Program Requirements
Requirements and Guidelines for the Graduate Program in Philosophy
The Department of Philosophy offers a program of study leading to a doctorate degree in philosophy. Program requirements and other relevant information are explained below.
Course Requirements
51 units of graduate-level course work (17 semester courses) are required for the Ph.D. At least 39 units are allotted to one’s “major field” (philosophy) and the remainder to one’s “minor field” (either philosophy or an outside minor). If the minor is within philosophy, 12 units of course work are required. If it is an outside minor (for example, cognitive science, linguistics, classics, or economics), the number of units is fixed by that program. In addition to course work units, a student needs 18 units of dissertation credit, which are earned in writing the dissertation. There are also minimal residence requirements explained in the Graduate Catalog.
Distribution Requirements
51 units of graduate-level course work (17 semester courses) are required for the Ph.D. At least 39 units are allotted to one’s “major field” (philosophy) and the remainder to one’s “minor field” (either philosophy or an outside minor). If the minor is within philosophy, 12 units of course work are required. If it is an outside minor (for example, cognitive science, linguistics, classics, or economics), the number of units is fixed by that program. In addition to course work units, a student needs 18 units of dissertation credit, which are earned in writing the dissertation. There are also minimal residence requirements explained in the Graduate Catalog.
Distribution Requirements
To ensure breadth of training, students must pass two graduate-level courses (with a grade of B or better) in each of the following areas of philosophy:
1. Metaphysics and Epistemology (broadly construed),
1. Metaphysics and Epistemology (broadly construed),
2. History of Philosophy: one course in Ancient philosophy and one course in Modern philosophy (normally a course covering one or more figures from Descartes to Kant),
3. Ethics and Value Theory (including social, political, and legal philosophy),
4. Logic, Language, and Science.
There is also a formal requirement, intended to give students formal skills that they will need in pursuing their philosophical research. Students must pass one course to satisfy the formal requirement. A single course can be counted toward at most one distribution requirement, except that a course that satisfies the formal requirement may, in some circumstances, also satisfy one of the other distribution requirements.
At the end of this document is a list of courses that may be taken for each distribution requirement. These are guidelines rather than strict rules. The final decision about whether a given course counts for a requirement is up to the faculty. Unstarred courses under a given heading will usually count toward the requirement in question. Starred courses will sometimes count toward the requirement in question, depending on how the course is taught. Courses not on these lists might also count toward the relevant requirements, depending on their content. The decision of whether a given offering of a course satisfies a given distribution requirement will usually be made by the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation (where necessary) with the instructor of the course and with faculty members in the relevant fields. One faculty member in each area is designated as a consultant to whom students can direct questions and with whom the Graduate Director will consult in difficult cases. See the end of this document for the current consultants.
There is also a logic competence requirement, requiring that every student must have taken a course in formal or symbolic logic. This may be an undergraduate or graduate course, taken at Arizona or elsewhere. Students who have not taken such a course before enrolling in the graduate program must take at least one class in formal or symbolic logic, or must pass a special examination on the topic. The decision as to whether a student has satisfied this requirement will be made by the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with other faculty members where necessary.
Seminar Requirements
Of the 39 units of course work required for the major, at least 24 units (8 courses) must be taken in seminars. If a student also minors in philosophy, an additional 6 units (2 courses) of seminar work are required.
Transfer Credits
Students transferring from other institutions may be given up to 12 units in transfer credit toward the course requirements in philosophy, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies. A decision about this matter will not usually be taken until the end of the student's first year in the program. At most one transferred course may count toward each of the distribution requirements, except in special circumstances. It should be noted that transfer credit is not automatic. Students should generally expect to be able to transfer less than half of their courses from a previous institution, and often none.
Distribution requirements should normally be completed by the end of a
student’s sixth semester in residence. The logic competence requirements should be completed by the end of the student's fourth semester. Once these requirements are completed, the student should complete a “Doctoral Plan of Study” listing coursework. This form must be signed by the Department Head and the Director of Graduate Studies and submitted to the Graduate College.
Courses
Graduate courses in philosophy are divided into graduate seminars and
lecture courses. Graduate seminars are numbered Philosophy 596A, 596B, and so on. Their enrollment is restricted to graduate students (in philosophy and possibly other departments), with occasional exceptions at the discretion of the instructor. Graduate lecture courses are numbered Philosophy 5xx. These courses are usually offered simultaneously with an undergraduate course Philosophy 4xx, with common meetings. In many (but not all) such courses there will be a separate graduate student meeting that meets every week or two.
Lecture courses usually meet in the morning or in the afternoon before 3 p.m., and have two 75-minute meetings or three 50-minute meetings per week, in addition to a possible graduate meeting. Seminars usually meet in the afternoon (Monday-Thursday) at or after 3:30 p.m., and have one 150-minute meeting or two 75-minute meetings per week, at the discretion of the instructor.
In general, lecture courses offer a broad survey of an area of philosophy, and include a greater emphasis on lecturing from the instructor, while typically seminars are more specialized, and include a greater emphasis on general discussion and on student presentations. However, seminars may sometimes also act as broad survey courses, and faculty members offering seminars are encouraged to devote at least some portion of the seminar to broader and more basic issues in a field, before proceeding to more specialized material.
Students may also occasionally take an independent study course for 1-3 units with a faculty member, by agreement. This will typically involve focused reading in an area of interest, a number of meetings, and a pre-arranged amount of written work.
In a given course, students will usually be assessed on some combination of participation, presentations, and written work. A final grade of A, B, C, D, or E will be assigned by the instructor and submitted to the Graduate College. For internal department purposes, a plus/minus grade (A+, A, A-, and so on) will be assigned and kept in department records. The instructor will also write comments on the student’s performance in the course, to be inserted into the student’s file. Grading practices vary between faculty members, but generally speaking, a grade of A indicates very good work, while a grade of B or B+ indicates work that is less than fully satisfactory in some significant respect. Grades below B are rare.
