The M.A. in philosophy enables students to discover whether they should pursue the Ph.D. and prepares them for admission to doctoral programs as well as for a wide variety of careers. As the only graduate program in philosophy at a public university in Louisiana, one of its aims is to assist students who have not had the opportunity to complete an undergraduate philosophy degree. The M.A. in philosophy should help such students to develop the necessary background as well as to determine whether to pursue doctoral level studies. The faculty, therefore, welcomes qualified and motivated students who lack extensive undergraduate work in philosophy.<br><br>Students who have completed at least 18 hours in philosophy, with courses in history of philosophy, ethics, and logic are ideally prepared for graduate work in philosophy. Incoming graduate students who lack a strong background in philosophy may be required to focus first on developing the necessary basis for further studies. This may include taking some undergraduate-level courses. The department's Graduate Committee will decide what courses, if any, each incoming graduate student will be required to take, taking into account the student's background and area(s) of interest.<br><br>Students who are required to take undergraduate-level courses will be informed of that when they are admitted to the program. In some cases, a student will be allowed to attend the undergraduate-level course, do additional work for it (such as more reading and writing on its subject matter), and receive graduate credit for it. This will be accomplished by having the student register for PHIL 4991: Independent Research.