Graduate Admission

Further application information can be found in the UB Philosophy Graduate Student Handbook, via the pdf below.

• Students entering the PhD program must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
• Students entering the MA program must have a minimum GPA of 3.0

All applications will include the following:

• Completed application form.
• Electronic copies of transcripts of all previous undergraduate or graduate coursework. Only admitted applicants will be required to submit official transcripts.
• Three letters of recommendation, submitted electronically. Once you submit your application for final review, your professors will receive an automated email requesting that they upload their recommendation letter.
• A personal statement of 500 to 750 words, double-spaced. Please include a description of your background in philosophy and the areas of philosophy that interest you.
• A writing sample of philosophical work that is 3,000 to 6,000 words (about 10 to 20 double-spaced pages).
• GRE scores are not required.
  

International Applicants will include all of the above, plus:

1. International Applicant Financial Statement.

2. Results of the TOEFL (test of English as a Foreign Language) for international applicants whose native language is not English.

Please be sure to review all requirements for International Student Admission on the UB Graduate School website.

• Applicants whose native language is not English must establish proficiency by means of the TOEFL examination. For international students who are already in the US to complete a degree program, TOEFL is automatically waived.
• The minimum scores required for each of the forms of the exam are: 
  (1)  555 for the paper based test (TOEFL PBT);
  (2)  213 for the computer based test (TOEFL CBT);
  (3)   79 for the Internet based test (TOEFL IBT).
• If you are a currently unable to take IELTS, PTE or TOEFL due to cancellations related to COVID-19, please contact the current Director of Graduate Studies in the Philosophy Department (see Department Contact below).