At the discretion of the instructor, students may occasionally be granted a grade of “incomplete” (I) in a course. The work for such a course must be completed by a date set by the instructor, and always before the start of the following semester (9 a.m. on the first day of classes). If the work is not completed by this date, the student’s internal grade for the class will be automatically converted to an E. If the student completes the work later, this grade may be restored at the instructor’s discretion to a maximum of one letter-grade below the grade that the student would have received had the same work been handed in on time. (So the highest possible internal grade in such a case will be B+, and the highest possible external grade will be B). Exceptions to this policy (granted only in special circumstances) require joint approval of the instructor and the Director of Graduate Studies. This is in addition to the university policy of automatically converting an I to an external grade of E if no petition for a grade change from I to a letter grade has been approved by the appropriate university authorities within a calendar year from the date on which a grade for the course in question was originally due.
Students will usually take three courses per semester, and occasionally four courses (especially when on a fellowship). The graduate college requires that all students who are teaching assistants, research assistants, or on fellowships be enrolled in at least six units per semester. Department policy is that students in the first two years should take at least six courses per year. In the 4th semester, students may enroll in an independent study course (instead of a regular graduate course) so that they have adequate time to prepare for the comprehensive examinations that are given at the beginning of the 5th semester. (The comprehensive exam requirement is explained below.)
Proseminar
The proseminar, offered every fall semester, is intended to be an intensive introduction to philosophical methods and tools, as well as to an area of philosophy that may vary from year to year. Enrollment in the proseminar is restricted to first-year students and is mandatory for those students.
Dissertation Research Seminar
The dissertation research seminar (DRS), normally offered in the fall semester, is a 3 unit non-lecture course for advanced doctoral students in philosophy. Its purpose is to provide a forum for students to present and discuss their dissertation research. In addition to periodic presentations throughout the course, students are also required to participate in the discussion of the work of fellow students. In-residence students will be required to take this seminar at least once, normally during their 7th semester. Only three units of the DRS may count toward the minimum of 39 units of philosophy graduate courses required for the degree. However, students who have taken the seminar are strongly encouraged to enroll in it every fall semester they remain in residence.
The Philosophy Department regards a minimally satisfactory first year GPA as one that exceeds 3.5 (calculated from internal grades where appropriate, with A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, and so on). For more advanced students, normal progress requires a GPA well in excess of 3.5. The Graduate College requires a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 (based on the official grades submitted to the Graduate College).
Toward the end of every academic year, the faculty conducts a review of graduate student progress. The progress of each graduate student is discussed, and areas of success and concern are isolated. When a student’s progress is unsatisfactory, the faculty may vote to remove the student from the philosophy graduate program. After the meeting, the Director of Graduate Students writes a memo to each student (or at least to those in early years of the program) whose progress was discussed, summarizing the discussion. This memo is sent to the student and placed in the student’s file.
Students who have not yet passed the prospectus examination (see below) should meet with the Director of Graduate Studies at least once per year to discuss their progress and their plans. Students should also feel free to meet with the Director of Graduate Studies at any time to discuss issues that may have arisen, to ask questions, to ask for advice, and so on.
Students have the right to view their files, with the exception of confidential material, and may do so at any time by asking the Graduate Secretary. Students are encouraged to do this, as the file contains teaching evaluations and written assessments of course performance. Back to links
At the end of this document is a list of courses that may be taken for each distribution requirement. These are guidelines rather than strict rules. The final decision about whether a given course counts for a requirement is up to the faculty. Unstarred courses under a given heading will usually count toward the requirement in question. Starred courses will sometimes count toward the requirement in question, depending on how the course is taught. Courses not on these lists might also count toward the relevant requirements, depending on their content. The decision of whether a given offering of a course satisfies a given distribution requirement will usually be made by the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation (where necessary) with the instructor of the course and with faculty members in the relevant fields. One faculty member in each area is designated as a consultant to whom students can direct questions and with whom the Graduate Director will consult in difficult cases. See the end of this document for the current consultants.
There is also a logic competence requirement, requiring that every student must have taken a course in formal or symbolic logic. This may be an undergraduate or graduate course, taken at Arizona or elsewhere. Students who have not taken such a course before enrolling in the graduate program must take at least one class in formal or symbolic logic, or must pass a special examination on the topic. The decision as to whether a student has satisfied this requirement will be made by the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with other faculty members where necessary.
Seminar Requirements
Of the 39 units of course work required for the major, at least 24 units (8 courses) must be taken in seminars. If a student also minors in philosophy, an additional 6 units (2 courses) of seminar work are required.
Transfer Credits
Students transferring from other institutions may be given up to 12 units in transfer credit toward the course requirements in philosophy, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies. A decision about this matter will not usually be taken until the end of the student's first year in the program. At most one transferred course may count toward each of the distribution requirements, except in special circumstances. It should be noted that transfer credit is not automatic. Students should generally expect to be able to transfer less than half of their courses from a previous institution, and often none.
Distribution requirements should normally be completed by the end of a
student’s sixth semester in residence. The logic competence requirements should be completed by the end of the student's fourth semester. Once these requirements are completed, the student should complete a “Doctoral Plan of Study” listing coursework. This form must be signed by the Department Head and the Director of Graduate Studies and submitted to the Graduate College.
Courses
Graduate courses in philosophy are divided into graduate seminars and
lecture courses. Graduate seminars are numbered Philosophy 596A, 596B, and so on. Their enrollment is restricted to graduate students (in philosophy and possibly other departments), with occasional exceptions at the discretion of the instructor. Graduate lecture courses are numbered Philosophy 5xx. These courses are usually offered simultaneously with an undergraduate course Philosophy 4xx, with common meetings. In many (but not all) such courses there will be a separate graduate student meeting that meets every week or two.
