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Program Description Overview

Doctoral candidates will specialize in one or more of three departmental research clusters:

• Metaphysics and its History
• Kant and Continental Philosophy
• Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy

The Ph.D. program is to be completed within 4 years of full time study. Applicants should have already completed a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy or equivalent before beginning the Ph.D. program.

The minimum residence requirement for Ph.D. candidates is two years.

The candidate must complete 15 credit hours (5 courses) of graduate-level courses in Philosophy, which must include Philosophy 6000: Graduate Seminar.

By the end of the seventh semester, the candidate must complete comprehensive examinations, including written and oral components.

The candidate must submit a dissertation proposal to the supervisory committee within six months following the successful completion of the comprehensive examination. After defending the proposal in a meeting with the supervisory committee, the candidate shall proceed to writing the dissertation.

The candidate will complete a second language requirement by the end of the second year of the program. The Ph.D dissertation should be completed and defended by the end of the fourth year.