The M.Phil. Degree

You mean the bald guy from Texas - the TV shrink? But he doesn't have a B. Phil. He IS Phil - Dr. Phil, to be exact. No B. Phil., no M. Phil., just Phil - PhD.

Google "(Dr. Phil) McGraw earned a Doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology from the Wilmington Institute."

 

So we readily know of the D.Phil., and of course the M.Phil. We’ve also encountered the B.Phil.

But the real question is:

Is there such a thing as an A.Phil. ?

Are there any designated Associate of Philosophy degrees out there? And if so, what do they entail?

 

What do they entail? Two years of study. Want the details? Go to the page. And there are LOTS of them. You could have found these in 2 minutes, as I did. To start:

Riverside City College: https://www.rcc.edu/pathways/languages-humanities/philosophy-adt.html
Kwantlen Polytechnic U. - British Columbia: https://calendar.kpu.ca/programs-az/arts/philosophy/philosophy-aa/#:
Douglas College - https://www.douglascollege.ca/program/aaphil
Aims Community College https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/philosophy
Franciscan University of Steubenville https://www.aims.edu/degrees-certificates/philosophy
Guilford Technical Community College: https://www.gtcc.edu/academics/academic-programs/programs/liberal-arts-humanities/associate-in-arts-philosophy.php
Fullerton College: https://catalog.nocccd.edu/fullerton-college/degrees-certificates/philosophy-religious-studies/philosophy-associate-arts-degree/

And many more - I'm sure you can find them. Avoid the "10 best" and "15 best" type of aggregators / aggravators. You'll get many Associate Degrees listed, but few are actually in Philosophy. Going out now -- g'bye.

 

Wha?? I got my list straight from Google! Was your computer plugged in and turned on?

 

Johann - Thank you but these are A.A. degrees with a focus on philosophy as a subject. I’m talking about bona fide A.Phil. degrees.

 

Good luck. I'd like to find the Holy Grail - or Donald Trump's missing Tax Records. But, like the A. Phil, I don't think they exist!

As we both know, Associate degrees have a rather sparse nomenclature. Usually A.A (Arts) or A.S. (Science) and a subject may follow. There are "specialized" - e.g. A.S.B (Associate in Specialized Business) or A.S.T (Technology..) And also there are the Applied degrees, that are not meant to transfer to a bachelor's - e.g. Associate in Applied Science - Numerology or whatever.

Oh well, I had a good time anyway. Thanks.

 

There is a huge difference between a Doctor of Philosophy and a doctorate in philosophy. The term "philosophy" when used in a degree title references a love of learning, not what the person studied.

I know of the DPhil (or PhD) and the MPhil (often an off-ramp for the PhD, but can sometimes be a stand-alone degree). It would seem odd to extend the term "philosophy" as it is used here to undergraduate study.

 

Apparently there has been some hubbub in India about the good ol’ M.Phil. degree.

Seems like India’s University Grants Commission “has discontinued the M.Phil degree. The Commission has directed the students not to take admission in M.Phil degree as it is not a recognised degree anymore. The official notice for the same is available on the official UGC website” according to this news report:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/news/ugc-discontinues-mphil-degree-asks-students-not-to-take-admissions-101703671562650.html

 

Good. One degree down, a few dozen to go...

 

I understand that, Steve. My take: If I got one, it would always be a sharp reminder that I didn't win. And the full horror is - everyone else would know that too. Forever. Nah. I couldn't take that. Just let me go home and regroup.

 

To be clear, it can be awarded three different ways.

• First, as a stand-alone degree. Rare, but not unheard of.

• Second, as a "lesser award" for a thesis that just doesn't cut it (and won't, even with major revisions).

• Third, many UK PhD programs (and others around the world) enroll students in the MPhil first, allowing them to apply to upgrade to the PhD after a year or so of research (assuming good progress). For those that are not upgraded, the MPhil becomes the goal (with its lesser thesis requirement).

 

For instance the University of Pennsylvania College of Liberal and Professional Studies awards the M.Phil. as its highest degree, in Liberal Arts or in Organizational Dynamics.

 

It looks like Middlebury offers an M.Litt. degree!

https://www.middlebury.edu/school-english/programs/degrees