Philosophy Graduate Program

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

A student preparing for a doctorate in Philosophy must meet general College and University requirements and satisfy these departmental requirements before proceeding to PHIL 999: Dissertation enrollment:

1. Complete at least 39 credit hours* of graduate work in Philosophy courses numbered 500 or above with grades in each course of at least B– and an overall grade-point average of at least B in all graduate philosophy courses. At least 24 of these hours must be at the 800 level or above (including PHIL 800 Tutorial and PHIL 901 Ph.D. Tutorial). Beyond the 39-hour requirement, additional hours in PHIL 999 Dissertation are required as appropriate in accordance with the rules of the Office of Graduate Studies and the Department.
2. Complete PHIL 800: Graduate Tutorial with a grade of B- or higher in the first year of enrollment.
3. Formal Philosophy Requirement. Complete PHIL 610: Symbolic Logic or PHIL 666: Rational Choice Theory with a grade of B- or higher.
4. Ph.D. Course Distribution Requirement:

   Metaphysics and Epistemology (6)
   Select two of the following:
   PHIL 620	Philosophy of Natural Science
   PHIL 622	Philosophy of Social Science
   PHIL 628	Philosophy of Logic
   PHIL 630	Philosophy of Mathematics
   PHIL 638	Philosophy of Language
   PHIL 648	Theory of Knowledge
   PHIL 650	Metaphysics
   PHIL 654	Philosophy of Mind
   PHIL 850	Topics in Recent Philosophy: _____
   PHIL 860	Topics in Philosophy of Science: _____
   PHIL 862	Topics in Logic: _____
   PHIL 868	Topics in Philosophy of Language: _____
   PHIL 870	Topics in Metaphysics: _____
   PHIL 872	Topics in Theory of Knowledge: _____
   PHIL 877	Topics in Philosophy of Mind: _____
   PHIL 888	Topics in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences: _____
   Value Theory (6)
   Select two of the following:
   PHIL 504	Philosophy of Sex and Love
   PHIL 555	Justice and Economic Systems
   PHIL 662	Aesthetics
   PHIL 668	Political Philosophy
   PHIL 670	Contemporary Ethical Theory
   PHIL 671	Feminist Theories in Ethics
   PHIL 672	History of Ethics
   PHIL 674	Philosophy of Law
   PHIL 676	Medical Ethics: Life and Death Issues
   PHIL 677	Medical Ethics: Professional Responsibilities
   PHIL 850	Topics in Recent Philosophy: _____
   PHIL 880	Topics in Ethics: _____
   PHIL 884	Topics in Social and Political Philosophy: _____
   PHIL 885	Topics in Law and Philosophy
   PHIL 886	Topics in Applied Ethics: _____
   Ancient Philosophy (3)
   Select one of the following:
   PHIL 508	Early Greek Philosophy
   PHIL 605	The Philosophy of Plato
   PHIL 607	The Philosophy of Aristotle
   PHIL 608	Hellenistic Philosophy
   PHIL 805	Plato
   PHIL 807	Aristotle
   PHIL 820	Topics in the History of Philosophy: _____
   Modern Philosophy (3)
   Select one of the following:
   PHIL 820	Topics in the History of Philosophy: _____
   PHIL 824	Hume
   PHIL 828	Kant
   Nineteenth- and 20th-Century Philosophy (3)
   Select one of the following:
   PHIL 560	Nineteenth Century Philosophy
   PHIL 562	Kierkegaard
   PHIL 570	Nietzsche
   PHIL 580	Marxism
   PHIL 582	Existentialism
   PHIL 590	Phenomenology
   PHIL 592	Contemporary Continental Philosophy
   PHIL 820	Topics in the History of Philosophy: _____
   PHIL 831	Hegel
   PHIL 835	Frege
   PHIL 843	Heidegger
   PHIL 848	Wittgenstein
   PHIL 850	Topics in Recent Philosophy: _____
   PHIL 852	Quine
   PHIL 855	Davidson
   PHIL 890	Topics in Continental Philosophy: _____ (Topic, instructor, and specific prerequisites to be announced in the Schedule of Classes.)

5. PHIL 901: Ph.D. Tutorial. Students may not enroll in PHIL 901 before the third semester, but no later than the sixth semester of graduate study.
6. Research Skills & Responsible Scholarship Requirement.  The University requires that every doctoral student have training in responsible scholarship and research skills pertinent to the field of research and appropriate to the doctoral level. This requirement must fulfilled prior to or within the same semester the comprehensive oral exam is scheduled. For Philosophy doctoral students, this requirement is met by the following:
   1. PHIL 800: Graduate Tutorial
   2. PHIL 901: Ph.D. Tutorial
   3. Demonstrated competence in an approved foreign language OR completion of a faculty-approved course in a discipline related to the student's research interests. 
7. Pass the comprehensive oral examination for Ph.D. candidacy. This examination must be taken after all of the above requirements have been completed, or in the semester in which the requirements will be completed.
8. Write and successfully defend a dissertation of substantial merit showing the planning, conduct, and result of original research.