Combined M.A. and M.L.S. Degree

Use your Graduate Academic Bulletin

Students pursuing a graduate degree in History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine should use the University Graduate School Academic Bulletin.

Official requirements for our M.A. degrees can be found by clicking on the Bulletin below:

History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine University Graduate School Academic Bulletin

Visit the Academic Bulletins website to find all IUB Bulletins. You must scroll to the bottom of the page for Graduate Bulletins.

Admission

Admission to each of the two areas of study, Information and Library Science and History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine, is approved separately by each department on the same basis as for other applicants to these units who are not in the combined program.

Combined M.A. and M.L.S. degree information

For official degree requirements, you must consult with the Graduate School Bulletin. The information below is not the official record.

Core Courses

The department offers six core courses, of which M.A. students must take at least three (at least one must be in history and at least one in philosophy). Students intending to continue on to the Ph.D. are advised to take a total of four.

  • HPSC-X506: Survey of History of Science up to 1750 (antiquity to circa 1750)
  • HPSC-X507: Survey of History of Science since 1750 (circa 1750 to the present)
  • HPSC-X556: History and Philosophy of Premodern Science (antiquity and the middle ages)
  • HPSC-X552: Modern Philosophy of Science (the modern period through late positivism)
  • HPSC-X551: Survey of the Philosophy of Science
  • HPSC-X706: Special Topics in the History and Philosophy of Science

Every student must take either X506 or X507, and at least one of X556, X552, or X551. Those students intending to emphasize history must take both X506 and X507. Those students intending to emphasize philosophy must take at least two of X556, X552, or X551. X706, while being a core course, cannot satisfy these distribution requirements. In addition, every student must take (usually in the first year) one course requiring a major research paper.

Credit requirements

Completion of 51 credit hours, with at least 21 credit hours in History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine, and 30 credit hours in Information and Library Science (coursework to be determined by ILS). The course of study in history or philosophy of science must be planned in consultation with the student's history and philosophy of science advisor. 12 of the 21 credit hours in HPSC should be selected from the core courses and distributed.

Language/Tool skill requirement

A History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine M.A. requires one language or tool skill; a Information and Library Science M.L.S. does not. See section 11 for further information on how this requirement may be satisfied. For further details, the student is advised to consult the section “General Requirements for Advanced Degrees” in the I.U. Bulletin—University Graduate School, checking both the most recent issue and the issue that was in effect when they entered the program. Consult with the director of graduate studies if there is a discrepancy between the two versions.

Professional development seminar

M.A./M.L.S. students must take the Professional Development Seminar, normally during their first year in the program, in conjunction with which they will draft a grant proposal.

Colloquium credit

M.A./M.L.S. students must take the Colloquium Series (X733).