Since 2008, the Western Michigan MA program has placed nearly all students seeking a higher degree (94%). Most of these students (84%) have gone on to pursue doctoral degrees in philosophy at top-ranked PhD programs and all of them have received full funding packages to support their studies. Other WMU graduates have pursued advanced degrees in a variety of areas including law, the humanities and social sciences, and theology. Students who have chosen not to pursue a further degree (roughly 10% of students since 2008) have found rewarding careers in education, business, or other pursuits. After completing their doctoral degree programs, our graduate students have also obtained tenure-track jobs at philosophy departments, including University at Albany, University of Utah, Virginia Polytechnic University, York University, and Australia Catholic University.
Placement summary
Annual data*
*Unless otherwise noted, placement is into a Ph.D. program in philosophy with full funding.
2019 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
University of Michigan |
|
Student 2 |
University of Texas, Austin |
|
Student 3 |
University of Arizona |
|
Student 4 |
Indiana University (HPS) |
|
Student 5 |
SUNY, Buffalo |
|
Student 6 |
SUNY, Buffalo |
|
Student 7 |
Declined PhD admission offer; teaching philosophy at local university |
|
Student 8 |
Seeking employment at community college |
|
Student 9 |
Seeking employment at community college |
|
Student 10 |
May re-apply to PhD programs |
In 2019, applicants were also accepted to the following programs (philosophy unless otherwise noted): UMass–Amherst, UC–Santa Barbara,UC--Davis, Miami, Rice, University of Colorado--Boulder, Iowa.
2018 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
Columbia University (Interdisciplinary Humanities Program) |
|
Student 2 |
University of Colorado, Boulder |
|
Student 3 |
University of Maryland, College Park |
|
Student 4 |
University of Virginia |
|
Student 5 |
University of Michigan Law School (with tuition assistance) |
|
Student 6 |
Rice University |
|
Student 7 |
University of Utah |
|
Student 8 |
Western Michigan (Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program) |
|
Student 9 |
University of Vermont (Education Program) |
|
Student 10 |
Working in business |
|
Student 11 |
Working in business |
|
Student 12 |
Instructor, WMU Philosophy department |
|
Student 13 |
Reapplying during the 2018-19 school year |
In 2018, applicants were also accepted to the following programs (philosophy unless otherwise noted): University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, Chicago, Duke, Northwestern, UC–Santa Barbara, Illinois–Urbana-Champaign, UC–Davis, UMass–Amherst, Virginia, UC–Berkeley (Law), Michigan State (Law).
2017 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
|
Student 2 |
Northwestern University |
|
Student 3 |
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |
|
Student 4 |
University of Miami |
|
Student 5 |
University of Miami |
|
Student 6 |
University of Washington, Seattle |
|
Student 7 |
Baylor University |
|
Student 8 |
University of Nebraska, Lincoln |
|
Student 9 |
University of Buffalo |
In 2017, applicants were also accepted to the following philosophy programs: Utah, University of Missouri.
2016 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
Stanford University |
|
Student 2 |
University of Oklahoma |
|
Student 3 |
University of South Carolina |
|
Student 4 |
Working in business |
In 2016, applicants were also accepted to the following philosophy programs: UC–Berkeley, Arizona, Notre Dame.
2015 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
University of Michigan |
|
Student 2 |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
|
Student 3 |
Rice University |
|
Student 4 |
University of South Carolina |
|
Student 5 |
SUNY Binghamton |
|
Student 6 |
University of Georgia |
|
Student 7 |
M.A. in linguistics |
|
Student 8 |
Not Available |
|
Student 9 |
Teaching at a community college |
|
Student 10 |
M.A. in theology. |
In 2015, applicants were also accepted to the following philosophy programs: Notre Dame, UC–San Diego.
2014 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill |
|
Student 2 |
University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
|
Student 3 |
Bowling Green University |
In 2014, applicants were also accepted to the following programs (philosophy unless otherwise noted): Notre Dame, Indiana University (HPS), Illinois–Urbana-Champaign, Miami.
2013 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
Cornell University |
|
Student 2 |
University of Iowa |
|
Student 3 |
Rice University |
|
Student 4 |
University of Rochester |
|
Student 5 |
University of Rochester |
|
Student 6 |
Georgetown University |
|
Student 7 |
University of Rochester |
|
Student 8 |
Not Available |
In 2013, applicants were also accepted to the following philosophy programs: University of Oklahoma, Baylor, Florida State, Syracuse.
2012 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
Rutgers University |
|
Student 2 |
University of Rochester |
|
Student 3 |
Ohio State University |
|
Student 4 |
Pursued other areas of interest |
|
Student 5 |
St. Louis University |
|
Student 6 |
Not Available |
In 2012, applicants were also accepted to the following programs (philosophy unless otherwise noted): Notre Dame, University of Colorado–Boulder, Syracuse (philosophy), Syracuse (linguistics), Oxford (theology), Virginia, Florida State, Baylor, University of Oklahoma, Georgia (MSC in artificial intelligence).
2011 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
University of Missouri |
|
Student 2 |
University of Iowa |
|
Student 3 |
University of British Columbia |
|
Student 4 |
University of Kansas |
|
Student 5 |
University of Cincinnati |
|
Student 6 |
Tulane University |
|
Student 7 |
Johns Hopkins University (Cellular and Molecular Medicine) |
In 2011, applicants were also accepted to the following philosophy programs: University of Texas–Austin, UC–Irvine, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Virginia, Rice, Florida State, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Iowa, Western Ontario, Bowling Green, Missouri.
2010 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
Brown University |
|
Student 2 |
Cambridge University (HPS) |
|
Student 3 |
University of California, Irvine |
|
Student 4 |
University of California, Irvine |
|
Student 5 |
Lewis & Clark (Law School) |
|
Student 6 |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
|
Student 7 |
Ohio State University |
|
Student 8 |
University of Georgia |
|
Student 9 |
Teaching disabled students |
|
Student 10 |
Not Available |
In 2010, applicants were also accepted to the following programs (philosophy unless otherwise noted): Florida State, Syracuse, Virginia, Washington State, NYU (law), Vermont (law), University of Illinois–Chicago, University of Indiana (HPS).
2009 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
University of Virginia |
|
Student 2 |
Thomas M. Cooley Law School |
|
Student 3 |
University of Wisconsin – Madison |
|
Student 4 |
Bowling Green University |
|
Student 5 |
University of Colorado – Boulder |
|
Student 6 |
University of Iowa |
|
Student 7 |
Not Available |
|
Student 8 |
Not Available |
In 2009, applicants were also accepted to the following programs (philosophy unless otherwise noted): Illinois–Urbana-Champaign, Ohio State, Maryland, Syracuse, St. Louis University, Vermont (Law), Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Oregon (Law), University of San Diego (Law).
2008 Graduates
|
Student 1 |
University of Pittsburg (HPS) |
|
Student 2 |
Australian National University |
|
Student 3 |
University of California, Berkeley |
|
Student 4 |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
|
Student 5 |
University of Maryland, College Park |
|
Student 6 |
Washington University in St. Louis |
|
Student 7 |
Indiana University (HPS) |
|
Student 8 |
Indiana University (HPS) |
|
Student 9 |
Ohio State University |
|
Student 10 |
State University of New York |
In 2008, applicants were also accepted to the following philosophy programs: University of Colorado–Boulder, Illinois–Urbana-Champaign, UC–Santa Barbara, UMass–Amherst, University of Illinois–Chicago, Western Ontario, St. Louis University, Michigan State.