the student or Chair should immediately contact the graduate coordinator to contact Graduate College with the changes. If the graduate coordinator is not available, the Chair or student should contact Graduate College directly.

Scheduling the defense with the Graduate College is done through MyASU (MyASU > My Programs and Degree Progress > Defense). The “Defense” tab provides an electronic form to schedule the final defense and must be submitted no later than 10 business days prior to the planned defense date (click the “Next Steps” link under Dissertation Defense” > “Schedule your Defense”). 

iii. Format Review

The final draft of the thesis document needs to be emailed to the Graduate College for format review no later than 10 calendar days prior to the planned defense. Students should check the Graduate College website for formatting instructions. A complete and defend-able copy of the thesis document must be submitted to the Graduate College (via email) for format review. Before submitting the document, students are encouraged to use the Graduate College format tool. The formatting tool checks for formatting issues only.

iv. Oral Defense 

The oral defense is open to the public. It is posted on the Graduate College website and announced by email to all faculty, staff and students in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies. Defenses include a presentation of the argument of the thesis by the candidate and questions from each of the committee members. The student and guests are asked to leave the examination room so final deliberations among committee members, exclusively, can take place. The student is invited back to the examining room for final results. The exam duration can last between one and two hours. 

v. Defense Reminder

Students should send an email to members of their supervisory committee a few days before the defense to remind them of the location and time of the defense. Any problems with the agreed upon date should be reported to the graduate coordinator as soon as possible.

vi. Defense Results

Results of the final defense are recorded on the Graduate College Pass/Fail Form which is generated at the time the defense is scheduled and emailed to the Committee Chair and graduate coordinator. Each member of the committee signs the form to indicate their decision. Members attending via video/teleconferencing need to email their exam result decision to the committee Chair and ask that he/she sign on their behalf. The Chair signs the member’s name and then puts his/her initials next to the signature. If a substitute is provided, the substitute signs the absent member’s name and puts his/her initials next the signature.

The Chair must enter a brief description of minor revisions if the “minor revision’ outcome is selected. If “major revisions” is selected, the Chair should give a full explanation of the changes on a separate document and attach it to the form. If the changes can be made within 10 days of the exam, the Chair signs the form a second time at the bottom verifying that revisions have been completed and the form submitted to Graduate College. If the revisions will take longer than 10 days, a copy of the form with the document describing the required changes is submitted to Graduate College without final signature on the revision section. When the changes are complete, the Chair then signs the form at the bottom and the form is submitted. A copy must be kept by the Chair and/or graduate coordinator in this case, as Graduate College will not release submitted forms back to students, faculty, or staff. 

If the student and Chair do not want the thesis published for a period of time due to ongoing research, publication, or the sensitive information presented in the document, an “embargo” can be requested via the Pass/Fail form for approximately two years.

Before the Pass/Fail form is submitted to Graduate College, a copy of the completed form is given to the graduate coordinator for the student’s file. Once the Pass/Fail form is submitted the student will see “Defense Status: Pass” in the defense section. Right below the “Defense Status” you will see “Format Review Status.” The “Review Status” will change to “Ready for ETD/ProQuest”. The document can then be submitted by following the instructions found here. The student will be sent an email from the Graduate College when the final submission to ProQuest has been done. An electronic copy of the thesis is sent to the Hayden Library. 

 B. Non-Thesis Portfolio 

Students who choose the non-thesis portfolio option will be required to submit two papers that focus on the student’s major area of research and must demonstrate the ability to carry out independent research in philosophy. 

i. Review

At least one month prior to the date the student plans to the defense, the student submits a copy of the final portfolio draft to the faculty members who officially make up the Supervisory Committee for a critical review of the arguments, narrative, footnotes, and bibliography. 

ii. Oral Defense

The Portfolio Option requires an oral defense. Before scheduling the oral defense, the student provides each committee member with drafts of the written work. The schedule for submitting work and the oral defense should be determined in consultation with the Committee Chair. Committee members need a few weeks to review these works and return comments and the student should expect to make revisions before the final defense. 

The student arranges a date and time for the defense with all committee members and then reserves a conference room for the defense by by contacting the SHPRS Front Desk at (480) 965-5778 or shprsfrontdesk@asu.edu. .The student notifies the graduate coordinator with the date of the defense so the Portfolio Reporting form can be prepared and sent to the Chair.

iii. Submission & Format

The portfolio is not submitted to the Graduate College for format review; however, a final electronic copy must be submitted to the graduate coordinator, who transfers the electronic file to the Philosophy server for future reference. The style must be approved by the Committee Chair and follow guidelines in Turabian, the Chicago Manual of Style or that of a professional journal in philosophy. Students may follow format guidelines as presented in the Graduate College Format Manual. 

iv. Defense Results

Following the defense, the Chair submits the signed reporting form indicating each member’s decision on the outcome of the exam to the coordinator. The coordinator will notify Graduate College of the final results. 

8. Graduation

CLICK HERE for a detailed list of graduation procedures.