Department of Philosophy

Graduate (MA/PhD) Admissions

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from graduate applicants.

• Do I need to be a philosophy major to apply to one of your graduate programs?
• No, but you do need a background in philosophy.  You have a sufficient background in philosophy if you have taken approximately nine or more credit hours in philosophy, or if you have taken courses outside of philosophy which are philosophical in nature.  Courses are philosophical in nature when they involve elements of criticism, theory, and debate of the subject matter.  


• I want to send my letters of recommendation by mail.  May I send them all at once in one large envelope, or should I instruct each recommender to mail each of them separately?
• You may send them in one large envelope as long as you have each of your letter-writers seal the envelopes and sign across the seal before you collect the letters.  Otherwise, the recommenders should mail their letters separately. 



• May I submit more than three letters of recommendation?
• We ask that you do not submit more than three.  You can help us keep the application process fair and efficient by submitting the requested number of letters.   

• If I answer the three questions (see item 6 here) within the body of my Statement of Philosophical Interests and Educational Goals, do I still write my answers in a separate document?
• Yes, you still need to supply your answers in a separate document.  Answering the questions in a separate document allows us to process your materials efficiently, and that will help us give you a decision faster. Your application will be considered incomplete without this document, so please do not forget to include it with your application!

• May I submit more than one writing sample?
• We ask that you submit only one writing sample for the same reason we ask you to submit only three letters of recommendation: it helps preserve the fairness and efficiency of the application process.



• May I submit other materials as part of my application?
• Please submit only the materials requested, and only in the numbers requested.  The Graduate Admissions Committee considers the materials requested to be those most relevant to making admissions decisions.



• What is a Curriculum Vitae?
• A Curriculum Vitae, or C.V., is similar to a résumé with a focus on your academic history and achievements.  Take a look at some of our faculty pages to find examples.



• Why do I have to send official copies of my transcripts to University Admissions if I uploaded scanned copies to my application?
• Your application will be incomplete if there are not official copies of your transcripts on file with University Admissions, which means that we will not be able to admit you into the program.  We ask for a scanned copy of your transcript so that we will have some indication of your grades, should your transcripts be processed late or lost, with the understanding that you are also sending official copies. Although the Graduate Admissions Committee can make an admissions decision with scanned copies of your transcripts, they cannot nominate you for financial fellowships and other funding until you are admitted formally to the University.               



• Do I still need to send an official copy of a transcript from an institution where I only took one course, if that course is reported on another transcript?
• Yes.  University Admissions will not consider your application to be complete until they receive official transcripts from all of your previous institutions.    



• Something is incorrect on my CV/writing sample/application.  Can I send a corrected version of the document?
• Yes, but keep in mind that the Graduate Admissions Committee might meet and look at your file before you realize your mistake and send a corrected document.  The corrected document will be placed in your file, and a note will be attached to the incorrect document.  As a rule, we do not remove items from applicant files, because we do not want to risk accidental removal of portions of the graduate application.  



• Whom should I contact regarding information about the status of my application or the application process?
• You should contact the Academic Support Assistant.



• When I check my status online I get a message that my application is not complete, but I received an email from the Department of Philosophy that said my file was complete.  Why am I receiving this message?
• Sometimes your application is complete with the Department of Philosophy, but incomplete with University Admissions.  This situation can occur because the Department of Philosophy considers your file complete once we have the information required to make an admissions decision.  University Admissions, however, will consider your application incomplete until they have received and processed your application fee and official copies of your transcripts and GRE scores.  We cannot officially admit you until your file is complete with University Admissions.      



• When should I expect to receive word that my application has been accepted or rejected?
• The first to hear admissions decisions are usually the applicants nominated for university fellowships, and they are notified by mid- to late January for admission in the following Fall semester.  Almost all Fall admission decisions are made by April 15 (see APA Statements on the Profession: Graduate Student Aid Offers).  Decisions for Spring admissions vary but are usually made by mid-December.

If you do not find your question or concern answered here, please contact Rachel Baker (Administrative Support Assistant, Department of Philosophy) at (850) 644-1483 or rar04c@fsu.edu