Lecture courses usually meet in the morning or in the afternoon before 3 p.m., and have two 75-minute meetings or three 50-minute meetings per week, in addition to a possible graduate meeting. Seminars usually meet in the afternoon (Monday-Thursday) at or after 3:30 p.m., and have one 150-minute meeting or two 75-minute meetings per week, at the discretion of the instructor.
In general, lecture courses offer a broad survey of an area of philosophy, and include a greater emphasis on lecturing from the instructor, while typically seminars are more specialized, and include a greater emphasis on general discussion and on student presentations. However, seminars may sometimes also act as broad survey courses, and faculty members offering seminars are encouraged to devote at least some portion of the seminar to broader and more basic issues in a field, before proceeding to more specialized material.
Students may also occasionally take an independent study course for 1-3 units with a faculty member, by agreement. This will typically involve focused reading in an area of interest, a number of meetings, and a pre-arranged amount of written work.
In a given course, students will usually be assessed on some combination of participation, presentations, and written work. A final grade of A, B, C, D, or E will be assigned by the instructor and submitted to the Graduate College. For internal department purposes, a plus/minus grade (A+, A, A-, and so on) will be assigned and kept in department records. The instructor will also write comments on the student’s performance in the course, to be inserted into the student’s file. Grading practices vary between faculty members, but generally speaking, a grade of A indicates very good work, while a grade of B or B+ indicates work that is less than fully satisfactory in some significant respect. Grades below B are rare.
At the discretion of the instructor, students may occasionally be granted a grade of “incomplete” (I) in a course. The work for such a course must be completed by a date set by the instructor, and always before the start of the following semester (9 a.m. on the first day of classes). If the work is not completed by this date, the student’s internal grade for the class will be automatically converted to an E. If the student completes the work later, this grade may be restored at the instructor’s discretion to a maximum of one letter-grade below the grade that the student would have received had the same work been handed in on time. (So the highest possible internal grade in such a case will be B+, and the highest possible external grade will be B). Exceptions to this policy (granted only in special circumstances) require joint approval of the instructor and the Director of Graduate Studies. This is in addition to the university policy of automatically converting an I to an external grade of E if no petition for a grade change from I to a letter grade has been approved by the appropriate university authorities within a calendar year from the date on which a grade for the course in question was originally due.
Students will usually take three courses per semester, and occasionally four courses (especially when on a fellowship). The graduate college requires that all students who are teaching assistants, research assistants, or on fellowships be enrolled in at least six units per semester. Department policy is that students in the first two years should take at least six courses per year. In the 4th semester, students may enroll in an independent study course (instead of a regular graduate course) so that they have adequate time to prepare for the comprehensive examinations that are given at the beginning of the 5th semester. (The comprehensive exam requirement is explained below.)
Proseminar
The proseminar, offered every fall semester, is intended to be an intensive introduction to philosophical methods and tools, as well as to an area of philosophy that may vary from year to year. Enrollment in the proseminar is restricted to first-year students and is mandatory for those students.
Dissertation Research Seminar
The dissertation research seminar (DRS), normally offered in the fall semester, is a 3 unit non-lecture course for advanced doctoral students in philosophy. Its purpose is to provide a forum for students to present and discuss their dissertation research. In addition to periodic presentations throughout the course, students are also required to participate in the discussion of the work of fellow students. In-residence students will be required to take this seminar at least once, normally during their 7th semester. Only three units of the DRS may count toward the minimum of 39 units of philosophy graduate courses required for the degree. However, students who have taken the seminar are strongly encouraged to enroll in it every fall semester they remain in residence.
The Philosophy Department regards a minimally satisfactory first year GPA as one that exceeds 3.5 (calculated from internal grades where appropriate, with A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, and so on). For more advanced students, normal progress requires a GPA well in excess of 3.5. The Graduate College requires a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 (based on the official grades submitted to the Graduate College).
Toward the end of every academic year, the faculty conducts a review of graduate student progress. The progress of each graduate student is discussed, and areas of success and concern are isolated. When a student’s progress is unsatisfactory, the faculty may vote to remove the student from the philosophy graduate program. After the meeting, the Director of Graduate Students writes a memo to each student (or at least to those in early years of the program) whose progress was discussed, summarizing the discussion. This memo is sent to the student and placed in the student’s file.
Students who have not yet passed the prospectus examination (see below) should meet with the Director of Graduate Studies at least once per year to discuss their progress and their plans. Students should also feel free to meet with the Director of Graduate Studies at any time to discuss issues that may have arisen, to ask questions, to ask for advice, and so on.
Students have the right to view their files, with the exception of confidential material, and may do so at any time by asking the Graduate Secretary. Students are encouraged to do this, as the file contains teaching evaluations and written assessments of course performance. Back to links
Comprehensive Examination
To become a candidate for the doctorate, written and oral examinations must be passed by the student in a major and minor field. For this purpose, the student (in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies) should assemble a committee of four faculty members: two with expertise in the major field; two with expertise in the minor field. This must be done no later than the beginning of the 4th semester. Where appropriate, committee members in the major or minor fields may include faculty members from other departments, or occasionally from other institutions. At the same time students are arranging their exam committees, they should (also in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies) arrange with a faculty member of the philosophy department to serve as an exam mentor. The role of the mentor is to meet with the student at the beginning of the 4th semester to approve the student’s plan of study and to meet twice thereafter (normally, mid-semester and at the end of the semester) to monitor the student’s progress. The exam mentor should work in one of the two examination areas, but need not be on either of the student’s exam committees.
