Columbia University - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Master of Arts in Philosophical Foundations of Physics

The Departments of Physics and Philosophy jointly offer a master's degree in the Philosophical Foundations of Physics. The program is designed to meet the needs of gifted students who are intrigued by, and want to participate in, the growing scholarly interest in the relationship between the philosophy of science and the foundations of physics. The program draws on the diverse strengths of Columbia University and the surrounding metropolitan area in physics, the foundations of physics, the philosophy of physics, and the philosophy of science. Among the first of its kind in the US, the program is suitable for students with undergraduate degrees in either physics or philosophy who aspire to do original research in the conceptual and philosophical foundations of modern physics. Students who successfully complete the program may apply to a PhD program in either physics or philosophy and, thereafter, to pursue a career in research; however, the program is also very useful to students whose future plans involve teaching or science journalism.The Departments of Physics and Philosophy jointly offer a master's degree in the Philosophical Foundations of Physics. The program is designed to meet the needs of gifted students who are intrigued by, and want to participate in, the growing scholarly interest in the relationship between the philosophy of science and the foundations of physics. The program draws on the diverse strengths of Columbia University and the surrounding metropolitan area in physics, the foundations of physics, the philosophy of physics, and the philosophy of science. Among the first of its kind in the US, the program is suitable for students with undergraduate degrees in either physics or philosophy who aspire to do original research in the conceptual and philosophical foundations of modern physics. Students who successfully complete the program may apply to a PhD program in either physics or philosophy and, thereafter, to pursue a career in research; however, the program is also very useful to students whose future plans involve teaching or science journalism.