The International Student Blog

International students will often find themselves as an appealing candidate for philosophy graduate programs in the United States. Bachelor’s degrees in every field are quickly becoming more common and students are finding that to be competitive in the job market, they need to acquire a graduate degree. Due to the higher number of applicants to graduate programs in general, schools are looking for students with unique and different philosophical perspectives. For this reason, international students applying to philosophy graduate programs in the US will often find themselves as desirable candidates.

Philosophy, as a field of inquiry, is grounded in the work of thinkers from all over the world. Students who can read multiple languages often find themselves at an advantage because of their ability to access original source readings without the need for translation. Since philosophy is a field of though which involves examining questions from every perspective possible, students who come from different intellectual and cultural backgrounds are desirable candidates to philosophy programs and often find that upon the completion of their degrees, offer a more competitive edge when searching for philosophy positions in the US. The application process is rigorous and students should make sure to learn as much as possible about applying. International students applying to philosophy graduate programs should seek as much detailed information on applying to the philosophy graduate schools in the US as possible.

The basic steps in applying for a graduate degree in philosophy include locating at least five schools for application, taking the necessary standardized tests, submitting a well-written writing sample, and submitting three letters of recommendation from former professors. Most schools require that the student apply at least sixth months to a year in advance and all applications are handled by the graduate school, which filters the graduate applications for the entire university. In order to determine the minimum requirements for admission to the school, international students applying to philosophy graduate programs should visit the school’s graduate department website, but then should also review the philosophy department’s website in order to find out if there are additional requirements.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 15th, 2013 at 3:00 pm and is filed under International Student, International Student Study Section, Study in the USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Written by Bryanna Davis

Bryanna joined EIC in 2011 after returning to the United States from teaching English in China. Her interest in international education, sparked initially by her own study abroad experience in Wales, led her to the company. Bryanna is originally from Missouri and is a graduate from the University of Central Missouri.

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