Program Overview
Philosophy (PHIL)
Overview
The Department of Philosophy offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees with emphasis on contemporary Anglo-American philosophy and the interaction of philosophy with other disciplines. Students often enter the doctorate program without an M.A. degree, but the M.A. may be earned on the way to the Ph.D. While the Ph.D. program is suitable primarily for students who wish to enter a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, the M.A. program is appropriate for those who want to deepen and expand the knowledge they gained as undergraduates or who wish to develop competence in philosophy to apply to some other professional field.
Financial Assistance
The Department administers a number of graduate assistantships and fellowships. Virtually all applicants admitted to the doctoral program are offered support, typically a combination of teaching assistantships and fellowships.
General Requirements
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcript(s)
- TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)
Program-Specific Requirements
- Letters of Recommendation (3)
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (optional)
- Writing Sample (one required, up to one more optional)
- CV/Resume
- Description of Research/Work Experience (optional)
Application Deadlines
Graduate Application Deadlines-Fall
- Type of Applicant | Fall Deadline
- Domestic Applicants |
- US Citizens and Permanent Residents | January 10, 2026
- International Applicants |
- F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas; A,E,G,H,I and L visas and immigrants | January 10, 2026
- Domestic Applicants |
Degrees Offered
- Philosophy, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Philosophy, Master of Arts (M.A.)
Facilities and Special Resources
In addition to the excellent libraries on campus, students may use other libraries in the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area, such as the Library of Congress, the Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Eisenhower Library on the campus of Johns Hopkins University.
Faculty
The Department sponsors a series of colloquia by visiting and local speakers throughout the academic year. The faculty includes:
- Bhogal, Harjit | Full Member | B.A. (Hons), Merton College, University of Oxford, 2008; B.Phil, Somerville College, University of Oxford, 2010; Ph.D, New York University, 2017 | Associate Professor, Philosophy
- Bub, Jeffrey | Full Member | B.Sc., University of Capetown, 1961; B.Sc., 1962; Ph.D., University of London, 1966. | Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
- Cariani, Fabrizio | Full Member | Laurea (B.A.) University of Bologna 2003; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (2009) | Chair, Philosophy
Professor, Philosophy - Carruthers, Peter | Full Member | B.A., University of Leeds, 1975; M.Phil., University of Leeds, 1977; D.Phil., University of Oxford, 1979 | Distinguished University Professor, Philosophy
Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Affiliate Professor, Second Language Acquisition - Darden, Lindley | Full Member | B.A., Rhodes College, 1968; A.M., University of Chicago, 1969; S.M., 1972; Ph.D., 1974. | Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, Philosophy
Professor Emerita, Philosophy
Research Professor, Philosophy
Affiliate Professor, Biological Sciences - Dwyer, Susan | Full Member | B.A., University of Adelaide, 1985; B.A. Hons) University of Adelaide, 1986; Ph.D Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1991. | Associate Professor, Philosophy
- Greenspan, Patricia S. | Full Member | B.A., Columbia University, 1966; M.A.,Harvard University, 1968; Ph.D., 1972. | Professor Emerita, Philosophy
- Horty, John | Full Member | B.A., Oberlin College, 1977; Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 1986. | Distinguished University Professor, Philosophy
- Kerstein, Samuel J. | Full Member | B.A., Wesleyan University, 1987; M.A.,Columbia University, 1990; M.Ph., 1991; Ph.D., 1995. | Professor, Philosophy
- Laskowski, N.G. | Full Member | B.A. Rutgers University 2008; Ph.D. USC 2017 | Assistant Professor, Philosophy
- Levinson, Jerrold | Full Member | B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1969; Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1974. | Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
Affiliate Professor, Comparative Literature - Liberto, Hallie | Full Member | B.A. Columbia University 2004; Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison 2011 | Professor, Philosophy
Affiliate Professor, Women's Studies - Manekin, Charles H. | Full Member | B.A., Yale University, 1975; M.A.,Columbia University, 1979; Ph.D., 1984. | Chair, Jewish Studies
Professor, Jewish Studies
Professor Emeritus, Philosophy - Moller, Dan | Full Member | B.A., Vassar College, 1998; B.Phil., Oxford University, 2000; Ph.D., Princeton University, 2005. | Professor, Philosophy
- Morris, Christopher | Full Member | A.B., Vassar College, 1971; M.A., University of Toronto, 1974; Ph.D., University of Toronto, 1977. | Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
- Pacuit, Eric | Full Member | BS Ohio University, 1998; MS Case Western Reserve University, 2000; PhD Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2005. | Professor, Philosophy
- Pasternak, Avia | Full Member | B.A., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2000; M.A., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2003; D.Phil, University of Oxford, 2007. | Associate Professor, Philosophy
- Pietroski, Paul | Full Member | B.A. Rutgers 1986; PhD MIT 1990 | Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
- Rey, Georges | Full Member | B.A., University of California-Berkeley, 1970; M.A.,Harvard University, 1975; Ph.D., 1978. | Professor, Philosophy
- Santorio, Paolo | Full Member | Laurea (B.A.) University of Bologna 2005; Ph.D., MIT 2011 | Professor, Philosophy
- Singpurwalla, Rachel | Full Member | B.A., George Washington University, 1993; Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder, 2002. | Associate Professor, Philosophy
- Stairs, Allen | Full Member | B.A., University of New Brunswick-Fredericton, 1973; M.A., University of Western Ontario-London, 1975; Ph.D., 1978. | Professor, Philosophy
- Williams, Alexander | Full Member | B.A. Princeton University, 1992; Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, 2005 | Associate Professor, Linguistics
Associate Professor, Philosophy
Abstract
The Department of Philosophy offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees with emphasis on contemporary Anglo-American philosophy and the interaction of philosophy with other disciplines. Students often enter the doctorate program without an M.A. degree, but the M.A. may be earned on the way to the Ph.D. While the Ph.D. program is suitable primarily for students who wish to enter a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, the M.A. program is appropriate for those who want to deepen and expand the knowledge they gained as undergraduates or who wish to develop competence in philosophy to apply to some other professional field.