Program Overview

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Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy

The Ph.D. degree requires 39 hours of graduate coursework, which begins with a first-year proseminar and ends with an independent research seminar that culminates in the writing and oral defense of a qualifying paper. Ph.D. candidates must also satisfy a set of course requirements in distinct areas of philosophy and the University’s Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement. Students write and defend a dissertation prospectus to complete the oral comprehensive examination and advance to candidacy, after which they are expected to write and successfully defend a dissertation.

Admission to Graduate Studies

• All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
• Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
• English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required.

Admission to the Ph.D. in Philosophy

• Apply to the graduate program via the Office of Graduate Studies online application system.
• Departmental application materials required:
  • Resume/CV
  • A Brief Personal Statement of Academic Goals
  • A Writing Sample, preferably a sample of philosophical prose approximately 10-15 pages in length
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Copies of official transcripts
  • OPTIONAL: Graduate Record Examination Scores (verbal, quantitative, analytical)

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

Formal Philosophy Requirement

Upon entering the program, students must demonstrate competence in symbolic logic by passing a placement exam with a grade of B or higher. Students who do not pass the placement exam with a grade of B or higher, or who choose not to take the placement exam, must enroll in PHIL 310 for additional preparatory training and pass with a grade of B or higher.

Required Course Work

Students must receive a grade of B- or higher in all graduate philosophy coursework and an overall GPA of at least 3.0 in philosophy. At least 24 of these credit hours must be in courses numbered 800 or above.

• Course List:
  • PHIL 800: Proseminar (must be taken in the first year of study)
  • PHIL 901: Qualifying Paper (to be taken during the final semester of coursework)
• Complete at least seven courses from the following areas distributed as below:
  • Metaphysics & Epistemology: 6
    • PHIL 620: Philosophy of Natural Science
    • PHIL 622: Philosophy of Social Science
    • PHIL 630: Philosophy of Mathematics
    • PHIL 638: Philosophy of Language
    • PHIL 648: Theory of Knowledge
    • PHIL 650: Metaphysics
    • PHIL 654: Philosophy of Mind
    • PHIL 666: Rational Choice Theory
    • PHIL 850: Topics in Recent Philosophy
    • PHIL 860: Topics in Philosophy of Science
    • PHIL 868: Topics in Philosophy of Language
    • PHIL 872: Topics in Theory of Knowledge
    • PHIL 877: Topics in Philosophy of Mind
  • Value Theory: 6
    • PHIL 504: Philosophy of Sex and Love
    • PHIL 662: Aesthetics
    • PHIL 666: Rational Choice Theory
    • PHIL 668: Political Philosophy
    • PHIL 670: Contemporary Ethical Theory
    • PHIL 671: Feminist Theories in Ethics
    • PHIL 674: Philosophy of Law
    • PHIL 676: Medical Ethics: Life and Death Issues
    • PHIL 850: Topics in Recent Philosophy
    • PHIL 880: Topics in Ethics
  • Ancient Philosophy: 3
    • PHIL 605: The Philosophy of Plato
    • PHIL 607: The Philosophy of Aristotle
    • PHIL 608: Hellenistic Philosophy
    • PHIL 648: Theory of Knowledge
    • PHIL 650: Metaphysics
    • PHIL 805: Plato
    • PHIL 807: Aristotle
    • PHIL 820: Topics in the History of Philosophy
  • Modern Philosophy: 3
    • PHIL 558: Seventeenth Century Philosophy
    • PHIL 557: Kant
    • PHIL 559: Eighteenth Century Philosophy
    • PHIL 648: Theory of Knowledge
    • PHIL 650: Metaphysics
    • PHIL 654: Philosophy of Mind
    • PHIL 820: Topics in the History of Philosophy
    • PHIL 824: Hume
  • Philosophical Traditions: 3
    • PHIL 506: Chinese Thought
    • PHIL 560: Nineteenth Century Philosophy
    • PHIL 570: Nietzsche
    • PHIL 582: Existentialism
    • PHIL 590: Phenomenology
    • PHIL 592: Contemporary Continental Philosophy
    • PHIL 820: Topics in the History of Philosophy
  • Additional Electives
    • PHIL 500: Studies in Philosophy
    • PHIL 593: Marxism and Critical Theory
    • PHIL 600: Readings in Philosophy
    • PHIL 610: Metalogic
    • PHIL 612: Modal and Non-classical Logics
    • PHIL 833: Nietzsche
    • PHIL 835: Frege
• Four additional graduate-level courses (500+) from the lists of courses above: 12
• Total Hours: 39

Qualifying Paper

As students near the end of course work, they should decide on a tentative topic for their Qualifying Paper and then consult with appropriate faculty members to identify an advisor. This should be done by the penultimate semester of course work. Once an advisor is identified, the student should enroll in PHIL 901 Qualifying Paper with the advisor. The aim is to produce a high-quality paper that is of near publishable quality.

Research Skills & Responsible Scholarship Requirement

This requirement must be met before taking the comprehensive oral exam. For Philosophy doctoral students, this requirement is met by completing all of the following:

• PHIL 800 Proseminar
• PHIL 901 Qualifying Paper
• Demonstrated competence in an approved foreign language OR completion of a DGS-approved course in a discipline related to the student’s research interests

Comprehensive Oral Examination for Ph.D.

In the philosophy department, this is done by passing a prospectus for the dissertation. This examination is taken after all of the above requirements have been completed. The prospectus should be between 3,000 and 6,000 words long.

Post Comprehensive Exam Enrollment

Starting the semester following successful completion of the oral comprehensive exam, students must enroll in accordance with the Office of Graduate Studies’ Doctoral Candidacy Policy.

Dissertation

The length of doctoral dissertations can and will vary widely, but 35,000 words is a reasonable length, and dissertations longer than 65,000 words are strongly discouraged. The dissertation must also comply with the Office of Graduate Studies’ Doctoral Dissertation policy and Department of Philosophy requirements outlined in the Graduate Student Handbook.

Successfully Defend the Dissertation

The Dissertation Examination Committee configuration must comply with University requirements. The grade on the examination is determined by the Dissertation Examination Committee.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

• demonstrate, in written and oral form, an understanding of key concepts
• identify and extract arguments from texts, evaluate the cogency
• articulate an oral argument that clearly and persuasively presents
• articulate an oral argument that clearly and persuasively presents
• develop a written argument that clearly and persuasively
• demonstrate understanding of and sensitivity to professional
• identify, pursue, and develop argument and analysis