The major and minor fields are selected and delineated in consultation with the committee members and the Director of Graduate Studies. The major field must be a field within philosophy; the minor field may be drawn from another discipline. (Note that these need not be the same as the “major” and “minor” fields for the Ph.D. as a whole.) Fields within philosophy should be broad areas (a rule of thumb is that they be fields that might appear as an area of specialization in Jobs for Philosophers), including but not restricted to: Ancient Greek Philosophy, Early Modern Philosophy, Early Analytic Philosophy, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Language, Philosophical Logic, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mathematics, Normative Moral Theory, Metaethics, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, Applied Ethics, and so on. An exam will often cover two or three sub-areas within one of these fields rather than the whole field. However, the major and minor area must be drawn from different broad fields. Students should be aware that they must have their proposed combination of major and minor fields approved by members of both committees and the Director of Graduate Students.
For most areas both major and minor readings lists are available from the Director of Graduate Studies. The available reading list for an area contains ‘core’ readings in that area, and is meant to comprise roughly 80-85% of that area’s total readings in preparation for the corresponding exam. The remaining 15-20% is to be selected by the student in consultation with exam committee members, and is intended to allow students to tailor a portion of the reading list to their particular interests in the area. The comprehensive exam in the major and minor areas will be over the readings that comprise the final reading lists for each area. A core reading list may be updated on a yearly basis early in the fall semester under the direction of the Director of Graduate Studies and in consultation with faculty members representing an area. Normally, students who enter the program in a particular year will go by the reading lists that are available in their third semester, and are encouraged to consult the relevant lists early in their graduate careers. Students wishing to be examined in an area for which a fixed core reading list is not yet available are to coordinate with relevant faculty in order to develop a reading list.
The committee members in each area will prepare a written exam in that
area, on the material covered in the reading list. The written exam in the major area will typically be a 4-hour exam in which the student must answer three or four essay questions drawn from a range of choices. The written exam in the minor area will typically be a 3-hour exam in which the student must answer two or three essay questions drawn from a range of choices. These exams will be assessed by the committee members in the relevant area.
If the committee members in each area deem that the student’s performance on the written exam is appropriate for an oral exam to proceed, then an oral exam will be held, with all four committee members. This exam will last two or three hours and will cover the material on the reading lists, with attention both to the student’s answers on the written exams and to other topics covered in the reading list. After the oral portion of the exam, the committee members vote on whether or not the student has passed the examination as a whole. If there are two or more negative votes, the student does not pass. In such a case, the committee may permit the student to repeat the examination (see below) or it may determine that the examination not be repeated, with this latter decision resulting in the termination of the student’s eligibility for the degree and the student’s removal from the program at the end of the then current semester.
To become a candidate for the doctorate, written and oral examinations must be passed by the student in a major and minor field. For this purpose, the student (in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies) should assemble a committee of four faculty members: two with expertise in the major field; two with expertise in the minor field. This must be done no later than the beginning of the 4th semester. Where appropriate, committee members in the major or minor fields may include faculty members from other departments, or occasionally from other institutions. At the same time students are arranging their exam committees, they should (also in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies) arrange with a faculty member of the philosophy department to serve as an exam mentor. The role of the mentor is to meet with the student at the beginning of the 4th semester to approve the student’s plan of study and to meet twice thereafter (normally, mid-semester and at the end of the semester) to monitor the student’s progress. The exam mentor should work in one of the two examination areas, but need not be on either of the student’s exam committees.
The major and minor fields are selected and delineated in consultation with the committee members and the Director of Graduate Studies. The major field must be a field within philosophy; the minor field may be drawn from another discipline. (Note that these need not be the same as the “major” and “minor” fields for the Ph.D. as a whole.) Fields within philosophy should be broad areas (a rule of thumb is that they be fields that might appear as an area of specialization in Jobs for Philosophers), including but not restricted to: Ancient Greek Philosophy, Early Modern Philosophy, Early Analytic Philosophy, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Language, Philosophical Logic, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mathematics, Normative Moral Theory, Metaethics, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, Applied Ethics, and so on. An exam will often cover two or three sub-areas within one of these fields rather than the whole field. However, the major and minor area must be drawn from different broad fields. Students should be aware that they must have their proposed combination of major and minor fields approved by members of both committees and the Director of Graduate Students.
For most areas both major and minor readings lists are available from the Director of Graduate Studies. The available reading list for an area contains ‘core’ readings in that area, and is meant to comprise roughly 80-85% of that area’s total readings in preparation for the corresponding exam. The remaining 15-20% is to be selected by the student in consultation with exam committee members, and is intended to allow students to tailor a portion of the reading list to their particular interests in the area. The comprehensive exam in the major and minor areas will be over the readings that comprise the final reading lists for each area. A core reading list may be updated on a yearly basis early in the fall semester under the direction of the Director of Graduate Studies and in consultation with faculty members representing an area. Normally, students who enter the program in a particular year will go by the reading lists that are available in their third semester, and are encouraged to consult the relevant lists early in their graduate careers. Students wishing to be examined in an area for which a fixed core reading list is not yet available are to coordinate with relevant faculty in order to develop a reading list.
The committee members in each area will prepare a written exam in that
area, on the material covered in the reading list. The written exam in the major area will typically be a 4-hour exam in which the student must answer three or four essay questions drawn from a range of choices. The written exam in the minor area will typically be a 3-hour exam in which the student must answer two or three essay questions drawn from a range of choices. These exams will be assessed by the committee members in the relevant area.
