MA Philosophy or Master of Arts in Philosophy is a 2-year postgraduate course that offers studies related to Schools of Classical as well as Modern philosophy. This program is the study of reality, existence, and the fundamental nature of knowledge.
The course includes a comprehensive and thorough study of Philosophy as a discipline at an advanced level. It involves the study of a critical and systematic approach and its reliance on a reasoned argument to address general problems. The problems usually concern matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, law, justice, validity, mind, and language.
The study of MA Philosophy includes topics such as Moral Philosophy, Theory of Knowledge and Reality, Logic and Language, Ethics, Religion, Philosophy of Mind, Western Metaphysics, Indian Epistemology, Traditional and Propositional Logic, History & Philosophy of Natural Science, Analytic Philosophy, Plato, Descartes, Early Buddhism, Schools of Vedanta Philosophy of Social Science, etc.
The minimum eligibility required to pursue this course is a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institute with philosophy or any related subject as the major subject. The admissions are usually based on the entrance exams conducted by the institute pr through previous academic scores.The average course fee for MA Philosophy ranges between INR 7K and INR 1 lakh. Post completion of this course, students get opportunities in different sectors such as Publishing Houses, Divinity, Teaching, Insurance Industries, and Diplomacy. The average starting salary ranges from INR 2 – 6 Lakhs.
Graduates can work as Archivist, Administrator, Researcher, Interviewer, Student Affairs Manager, Insurance Underwriter, Lecture, Social Worker, Content Writer, etc. They can also go for higher studies and do a PhD in Philosophy or M. Phil in Applied Philosophy.
| Course Level | Post-graduation |
| Full-Form | Master of Arts (Philosophy) |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Examination Type | Semester-based |
| Eligibility | Graduation in any stream from a recognized institute |
| Admission process | Merit-based/ Entrance Examination |
| Average Course Fee | INR 7K – 1 lakh |
| Average Salary | INR 2 – 6 lakh |
| Top Recruiters | Eureka Forbes, AJ Solutions, NIAS, Subex, HP, Dell, Siemens, Mphasis, etc. |
| Job Profiles | Archivist, Administrator, Researcher, Interviewer, Student Affairs Manager, Insurance Underwriter, Lecture, Social Worker, Content Writer, etc. |
| Areas of Employment | Diplomacy, Publishing Houses, Community & Social Service, Businesses, Finance Departments, Divinity, Health & Social Work, Hotels & Restaurants, Insurance Industry, Public Service, Research, etc. |
- Philosophy is a thorough study of the philosophies of various philosophers from different countries. It situates the historical philosophies in the current state of affairs and provides an acute critical insight on them.
- This is a huge course that includes various philosophical principles like that of Marxism, imagination, feminism, symbolization, etc.
- Philosophy includes a study of philosophical methods which include questioning, and systematic presentation. This course is closely related to religion, mathematics, natural science, education, and politics.
Philosophy is traditionally divided into three major branches:
- The Moral Philosophy: It is the study of right and wrong, goodness, beauty, justice, and virtue.
- Natural Philosophy: It is the study of the physical world.
- The Metaphysical Philosophy: It is the study of God, logic, forms, existence, causation, and other abstract objects.
MA Philosophy Eligibility
The candidates who want to pursue this course should fulfill the minimum eligibility criteria, that usually includes:
- The candidate should have a Bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognized University.
- However, many of the reputed universities prefer a graduation degree with Honors in Philosophy or Philosophy as one of the subjects studied in graduation from any of the recognized universities/ colleges of the country.
- They should have a minimum of 45-50% marks in graduation.
- Some relaxation is offered to the reserved categories.
- MA Philosophy degree holders can opt for a career in various specializations of philosophy like in Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Moral Philosophy, Aesthetics, etc.
- On successful completion of this degree, a student can apply for the UGC-NET or JRF exam; the success in these exams makes them eligible for teaching or research.
- Candidates having this degree/ program can be hired in diverse fields such as Ethics Advisor, School Teacher, Social Worker, Charities Administrator, Information Science, Survey Interviewer, etc.
The following table shows some of the major areas where you can find employment after pursuing the MA Philosophy degree:
| Job profile | Job Description | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Student Counselor | The student counselor deals with the problems of the students and talks to them to help them out with their issues. | INR 2,37,972 |
| Archivist | Archivist evaluates records for preservation and retention. And their other job responsibilities are the retrieval of records and Arranging acquisition. | INR 4,48,582 |
| Researcher | A research scholar studies various philosophers and provides his/her critical views on the same developing more research papers which are helpful for students in the academic field. | INR 6,76,159 |
| Insurance Underwriter | Insurance Underwriter reads insurance proposals and ensures that premiums are competitive. | INR 3,31,827 |
| Interviewer | An interviewer conducts interviews and tests the abilities of the candidates at an organization. | INR 1,55,745 |