Graduate Programs and Degrees
How to Apply
Applications for the MA Program and the Ph.D. Program are done electronically through The School of Liberal Arts at Tulane. Tulane undergraduate students interested in the 4+1 MA Degree should contact Caroline Arruda, the Director of Graduate Studies, for information about applying to the 4+1 program.
Fill out the online application. The online application must include:
- A Statement of Purpose
- Letters of Recommendation
- Application fees paid by credit card
- A Writing Sample
- Unofficial Transcripts
Official transcripts will be required for those students offered admission into the program.
Starting with the Fall 2023 application cycle, the Department will no longer require GRE scores.
If you have any questions about the graduate programs at Tulane, please contact Caroline Arruda.
Financial Aid
Almost all full-time Ph.D. students accepted into the program receive Full-Tuition Scholarships and Stipends through the Philosophy Department. The Stipends provide sufficient income to cover the costs of housing and basic living expenses. Departmental support may be continued for up to five years, provided that students remain in good standing. Starting in Fall 2023, students entering the program with an MA in philosophy may receive the full five years of funding (previously, students entering with an MA in philosophy were only given four years of funding).
External funding is available through a Tulane Fellowship for those students who wish to spend 1 year as an exchange student in Berlin (many students who apply for this are successful). External funding for 1 year is also available through fellowships from the Murphy Institute's Center for Ethics and Public Affairs.
Students who receive one year of external funding (either through the programs noted above or through some other source) can expect to receive five years of Departmental support, and thus a total of six years of support, provided that the student is in good standing and meets the progress requirements for students receiving external funding and fellowships. Students who receive two years of external funding (either through the programs noted above or through some other source) can expect to receive four years of Departmental support, and thus a total of six years of support, provided that the student is in good standing and meets the progress requirements for students receiving external funding and fellowships. It is possible, at the discretion of the Department, for students who receive two years of external funding and meet the progress requirements to receive five years of Departmental support, though this is not typically to be expected. Information about the progress requirements for students receiving external funding and fellowships is available on our PhD Program web page.
Students receiving Stipends from the Department typically are teaching assistants for their first two to three years and teach their own courses in the remaining years of Departmental support. Department needs may require changes to this schedule, with some students being asked to teach their own courses earlier and others being asked to serve as teaching assistants later in their years of support. Some students may be asked to serve as graduate assistants at the Murphy Institute.
No more than five years of Departmental funding can be guaranteed. However, in recent years, a number of students have secured partial support beyond this period by working as adjunct instructors in the Department.