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

 

Speaking of M.Litt. programs, this unaccredited Protestant institute offers such a credential:

https://davenanthall.com/m-litt/

 

I read somewhere at some time that some schools grant a Master's degree enroute to the Ph.D. to give the student a qualifying credential for teaching while working on a dissertation. Makes sense.

The thing that strikes me, though, is that a taught Master's such as my LL.M., a thesis-based M.A. or M.S., an M. Litt., or an M. Phil., or a first professional degree such as the M.B.A. all may have very different requirements but in the end they are all Master's degrees. I'm not sure I see the point.

 

Just like you said, it is something to allow the student to serve as a TA/instructor, and possibly provides motivation to keep going.

I have also heard of it offered as a consolation prize to those who do not complete the doctorate.

What I do not understand (and I say this as an American) is the fact that credit hour requirements for Masters degrees are not standardized.

Most every BA or BS is 120 hours...why is their not a recognized standard for every MS, for every MA, for every MPA, and so on?

I realize there are dozens of professional varieties, but hopefully you see my overall point.

Most professions have associations and the like that could meet and agree on requirements.

 

And yet, they are all Masters degrees, alike in dignity and probably utility.

The least demanding Masters is probably the 24 semester hour Master of Laws but you get that, in the U.S. system, after earning a J.D. and not right out of your B.A. program.

Can be done, though. A three year undergraduate LL.B. from a UK school will qualify.

 

There kind of is some loose standardization, but it varies by field and purpose. Most MS and MA programs are 36 credit hours. Sometimes, you'll see 30 or 39 credit hours.

Professional and terminal master's degrees are, generally, longer. MBA programs can be as high as 48 credits or low as 30 credits. CEPH has standardized the MPH at 42 credits. LMFT and mental health counseling programs are mostly 60 credits because of accreditation and licensing board requirements. I think MSW programs are usually 60 credits, too. There's a lot of variation with the MArch, but it's usually over 50 credits. The MDiv also has a lot of variation with a minimum of 72 credits.

An unusual bachelor's degree is the one in accounting. While there are 120-credit accounting degrees, the licensure track programs are 150 credits for licensing purposes.