If the committee members in each area deem that the student’s performance on the written exam is appropriate for an oral exam to proceed, then an oral exam will be held, with all four committee members. This exam will last two or three hours and will cover the material on the reading lists, with attention both to the student’s answers on the written exams and to other topics covered in the reading list. After the oral portion of the exam, the committee members vote on whether or not the student has passed the examination as a whole. If there are two or more negative votes, the student does not pass. In such a case, the committee may permit the student to repeat the examination (see below) or it may determine that the examination not be repeated, with this latter decision resulting in the termination of the student’s eligibility for the degree and the student’s removal from the program at the end of the then current semester.
The current reading lists are available for download here.
Timing
1. Written component: Students are required to take both major and minor exams at the beginning of their 5th semester, one week apart. Normally, the first exam day will be the Friday immediately preceding the beginning of the 5th semester and the second exam day will be the following Friday. Except in exceptional circumstances, failure to take an exam at the scheduled time will count as failing that exam.
2. Oral component: Oral exams will be scheduled during afternoons of the 2nd week of the semester, faculty availability permitting. Otherwise, it will be scheduled for as soon after the 2nd week as feasible.
Re-taking an exam: Students who fail either the written or the oral exam (and who are allowed to re-sit them) are required to re-take a failed exam at the beginning of their 6th semester. Normally, the first exam day will be the Friday immediately preceding the beginning of 6th semester courses, and the second exam day will be the following Friday. Orals will be scheduled for sometime during the 2nd week of the 6th semester, faculty availability permitting. Otherwise, it will be scheduled for as soon after the 2nd week as feasible. The student needs to file an “Application for Oral Comprehensive Examination for Doctoral Candidacy” form with the Graduate College at least seven working days before the date of the oral exam.
Starred Paper Requirement
To advance to candidacy for the doctorate, a student must write a ‘starred’ paper. The purpose of this requirement is to help students hone the various skills that they will need in order to produce written work of the highest professional quality. Students may choose to fulfill this requirement by revising a paper they have written previously for a seminar. Producing a professional quality paper will normally involve a series of revisions in light of criticisms and comments on various drafts. For this purpose, by the end of the semester in which the comprehensive examination has been passed, and in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, students are to organize a two faculty member committee to guide the writing and revising of the paper and to judge its quality. At least one of the committee members must work in the area in which the paper is being written.
Timing & Evaluation
A satisfactory starred paper is due at the end of the semester following the semester in which their starred paper committee is formed. For students who have passed their comprehensive exams in their 5th semester, the paper is due at the end of the 6th semester. In order to ensure that students are making satisfactory progress on their papers and that they are receiving timely comments on their work, a draft is to be submitted to the committee on or about March 1. Normally within two weeks, committee members will read and comment on the draft. If both committee members agree at this time that the paper is satisfactory, then the student will have passed this requirement. But in most cases, students will be asked to revise and re-submit their papers in light of the comments of committee members.
Final versions are due no later than May 1.After reviewing the paper, committee members may agree to (1) pass, (2) conditionally pass, or (3) fail the paper. A student whose paper receives a conditional pass will have until the first day of the beginning of the following fall semester to submit a revised version. Failure to do so will count as a fail.
Students who fail may be allowed one more try at completing this requirement. Students, in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, may (but need not) organize a new starred paper committee. The timetable for the second try at the paper (and for those who have passed their comprehensive exams in the spring semester): on or about October 1 a 1st draft is due; final draft due on or about December 1. Students who fail the second attempt will be terminated from the program.
Passes or conditional passes require the unanimous vote of the committee.
Prospectus Examination
The prospectus examination is required as a gateway to the dissertation process. For this examination, the student should approach three faculty members to form a Prospectus Examination committee, with one member designated as committee head. These members will typically be intended to become the student’s dissertation committee, with the head of the committee intended to become the student’s dissertation advisor, although changes sometimes occur.
The student must submit a prospectus, together with a substantial essay which will normally be intended to become a chapsue the dissertation, and partly to certify that the paper and the student’s performance demonstrate a level of skill appropriate to the attainment of the doctorate. The prospectus examination will usually start with a brief presentation by the student (of a length anywhere from 15 minutes to one hour, as determined by the committee), followed by questions and comments from committee members, and will take one to three hours altogether.
Timing
The student should approach prospective committee members, including especially a prospective committee head, before or during the 6th semester. The prospectus itself should be written by early in the 7th semester, and the examination should take place sometime during the 7th semester. After passing the prospectus examination, the student should submit an “Advancement to Candidacy” form to the Graduate College.
Dissertation
After passing the prospectus examination, the student should form a dissertation committee, with a committee head who acts as the student’s main advisor. This committee will often, but not always, have the same members as the prospectus examination committee. The student will usually show dissertation material to committee members as it is produced, and consult regularly with committee members on how to proceed with and improve the dissertation. Once the student produces a complete draft, this will be submitted to committee members, often leading to a process of revision.
Traditionally, a dissertation takes the form of a monograph. Under some circumstances, and subject to the advice and approval of the graduate student’s dissertation committee, an acceptable dissertation can take the form of a set of at least three thematically related papers. The substance and length of the papers (combined) should be comparable to a monograph dissertation. Except in unusual cases, the starred paper will not count among the papers in the minimal set of three.
In contemplating both the form and the substance of their dissertations, graduate students should be forward-looking. The object is to develop an original and fruitful research program that will extend beyond one’s tenure as a graduate student.
Once committee members deem the dissertation appropriate for examination, an oral examination (dissertation defense) will be held. The oral examination may start with a brief presentation by the candidate, followed by questions from committee members. At the end of the examination, the committee may decide that the student has passed, or has not passed, or has passed pending certain revisions.
Timing
A complete draft of the dissertation should be submitted by the 9th semester. The oral examination should take place during the 10th semester. The student should submit an “Application for Oral Defense Examination” form to the Graduate College at least three weeks before the date of the examination. Students who do not pass the oral examination within four semesters after completing the prospectus examination may, on the recommendation of the dissertation committee and by vote of the department, lose their status as degree seeking students and be re-classified as non-degree seeking students.
