Ph.D.

Doctoral Program Profile (PDF) (statistical overview of the Philosophy PhD program)

The Ph.D. degree requires 39 hours of graduate course work, including a first-year graduate tutorial and a research tutorial. Ph.D. candidates also must satisfy the University's Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement, pass both a departmental examination over the research tutorial and an oral comprehensive examination, and write and successfully defend a dissertation.

Admission to the Ph.D. in Philosophy

Apply to the graduate program via the Office of Graduate Studies online application system.

Prerequisites:

In addition to the general admission requirements from the Office of Graduate Studies, applicants are expected to have taken the following six courses or their equivalents as preparation for graduate work:

1. symbolic logic
2. history of ancient philosophy
3. history of modern philosophy
4. history of 19th/20th-century Continental philosophy
5. value theory
6. metaphysics/epistemology (broadly construed to include philosophy of language and philosophy of mind).

Students may be admitted without some of these courses, but they are expected to make up the deficiencies early in their graduate careers and outside of the minimum hours required for degree.

Deadlines:

Students may begin the graduate program in either the fall or spring semester.  However, applicants who wish to be considered for financial support through fellowships and GTA appointments should anticipate beginning graduate studies in the Fall semester and must submit application materials by the following deadlines. 

Priority deadline for fellowship and GTA appointment consideration is January 5.

The final deadline for Fall matriculation is May 1.

 The final deadline for Spring matriculation is December 1.

Application Materials:

In addition to the application form, application fee, letters of recommendation, transcripts, etc., the Philosophy Department Committee on Recruitment, Admission and Awards requires the following supplemental materials: 

The Department of Philosophy Committee on Recruitment, Admission, and Awards requires applications include all supplemental materials prior to review.

Apply Now

Please contact the Graduate Academic Advisor, Aley Pennington, with questions about the application process.

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: _____ (if appropriate in content)
   Modern Philosophy (3)
   Select one of the following:
   PHIL 558	Seventeenth Century Philosophy
   PHIL 559	Eighteenth Century Philosophy
   PHIL 820	Topics in the History of Philosophy: _____ (if appropriate in content)
   PHIL 824	Hume
   PHIL 828	Kant
   Philosophical Traditions (3)
   Select one of the following:
   PHIL 506	Chinese Thought
   PHIL 560	Nineteenth Century Philosophy
   PHIL 562	Kierkegaard
   PHIL 570	Nietzsche
   PHIL 582	Existentialism
   PHIL 590	Phenomenology
   PHIL 592	Contemporary Continental Philosophy
   PHIL 820	Topics in the History of Philosophy: _____ (if appropriate in content)
   PHIL 890	Topics in Continental Philosophy: _____

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.

The Graduate Handbook describes the most essential aspects of graduate study in philosophy at the University of Kansas, as determined by departmental policy and university regulations. In addition to this handbook, every graduate student should read the pertinent sections of the latest edition of the Academic Catalog.

The version below is current.

Department of Philosophy Graduate Handbook (pdf)

Awards and Fellowships

Annual Graduate Fellowship Competition  Student members of Phi Kappa Phi are urged to enter the annual Fellowship competition. Both Chapter and National Awards are available. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards fifty Fellowships of $8,500 each, six at $20,000 each, and two at $35,000 each to members entering the first year of graduate or professional study.  Every chapter has the opportunity to submit one nominee and the awards can be used in addition to any other financial support received by the student.

Doctoral Student Research Fund The Doctoral Student Research Fund is designed to support KU doctoral students on the Lawrence Campus who need assistance to carry out research that advances progress toward the degree. A doctoral student is eligible to apply for up to two awards during their graduate program, one before doctoral candidacy (up to $1500) and one as a candidate (up to $2000).

Hall Center Awards  The Hall Center for the Humanities offers a rolling schedule of awards to support dissertation research travel and timely completion. Doctoral students are eligible to apply for awards at various points in their dissertation research and writing process.

The Olin Templin Fellowship in Philosophy is awarded on the basis of both academic excellence and financial need, and is awarded on the recommendation of the departmental Committee on Recruitment, Admission, and Awards. The department typically awards two or three Templin Fellowships for the summer semester; the Director of Graduate Studies will issue a call for applications in the spring. The stipend is variable, but is generally in the amount of $1000 for summer Templins. Applications for Templin Fellowships at other times should be made by writing to the Director of Graduate Studies.

Graduate Student Travel Awards  Graduate Students are eligible for travel support to professional conferences at which they have had a paper accepted for presentation. There are currently two sources of support:

1. Graduate Studies OfficeThe Graduate Scholarly Presentation Travel Fund is for Lawrence or Edwards Campus graduate students presenting their research or the disciplinary equivalent at a meeting of a learned or professional society being held outside of the state of Kansas. This fund provides reimbursements of $500 for domestic or international travel expenses.
2. Edward S. Robinson Philosophy Travel Awards The department occasionally has limited funds for transportation costs for students who are presenting papers at significant philosophical meetings. Eligible students should apply to the Chair of the Committee on Recruitment, Admissions and Awards.

Direct Exchange Scholarships  Direct Exchange Scholars receive tuition and modest monthly stipends from the partner institutions for room, board and incidental expenses. Students will generally need to supplement their stipends with their own funds or student loans to ensure enough money to travel and to participate in extracurricular activities.  For more information, please contact the Department of International Programs.

Additional funding opportunities are available on the Graduate Studies Funding page.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

The Department of Philosophy employs qualified graduate students to teach logic, introduction to philosophy, introduction to ethics and intro to social and political philosophy. Half-time (.50 FTE) Teaching Assistants receive a nine-month student salary based on the current rate as determined by the University, in addition to a 100% remission of tuition.

Recommendations concerning Assistantships in Philosophy are made to the Chair of the Department by the Committee on Recruitment, Admissions and Awards. In making its recommendations, the Committee is especially concerned to maintain or enhance the quality of undergraduate instruction and to provide funding for, as well as recognition of, qualified graduate students. 

The Department of Humanities and Western Civilization  Many graduate students in philosophy are qualified for teaching assistantships in Humanities and Western Civilization, a required undergraduate course. The Humanities and Western Civilization program emphasizes reading, self-study, and discussion of important intellectual issues with one's peers. A discussion leader's function is to co-ordinate the discussion, and to motivate the students both to think about the readings and to draw many of the relevant implications from the readings for contemporary life. Students who are interested in applying for a Humanities and Western Civilization Teaching position should contact the Director of Humanities and Western Civilization.