MASTER in PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy begins in the love of wisdom. It is as much a spiritual as an intellectual quest.

The Master's Program in Philosophy intends to engage students in a serious and thorough study of the Western philosophical tradition. It is not expected, however, that students will acquire merely an extrinsic knowledge of historical authors and doctrines. Rather, they should hope to recover the best of the philosophic tradition in the light of persistent questions, old and new.

If you are a student contemplating graduate studies in philosophy, you undoubtedly already realize that the philosophic world is in ferment and that many of the most vibrant impulses are coming from outside departments of philosophy. The insight that philosophy should not be considered a single discipline isolated from others is the foundation of the doctoral program of the University's Institute of Philosophic Studies, and students in the Master's program benefit from the interdisciplinary activity that the Institute fosters.

The University of Dallas is dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom, truth, and of virtue as the proper and primary ends of education. The University seeks to educate its students so they may develop the intellectual and moral virtues, prepare themselves for life and work in a problematic and changing world, and become leaders able to act responsibly for their own good and for the good of their family, community, country, and church.

The University understands human nature to be spiritual and physical, rational and free. It is guided by principles of learning that acknowledge transcendent standards of truth and excellence that are themselves the object of search in an education.

The University is especially dedicated to the pursuit of liberal education in both its undergraduate and graduate programs. In its liberal arts programs, the University is committed to the recovery and renewal of the Western heritage of liberal education. The University is equally committed to providing professional programs at the graduate level. Its professional programs, in a common spirit with the University's liberal arts programs, are dedicated to reflecting critically upon the ends governing one's own profession, to fostering principled, moral judgment, and to providing the knowledge and skills requisite for professional excellence. Whether professional or liberal, the University is convinced of the priority of the ethical over the technical, of the primacy of persons over things, of the superiority of the spirit over matter. The University seeks to offer those graduate and undergraduate programs that will address important needs of society, and that can be offered in a manner consistent with the University's primary institutional commitments.