Graduate College Requirements
The requirements listed here recapitulate some of the Graduate College
requirements, and supplement them on occasion, but they do not replace
those requirements, and there are Graduate College requirements that are not mentioned here. For further details on those requirements, see the Graduate Catalog. These requirements and other relevant information are also available online at:
http://grad.admin.arizona.edu/degreecert/degcert.html
Semester by Semester Summary of the Ph.D. Program
Credit Hour requirements:
51 units of graduate level work plus 18 units of dissertation hours.
Timing
1. Written component: Students are required to take both major and minor exams at the beginning of their 5th semester, one week apart. Normally, the first exam day will be the Friday immediately preceding the beginning of the 5th semester and the second exam day will be the following Friday. Except in exceptional circumstances, failure to take an exam at the scheduled time will count as failing that exam.
2. Oral component: Oral exams will be scheduled during afternoons of the 2nd week of the semester, faculty availability permitting. Otherwise, it will be scheduled for as soon after the 2nd week as feasible.
Re-taking an exam: Students who fail either the written or the oral exam (and who are allowed to re-sit them) are required to re-take a failed exam at the beginning of their 6th semester. Normally, the first exam day will be the Friday immediately preceding the beginning of 6th semester courses, and the second exam day will be the following Friday. Orals will be scheduled for sometime during the 2nd week of the 6th semester, faculty availability permitting. Otherwise, it will be scheduled for as soon after the 2nd week as feasible. The student needs to file an “Application for Oral Comprehensive Examination for Doctoral Candidacy” form with the Graduate College at least seven working days before the date of the oral exam.
Starred Paper Requirement
To advance to candidacy for the doctorate, a student must write a ‘starred’ paper. The purpose of this requirement is to help students hone the various skills that they will need in order to produce written work of the highest professional quality. Students may choose to fulfill this requirement by revising a paper they have written previously for a seminar. Producing a professional quality paper will normally involve a series of revisions in light of criticisms and comments on various drafts. For this purpose, by the end of the semester in which the comprehensive examination has been passed, and in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, students are to organize a two faculty member committee to guide the writing and revising of the paper and to judge its quality. At least one of the committee members must work in the area in which the paper is being written.
Timing & Evaluation
A satisfactory starred paper is due at the end of the semester following the semester in which their starred paper committee is formed. For students who have passed their comprehensive exams in their 5th semester, the paper is due at the end of the 6th semester. In order to ensure that students are making satisfactory progress on their papers and that they are receiving timely comments on their work, a draft is to be submitted to the committee on or about March 1. Normally within two weeks, committee members will read and comment on the draft. If both committee members agree at this time that the paper is satisfactory, then the student will have passed this requirement. But in most cases, students will be asked to revise and re-submit their papers in light of the comments of committee members.
Final versions are due no later than May 1.After reviewing the paper, committee members may agree to (1) pass, (2) conditionally pass, or (3) fail the paper. A student whose paper receives a conditional pass will have until the first day of the beginning of the following fall semester to submit a revised version. Failure to do so will count as a fail.
Students who fail may be allowed one more try at completing this requirement. Students, in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, may (but need not) organize a new starred paper committee. The timetable for the second try at the paper (and for those who have passed their comprehensive exams in the spring semester): on or about October 1 a 1st draft is due; final draft due on or about December 1. Students who fail the second attempt will be terminated from the program.
Passes or conditional passes require the unanimous vote of the committee.
Prospectus Examination
The prospectus examination is required as a gateway to the dissertation process. For this examination, the student should approach three faculty members to form a Prospectus Examination committee, with one member designated as committee head. These members will typically be intended to become the student’s dissertation committee, with the head of the committee intended to become the student’s dissertation advisor, although changes sometimes occur.
The student must submit a prospectus, together with a substantial essay which will normally be intended to become a chapsue the dissertation, and partly to certify that the paper and the student’s performance demonstrate a level of skill appropriate to the attainment of the doctorate. The prospectus examination will usually start with a brief presentation by the student (of a length anywhere from 15 minutes to one hour, as determined by the committee), followed by questions and comments from committee members, and will take one to three hours altogether.
Timing
The student should approach prospective committee members, including especially a prospective committee head, before or during the 6th semester. The prospectus itself should be written by early in the 7th semester, and the examination should take place sometime during the 7th semester. After passing the prospectus examination, the student should submit an “Advancement to Candidacy” form to the Graduate College.
Dissertation
After passing the prospectus examination, the student should form a dissertation committee, with a committee head who acts as the student’s main advisor. This committee will often, but not always, have the same members as the prospectus examination committee. The student will usually show dissertation material to committee members as it is produced, and consult regularly with committee members on how to proceed with and improve the dissertation. Once the student produces a complete draft, this will be submitted to committee members, often leading to a process of revision.
Traditionally, a dissertation takes the form of a monograph. Under some circumstances, and subject to the advice and approval of the graduate student’s dissertation committee, an acceptable dissertation can take the form of a set of at least three thematically related papers. The substance and length of the papers (combined) should be comparable to a monograph dissertation. Except in unusual cases, the starred paper will not count among the papers in the minimal set of three.
In contemplating both the form and the substance of their dissertations, graduate students should be forward-looking. The object is to develop an original and fruitful research program that will extend beyond one’s tenure as a graduate student.
Once committee members deem the dissertation appropriate for examination, an oral examination (dissertation defense) will be held. The oral examination may start with a brief presentation by the candidate, followed by questions from committee members. At the end of the examination, the committee may decide that the student has passed, or has not passed, or has passed pending certain revisions.
