Admissions
Application Information
Application Materials
The deadline for all materials sent to the Philosophy Department
is January 3, 2012. The deadline for the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies materials is January 3, 2012.
A complete application must include: James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies application for admission, a scanned transcript from all universities attended, GRE scores,
letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a short
writing sample.
Writing Sample
The Philosophy Department requires that applicants submit
a writing sample. A term paper or selection from an honors
thesis or master's thesis is appropriate. Before submitting
your writing sample, it is worth your time to edit and proofread. Remember that the writing sample is going to represent
your ability to express yourself in writing. It is an important
component of the application.
Statement of Purpose
The statement of purpose should provide a picture of you as
a philosopher. It should say something about the philosophical
questions and issues that attract your attention, and something
about the philosophical schools, historical figures, or periods
that interest you. While you should be as specific as you can,
it is OK to have varied interests. We also understand that
interests develop, and sometimes change completely.
The statement
of purpose is also a place to mention any special facts about
yourself that might be relevant to your graduate work. If
appropriate, include in your statement of purpose any ways
in which you as a student would contribute to the diversity
of the Philosophy program. If you have a language background
or research experience that is not reflected your academic
record, this is a good place to describe it. Like the writing
sample, you should carefully edit your statement of purpose.
It is an important first impression of your ability as a writer.
GRE Scores
GRE scores are required of all applicants. The Philosophy
Department looks at these as one part of the overall profile
of an applicant, and they are balanced against the letters
of recommendation, transcripts, statement of purpose, and writing
sample. While an applicant's self-report of GRE scores on the
Application Form will suffice for the early stages of the application
process, official confirmation of the scores by GTS is necessary
before an admission offer can be made.
Languages
The graduate program in philosophy at Emory requires students
to pass two language exams. These are translations of a 400
word philosophical passage from the original language into
English. German, French, Latin, Greek, and Italian are commonly
studied. Other languages may be used for the language exam,
if there is a philosophical literature in that language that
is relevant to the individual student's research. Students
who have some background in a relevant language, or who have
demonstrated facility with languages, are good candidates for
admission at Emory. Be sure that your linguistic background
is well documented by your application.
Financial Support
All graduate students in the Philosophy Department receive
five years of funding. This includes a stipend ($18,000 for
the 2012-2013 school year) and full tuition support. After
the fifth year, funding is available by working as an instructor
with full classroom responsibility. While this funding cannot
be guaranteed to students, in recent years demand for instructors
has outrun the number of advanced students available.
The Philosophy Department embraces Emory University's commitment
to fostering diversity of thought, experience and culture.
The Department welcomes students from a variety of racial,
ethic, cultural, socioeconomic, religious, national and international
backgrounds. Several types of special fellowships, which either
supplement the base stipend provided by the Graduate School
or provide full stipend support at a higher stipend level than
the base stipends, are also offered on a competitive basis.
Awards are announced to students at the time they are accepted
for admission.
Generous support is also available for student travel. Graduate
students who present papers at professional conferences may be
supported by funds made available through the Graduate School.
There are also funds available for the summer study of languages,
with opportunities to travel abroad for advanced language study.
Finally, the Philosophy Department offers the Beck Fellowship
to support research that requires travel. Recent recipients
have been able to do archival research, or to study with specialists
in other universities.
All students who are accepted into the program receive five
years of funding and are eligible for travel support. There
is no separate application for financial aid. |
