Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

Course Requirement

Each student in the program must pass fifteen University graduate level philosophy courses at the 500-, 600-, 700- and/or 800-level. Philosophy 699 (Master’s Thesis), 800 (Area Exam Practicum) and 899 (PhD Dissertation) may not be used to satisfy the Course Requirement. At most three of the fifteen required courses may be independent studies or writing practica.

Courses used to satisfy the Course Requirement must be taken on a letter-grade basis, and may not be taken pass/fail.

Proseminar Requirement

Each student in the program is required to enroll in, and receive a passing grade in, Philosophy 700 (Proseminar) during each of their first two semesters in the program.  Both semesters count towards the Course Requirement and Seminar Requirement.

Seminar Requirement

Each student in the program must pass at least six University philosophy seminars numbered 700 or above. (The proseminar counts each time it is taken.) No independent study or practicum course may be used to satisfy this requirement.

Distribution Requirement

Each graduate level course in philosophy—with the exceptions of the proseminar, independent studies and practica—will be designated with a distribution area. Each student in the program is required to take courses meeting the following distribution requirements:

1. At least one course in Value Theory;
2. At least one course in Logic;
3. Courses in at least three different subcategories within the broad M&E category. The subcategories are:
   • Metaphysics
   • Epistemology
   • Philosophy of Language
   • Philosophy of Mind
   • Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Mathematics
   • “Other” M&E
4. Courses in at least two of the three subcategories within the History of Philosophy category. The subcategories are:
   • Ancient philosophy (Classical Greek and Roman philosophy, roughly Thales to Boethius)
   • Modern philosophy (16th through mid-19th century European philosophy)
   • “Other” history of philosophy (includes history of analytic, medieval, American and non-Western philosophies)

Starred Paper Requirement

Each student is required to receive a grade of PASS on a Starred Paper by the end of their fourth semester in the PhD Program.

A Starred Paper is a substantial work giving solid evidence that its author is able to do the kind of original research and writing required to complete a satisfactory doctoral dissertation in philosophy.

Area Examination Requirement

Students must satisfiy the Area Examination Requirement.  Philosophy 800 (Area Exam Practicum) is a special 3-credit, mandatory pass/fail course. Students enrolled in the Practicum are expected to meet regularly with the Chair of the Area Exam Committee until the Area Exam itself takes place. This course does not count as one of the fifteen courses required to fulfill the Course Requirement.

Once a student is enrolled, the process of completing the Practicum has two stages. The first involves the creation and approval of the Area Examination Document. The second involves the (oral) Area Examination itself.

The Area Examination Document: The student and the Committee members agree on a list of readings in the area of the intended dissertation. The student then prepares a document of approximately 10,000 to 12,000 words containing summary exposition and brief discussion of the main doctrines and arguments in the readings on the list. This document should take the form of a narratively coherent guide to the topic; it should not just be a sequence of summaries of each reading. The Area Examination Document is submitted to members of the Area Examination Committee, who then may either approve it or ask for modifications.

When all members of the Committee have approved the document, the Chair proceeds to schedule the Oral Area Examination.

The Oral Area Examination: This is an oral exam lasting approximately 90 minutes. Questioning in the exam should be primarily focused on doctrines and arguments discussed in the Area Examination Document. Afterwards, the members of the Area Examination Committee determine the grade.

For further detail, please refer to the Program Regulations:  https://www.umass.edu/philosophy/graduate-regulations