Timing
A complete draft of the dissertation should be submitted by the 9th semester. The oral examination should take place during the 10th semester. The student should submit an “Application for Oral Defense Examination” form to the Graduate College at least three weeks before the date of the examination. Students who do not pass the oral examination within four semesters after completing the prospectus examination may, on the recommendation of the dissertation committee and by vote of the department, lose their status as degree seeking students and be re-classified as non-degree seeking students.
Graduate College Requirements
The requirements listed here recapitulate some of the Graduate College
requirements, and supplement them on occasion, but they do not replace
those requirements, and there are Graduate College requirements that are not mentioned here. For further details on those requirements, see the Graduate Catalog. These requirements and other relevant information are also available online at:
http://grad.admin.arizona.edu/degreecert/degcert.html
Semester by Semester Summary of the Ph.D. Program
Credit Hour requirements:
51 units of graduate level work plus 18 units of dissertation hours.
1st Year Fall Spring
Pro-seminar Course
Course Course
Course Course
Pro-seminar Course
Course Course
Course Course
2nd Year Fall Spring
Course Course
Course Course
Course Course -or- independent reading for comps
3rd Year Fall Spring
Comprehensive exams Course
Course Course
Course
Course Organize Prospectus Committee
Starred paper due
4th Year Fall Spring
Dissertation research seminar Dissertation hours
Prospectus defense
Dissertation hours
5th Year Fall Spring
Dissertation research seminar Dissertation hours
Dissertation hours Dissertation defense
Back to links
Paperwork
There are four official forms that must be filled out at various stages of the program and submitted to the Graduate College:
• Application for Oral Comprehensive Examination (1 week before oral exam)
• Doctoral Plan of Study (after completing distribution requirements)
• Advancement to Candidacy (after passing prospectus exam)
• Application for Oral Defense Examination (3 weeks before final oral exam)
These forms are available online at:
https://grad.arizona.edu/My_GradColl/
(When you follow this link, you will be asked to log in. Once you are in, click ‘GC Forms’ from among the menu items on the left side of the page. Once on this page, you will find links to the various forms mentioned above.)
Paperwork
There are four official forms that must be filled out at various stages of the program and submitted to the Graduate College:
• Application for Oral Comprehensive Examination (1 week before oral exam)
• Doctoral Plan of Study (after completing distribution requirements)
• Advancement to Candidacy (after passing prospectus exam)
• Application for Oral Defense Examination (3 weeks before final oral exam)
These forms are available online at:
https://grad.arizona.edu/My_GradColl/
(When you follow this link, you will be asked to log in. Once you are in, click ‘GC Forms’ from among the menu items on the left side of the page. Once on this page, you will find links to the various forms mentioned above.)
The M. A. Degree
Graduate students in philosophy may earn a master’s degree on the way to the Ph.D. 30 units of course work in philosophy (10 courses) are required. Students must pass (with a grade of B or better) at least one course in each of the first three areas of distribution explained in the separately provided departmental policies pertaining to the Ph.D., and they must fulfill the formal requirements as specified in the departmental policies. At least half of a student’s courses must be at the seminar level. Also, a successful oral defense of a substantial written work is required for the master’s degree. (For an ongoing student, the prospectus examination will usually fulfill this requirement.)
Funding
Students admitted to the program are usually guaranteed five years of funding, contingent on satisfactory academic progress and barring unusual financial exigencies. In most semesters, this funding takes the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA). Occasionally the funding may take the form of a Graduate Research Assistantship (assisting a faculty member with research) or a fellowship. Out-of-state fees are waived for students with GTAs, and, contingent upon funding, in-state registration fees are also waived for GTAs. GTAs are required by the Graduate College to have an official GPA of at least 3.0. Failure to maintain at least an official 3.0 GPA may result in a loss of funding. This means that it is vital to avoid grades of E that result from failure to complete course work in a timely manner.
Teaching
A student with a GTA will most often act as a teaching assistant in a course taught by a faculty member. This will usually involve teaching up to three one-hour discussion sections per week (with about 30 students each), grading papers and examinations, and other duties. It may sometimes involve grading but no direct teaching. There are some opportunities for a GTA to teach a course independently. In this case, the GTA is usually responsible for designing a syllabus (which must be approved by a faculty member), lecturing, designing paper topics and examinations, and grading papers and examinations. There are also some opportunities for additional independent teaching during the summer and winter sessions. GTAs teaching independently will consult with a faculty member.
The teaching of a GTA will be observed and evaluated by a faculty member at least once per semester. When the GTA is assisting in a course taught by a faculty member, that faculty member will do the evaluation. When a GTA is teaching independently, a faculty member will be assigned for this purpose. GTAs are entitled to two evaluations in each of their first two semesters as a GTA, at their discretion. GTAs are also entitled to two evaluations per semester late in their graduate career, with the intent of having an informed teaching letter for their dossiers. GTAs are evaluated either once or twice the first time they teach independently, at the discretion of the faculty member making the first evaluation. After each evaluation, the faculty member will file a written report which will be placed in the student's file. If a student's teaching has not yet been evaluated at a point well into the semester, the student should request an evaluation.
Conferences and Publications
Students are very strongly encouraged to attend philosophical conferences, present their work at philosophical conferences, and submit their work to philosophical journals. These activities are valuable both for a student's philosophical development and for establishing a professional record in preparation for the job market.
Conference attendance: Conferences are held quite regularly in Tucson: for example, there is a colloquium in Ancient Philosophy each February, a major conference on consciousness every second April, and occasional topical workshops. Students are encouraged to take part in these and other meetings. At the national level there are also three annual meetings of the American Philosophical Association, and many more specialized meetings.
Conference presentation: Students are strongly encouraged to submit their work to APA meetings and other philosophical conferences. Students whose work is accepted for presentation at an out of town conference are eligible for a modest travel stipend from the department, contingent upon their application to the Graduate College for similar funding.
