American University of Beirut

​​​​​​​​​​​​​The M.A. 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. By requiring students to pass a comprehensive exam in philosophy, the department endeavors to avoid excessive specialization and to emphasize the integrity of the discipline of philosophy. The department also requires students to write a master’s thesis, the aim of which is to introduce them to original philosophical research under the supervision of one or more faculty members. This includes research on contemporary problems and issues, as well as on historical figures and theories. The training thus provided aims to prepare students for doctoral work at a leading institution abroad, or to equip them to teach philosophy at the secondary school level, or to deepen their appreciation of philosophical inquiry and thinking in the context of various other career paths.

M.A. in Philosophy Program Learning Outcomes

Philosophy M.A. graduates will be able:

1. To demonstrate familiarity with the key problems and positions in historical and contemporary philosophy.
2. To demonstrate competence at representing complex philosophical arguments clearly and fairly and to evaluate them for cogency.
3. To construct original and persuasive arguments of their own.
4. To speak and write about the kind of abstract and conceptually elusive topics typically encountered in philosophy, in a manner at once clear, nuanced, and compelling.
   

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