Program overview
Aristotle, Augustine, Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, the scholastic tradition, Jacques Maritain, and Étienne Gilson occupy a central place without excluding rival schools or contemporary interlocutors. The program forms students to read primary texts closely, reconstruct arguments fairly, and pursue philosophical questions within the Catholic understanding of faith and reason.
Admission requirements
- A bachelor’s degree or equivalent undergraduate qualification from an institution acceptable to PCU-USA.
- Official transcripts from every postsecondary institution attended.
- A curriculum vitae describing academic, professional, or research experience.
- A statement of purpose explaining the applicant’s preparation and proposed field of graduate study.
- A substantial academic writing sample demonstrating analytical ability.
- Evidence of proficiency in the language of instruction.
Curriculum
- Ancient Philosophy: Plato and Aristotle — 3 credits
- Augustine and Anselm — 3 credits
- Aquinas and the Scholastic Tradition — 3 credits
- Metaphysics — 3 credits
- Epistemology and the Philosophy of Knowledge — 3 credits
- Philosophical Anthropology — 3 credits
- Ethics and Natural Law — 3 credits
- Philosophy of Religion and Natural Theology — 3 credits
- Modern Philosophy — 3 credits
- Contemporary Philosophy and Classical Realism — 3 credits
- Methods of Philosophical Research — 3 credits
- Master’s Thesis in Philosophy — 3 credits
Learning outcomes
- Interpret major texts in ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary philosophy.
- Analyze arguments in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology.
- Evaluate the relation between faith and reason in Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, and later Christian thinkers.
- Compare scholastic and contemporary approaches to being, knowledge, personhood, and moral action.
- Formulate philosophical arguments with conceptual precision and fair treatment of objections.
- Use primary sources and relevant languages responsibly in philosophical research.
- Produce a sustained work of graduate philosophical scholarship.
Assessment
- Assessment emphasizes close textual commentary, argument reconstruction, disputation, comparative essays, seminar leadership, and research papers. The thesis is evaluated for conceptual clarity, command of primary and secondary literature, and the strength of its philosophical argument.
Completion requirements
- Earn all 36 required credits.
- Pass every required course and remain in satisfactory academic standing.
- Complete and obtain institutional approval of the master’s thesis or final scholarly project.
- Resolve all academic-record and graduation requirements before conferral.