Admission Requirements
The department of philosophy offers graduate work leading to the Doctor of Philosophy. For admission to its graduate program, the department requires (1) a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution; (2) at least 15 hours of course work in philosophy. Please provide transcripts of any previous work; (3) a brief personal statement that explains your academic background and your reasons for wanting to pursue graduate study in our department; (4) a brief writing sample that best demonstrates your philosophical reasoning abilities; and (5) three letters of recommendation. The faculty of the department may modify these requirements in exceptional circumstances. Our online application is strongly preferred and is available at https://grad.baylor.edu/apply/.
GRE Score (optional)
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required at present, but we will take your GRE score into account if you provide it. We particularly recommend the GRE for (a) students who have less than the usual amount of formal educational background in philosophy, and (b) those whose educational background is primarily outside of the US, because it is difficult to compare US to non-US grades.
Personal Statement
Please write a short (no more than 1-2 pages) personal statement that explains your academic background, your particular interests in philosophy, any circumstances you think the admissions committee should be aware of when considering your application, and your reasons for pursuing graduate study at Baylor. This statement can be uploaded to the online application using the upload feature on page 5 (see below for important related information about writing samples).
Writing Sample
Please include a ten to fifteen page writing sample on a philosophical topic. What we look for is evidence of seriousness of purpose and significant research effort incorporated into a well-written, well-organized essay.
Note: If using the online application, please upload this document using the options on page 5 of the online application.
Required Course Work
Most of our new graduate students will have at least an undergraduate major in philosophy. Some students may have less than a standard major in philosophy. Fifteen hours, however, we believe to be the minimum number of hours in philosophy required to orient students to the basics of philosophy as an academic discipline.
Transcripts
Please provide transcripts (unofficial ones are acceptable initially, but official ones will need to be submitted once admitted) of your previous academic work.
Letters of recommendation
You should request letters of recommendation from those who are familiar with your intellectual interests and academic work. Ideally, these letters of recommendation will be from philosophers. As part of the online application you can send your recommenders an email with instructions and a link to submit their letter online.
Where to Send Materials
Baylor currently offers an excellent electronic application process that allows you to work on your application at your own pace. This online application is the primary method for Baylor's admission process because it allows faster processing at the Graduate School. Paper applications are no longer accepted except in the rare circumstance that an applicant does not have internet access. All materials should be sent to:
Baylor University
Graduate Admissions
One Bear Place #97264
Waco, TX 76798-7264