The Five-Year Combined Degree Program (formerly known as the 3/2 Program) offers a limited number of exceptional undergraduate Philosophy and/or Philosophy, Politics and Law (PPL) majors the opportunity to enroll in a Master’s degree program that specializes in Social, Political, Ethical and Legal Philosophy (SPEL). This combined degree program enables Binghamton University students to receive both the B.A. and M.A. degrees in a total of five years, because a student's fourth year in the undergraduate major is also her or his first year in the SPEL M.A. program. Students may apply to this program in the spring of their junior (third) year or the fall of their senior (fourth) year. If accepted, they take two graduate seminars and enroll in the SPEL colloquium during their fourth year. In the fifth year they take a full graduate load of three graduate seminars plus the colloquium each semester, and take the M.A. comprehensive exams or write an M.A. thesis. Students must also pass all proficiency requirements for the M.A., and are encouraged to do this before the beginning of their fifth year.

Students enroll in this program for various reasons; they may want to strengthen their application to law school, prepare for further graduate education in philosophy, position themselves better on the job market, or simply enjoy an additional year of studying.

Program Requirements
Students in the five-year combined degree program complete all requirements of the SPEL M.A.; they earn what is called a “terminal M.A..”

Required course work (any one course may simultaneously fulfill more than one of these requirements):

• A minimum of 32 credits (eight seminars, seven of which must be SPEL seminars and one of which may be chosen from other Philosophy graduate courses or in consultation with the student's adviser from among courses offered by other departments) with a cumulative grade point average of at least a B. For students in the five-year combined degree program, two seminars must be taken in the fourth year and may “double-count” towards the student’s undergraduate major; the remaining six seminars are taken in the fifth year.
  
• One first year SPEL seminar in Social and Political Philosophy and one first year SPEL seminar in Ethics (may be taken in the fourth or fifth year).
  
• At least two SPEL seminars emphasizing the history of philosophy. This is broadly construed ranging from the ancient world to the 17th, 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and may be in Western or non-Western philosophy.
  
• One SPEL seminar that draws mainly from the Anglo-American tradition, and one SPEL seminar that draws mainly from the Continental European tradition.
  
• One SPEL seminar in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of science or philosophy of mind.
  
• Four semesters of enrollment in the SPEL colloquium (students who begin the program in the fall of their fourth year are expected to complete all four semesters of the colloquium, while students who begin the program in the spring of their fourth year may have one semester of the colloquium requirement waived).

Proficiency requirements (all students in the five-year combined degree program are encouraged to complete the proficiency requirements while they are still undergraduates and before beginning their fifth year, because it is very difficult to complete the proficiencies on top of a full graduate load and while studying for comprehensive exams or writing an M.A. thesis):

• A grade of at least B in an undergraduate course on formal logic, or completion of the final examination in (undergraduate) Elementary Logic (PHIL 122) with a grade of at least B.
  
• A grade of at least B in undergraduate courses in ancient Greek philosophy and modern philosophy, or completion of the final examinations in (undergraduate) Plato and Aristotle (PHIL 201) and Descartes, Hume and Kant (PHIL 202) with grades of at least B.
  

Comprehensive exams or thesis (students in the five-year combined degree program may choose between taking the M.A. comprehensive exams and writing an M.A. thesis):

• Comprehensive exams consist of two written exams, one in Social and Political Philosophy, and the other in Ethics. Reading lists are provided to assist students in preparing for these exams. Students in the five-year combined degree program who choose to take the comprehensive exams must pass them by April of their fifth year.
  
• Master’s thesis. Students in the five-year combined degree program who choose to write a thesis begin work on the thesis at the beginning of their fifth year, and complete drafts according to a provided timeline. Each student works intensively with an advisor throughout the thesis process. The thesis must be passed by a committee of three faculty members, the majority of whom must be members of the Philosophy department. Students must defend the thesis in an oral defense by April of the fifth year.

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A typical timeline for a student in the five-year combined degree program:

While an undergraduate:

Complete all undergraduate requirements, with a major in Philosophy and/or in PPL.

Apply to the five-year combined degree program in the spring of the junior year or the fall of the senior year.

Once admitted to the five-year combined degree program:

Complete all proficiency requirements (PHIL 122, PHIL 201 and PHIL 202) before beginning the fifth year of the program. Most students complete these requirements by the end of their fourth year, though it is possible to take PHIL 122 during the summer preceding the fifth year.

In the first year in the five-year combined degree program, (typically the fourth year as an undergraduate), the student is required to take a total of two graduate courses and to enroll in the one-credit SPEL colloquium (a series of speakers and workshops). Although the student can choose to take both graduate courses in one semester, it may be prudent for students to take one graduate course per semester if they have been admitted to the program before the fall of their fourth year. The two graduate courses taken during the fourth year may “double-count” towards the student’s undergraduate major. Students should enroll in the SPEL colloquium for both semesters of the fourth year, though if they are admitted in the fall of their fourth year, they may enroll in the SPEL colloquium beginning in the spring semester.

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Fifth Year:

In the fifth year of study, the student is considered a full-time graduate student pursuing an M.A. in philosophy. The student must complete all remaining requirements for the SPEL M.A., including six more graduate seminars, two more semesters of the SPEL colloquium, and the M.A. comprehensive exams or the M.A. thesis. See above description of the requirements for the details.

Application Procedure:

Prior to submitting your application, please make an appointment to speak with the Director of Graduate Studies in Philosophy, Professor Lisa Tessman (ltessman@binghamton.edu).

Students seeking acceptance into the program should apply first directly to the Philosophy department. If accepted into the program, students must then apply formally to the Graduate School before enrolling in the program.

The following must be submitted to Melanie Yaworski, the Philosophy Department secretary:

1) A cover-sheet that states that you are applying to the Five-Year Combined Degree Program, gives your contact information (email, phone, surface mail), and lists the names and email addresses of the faculty members from whom you have requested letters of recommendation.

2) A two-page statement of purpose. This statement should describe your philosophical interests and explain why you are interested in earning an M.A. in Philosophy in the program for Social, Political, Ethical and Legal Philosophy (SPEL) at Binghamton University. The statement may also give whatever other information about yourself that you think is relevant for the consideration of your application.

3) A printed copy of your transcript or DARS.

4) A writing sample. This should be the best paper you have written in a Philosophy course.

5) Letters of recommendation from three faculty members. If possible, at least some of these recommendations should come from members of the SPEL faculty. These letters may be informal and may be sent as email messages to <yaworski@binghamton.edu> with a cc to <ltessman@binghamton.edu>. Faculty do not need to write formal letters such as those held at the Career Development Center.

Admissions are done on a rolling basis and applications will be considered as soon as they are complete. Students should apply in the spring of their junior year or the fall of their senior year, and applications must be complete by no later than the day before Thanksgiving break in the fall of a student’s senior year.

Students who are admitted and wish to enroll must then fill out the application provided by the Graduate School, which can be found at: http://gradschool.binghamton.edu/ps/applicationprocedure.asp

GRE scores are not required. The Philosophy department will forward letters of recommendation to the Graduate School, so students do not need to repeat that part of the process in filling out the Graduate School’s application.

Questions may be directed to Lisa Tessman, <ltessman@binghamton.edu>.

Alumni of the Five-Year Combined Degree Program