Ph.D. In Philosophy Requirements

The course requirements for this doctoral degree include:

• with an MA in our department: 24 hours of additional graduate coursework;
• without an advanced degree: 48 hours of graduate coursework;
• with an advanced degree in philosophy from elsewhere: normally, 24 additional hours;
• with an advanced degree in another field: to be determined in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies as approved by the Graduate Committee.

To be included within the total graduate coursework:

• The Proseminar (required of all first-year students)
• History of Philosophy (3 courses, at least one each in modern and ancient/medieval)
• Contemporary ELMS (Epistemology, Language, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Science) (2 courses)
• Value Theory courses (includes Ethics, Social, Political and Legal Philosophy; excludes courses in Applied Ethics) (2 courses)
• Applied Ethics (1 course)
  (For students with graduate work in philosophy from elsewhere, normally at least one course in each of the above four areas must be taken here.)

• Intermediate Logic (PHIL 435)
• 600 level courses (two seminars in addition to the Proseminar).

In addition to the above coursework, you are expected to demonstrate a reading knowledge of one foreign language, normally a living language, in which there exists a significant body of philosophical literature. However, the foreign language requirement may be waived in favor of other appropriate research skills if approved by the Graduate Committee upon the recommendation of the student’s PhD committee. 

A minimum of 24 hours of dissertation credit (Philosophy 600) are also required.

Portfolio Comprehensive Examination

In addition to this required course work, there is a Portfolio Comprehensive Examination.

Many other Philosophy Departments require their doctoral students to write a series of exams, scheduled over one or two days, after their course work is complete. Instead of requiring such exams, we have adopted a portfolio system.

Ph.D.'s student spend one semester working with our faculty members to revise three papers, each of which was likely written as part of their graduate course work. One paper must focus on a historical topic; one on a topic in epistemology, mind, philosophy of language, or philosophy of science; and one on value theory, and each must be of journal length and quality. If this portfolio of papers is judged by the department to be of acceptable quality, the student passes his or her comprehensive exam and then proceeds onto writing his or her dissertation, the final step in earning a Ph.D. 

There are several advantages to a portfolio comprehensive exam. First, our Ph.D. students will be even more marketable and better prepared for professional life. Second, given the work to revise them, some of these papers should be of publishable quality. Others will be suitable for conference presentation or be serious drafts of papers that can become publishable. Third, the portfolio system will serve as a better bridge between taking classes on a full-time basis to writing a dissertation on a full-time basis. And finally, it is typical for the kinds of papers that will qualify as portfolio papers to evolve into being the basis for the dissertation.

More detailed information on this program can be found in the Graduate Handbook.