As of Fall 

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: Please note that as of Fall 2026 the Masters degrees are no longer offered as terminal masters degrees. Please reach out to the department for additional informaiton. 

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.

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

This track is for students who are pursuing a professional (and possibly terminal) master’s degree within the department. A total of 30 credit hours of graduate coursework for both the course-based M.A. and the case study or thesis-based M.A. are required.

The department offers four core courses, of which M.A. students must take at least three, each in conjunction with one credit hour of case study credit (X533).

• HPSC-X507: Survey of History of Science since 1750 (circa 1750 to the present)
• HPSC-X511: Science and Values
• HPSC-X540: How Science Really Works: Scientific Methods
• HPSC-X551: Survey of the Philosophy of Science
• HPSC-X533: Case Study

Students may fulfill the requirements for the M.A. degree in one of two ways as outlined below. All graduate coursework must be completed with a grade point average of at least 3.3.

Options:

• Course-based M.A. students must also select three special topics courses (X506, X609, X632, X690, X693, X705, X755), including at least one with a history component (X506, X609, X632 or X705). X700 credits do not count toward the 30 required for the course-based M.A. option.
• Case study or thesis-based M.A. students must select one special topics course with a history component (X506, X609, X632 or X705) and complete 6 credit hours of X700 master’s thesis. Students may either chose to complete a thesis or extended case study in fulfillment of the research/thesis requirement.

Proficiency in one approved tool skill (500-level or above), requiring two courses at three credit hours each. Depending on the area chosen, tool skill courses may be in logic, probability theory, statistics, survey research methodology, big data software and projects, or similar topics. Courses should be chosen in consultation with the advisor. Students are typically expected to complete this requirement before registering for their third semester in the department.