Journal submission: Students are also strongly encouraged to submit their work to professional journals. Students should keep this in mind when writing papers for seminars and their starred paper.
Placement
Each October, the American Philosophical Association circulates a document, “Jobs for Philosophers”, with notices of advertised jobs in the USA, Canada, and some other countries. There are typically 100-200 jobs advertised, often requiring specific or constrained areas of specialization (in research) or areas of competence (in teaching). Candidates apply for these jobs in October through May, and the first main round of interviews (usually for 6-16 candidates per job) takes place at the APA conference on the east coast in late December. This is typically followed by a round of campus visits for 1-6 candidates per position, after which job offers are extended. Most tenure-track positions are advertised in this round. After this, there are further issues of Jobs for Philosophers (containing more non-tenure-track positions), for which there are often interviews at the Pacific and Central meetings of the APA. Students are strongly encouraged to join the American Philosophical Association and sign up to receive on-line issues of Jobs for Philosophers and periodic job announcements. The APA website is: http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa/
As a rough rule of thumb, students should expect to apply for jobs in a given year if their dissertation is at least half complete, and if they expect to complete it within the current academic year (or in the summer at the latest). Students who are job candidates will work closely with the Placement Director in compiling their application dossiers and preparing for interviews, and they are strongly advised to begin preparing for the job market starting in their first semester. An application will typically include a cover letter, CV, a writing sample, a number of letters of recommendation from faculty members, and materials related to teaching. Before the APA meeting, mock interviews will be conducted, and students will often give a practice talk. The Placement Director will travel to the APA to assist job candidates there.
Department Life
All students are expected to attend all department colloquia, which usually take place on Friday afternoons from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Students are encouraged to attend the department’s coffee hour, which takes place in the department library (Social Sciences 140) from 3-3:30pm every weekday.
Courses for Distribution Requirements
The following is a list of courses that may be taken for each distribution requirement. These are guidelines rather than strict rules. The final decision about whether a given course counts for a requirement is up to the faculty. Unstarred courses under a given heading will usually count toward the requirement in question. Starred courses will sometimes count toward the requirement in question, depending on how the course is taught. Courses not on these lists might also count toward the relevant requirements, depending on their content. Consult with the Director of Graduate Studies and with the area consultants to be sure.
In 2007-08, the Director of Graduate Studies is Richard Healey
(rhealey@u.arizona.edu). The area consultants are: Terry Horgan
(M&E), Julia Annas (History), David Schmidtz (Ethics), Shaughan Lavine
(Logic/Language/Science).
1. Metaphysics and Epistemology
540. Metaphysics
541. Theory of Knowledge
550. Philosophy of Mind
551. Philosophy and Psychology
*555. Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence
*567. Early Analytic Philosophy
596B. Metaphysics
596C. Epistemology
596K. Philosophy of Mind
*596V. Philosophy and Cognitive Science
2. History of Philosophy
510A. History of Moral and Political Philosophy I
510B. History of Moral and Political Philosophy II
512. Readings in Greek Philosophy
570. Greek Philosophy
571A. Rationalism and Empiricism
571B. Rationalism and Empiricism
572A. Ancient Philosophy: Plato
572B. Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle
596P. History of Philosophy: Ancient
596Q. History of Philosophy: Recent
3. Ethics and Value Theory
*524. Philosophy of Social Sciences
525. Philosophical Issues in Feminism
530A. Ethical Theory
530B. Ethical Theory
*533. Aesthetics
534. Social and Political Philosophy
538A. Philosophy of Law
596A. Ethics
596E. Aesthetics
596F. Social and Political Philosophy
596G. Philosophy of Law
4. Logic, Language, and Science
501A. Symbolic Logic I
501B. Symbolic Logic II
502. Mathematical Logic
503. Foundations of Mathematics
516. Philosophy of Mathematics
520. Philosophy of Science
521. Philosophy of Biological Science
522. Linguistic Semantics and Lexicology
526. Philosophical Problems of Space, Time and Motion
527. Philosophy of Physical Science
*532. Psychology of Language
563. Philosophy of Language
564. Formal Semantics
565. Pragmatics
*567. Early Analytic Philosophy
596H. Philosophy of Physical Science
596L. Philosophy of Language
596S. Philosophy of Mathematics
*596V. Philosophy and Cognitive Science
Formal Requirement
501A Symbolic Logic
501B Symbolic Logic
*516 Philosophy of Mathematics
*526 Philosophical Problems of Space, Time and Motion
*527 Philosophy of Physical Science
564 Formal Semantics
To satisfy the formal requirement, students may also take any course of a formal nature at an advanced level offered by another department that is approved by the Graduate Director and a faculty member in whose area the student is working, or any course in the Greek language approved by the Graduate Director in consultation with a faculty member working in the area of ancient Greek philosophy.
Minor Requirements
The Department approved the following governing graduate minors for students not majoring in Philosophy:
• A philosophy minor for a graduate student from outside the philosophy department requires that the graduate student take four graduate courses in philosophy (12 units) in any area subject to the approval of the director of graduate studies.
Graduate students in philosophy may earn a master’s degree on the way to the Ph.D. 30 units of course work in philosophy (10 courses) are required. Students must pass (with a grade of B or better) at least one course in each of the first three areas of distribution explained in the separately provided departmental policies pertaining to the Ph.D., and they must fulfill the formal requirements as specified in the departmental policies. At least half of a student’s courses must be at the seminar level. Also, a successful oral defense of a substantial written work is required for the master’s degree. (For an ongoing student, the prospectus examination will usually fulfill this requirement.)
Funding
Students admitted to the program are usually guaranteed five years of funding, contingent on satisfactory academic progress and barring unusual financial exigencies. In most semesters, this funding takes the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA). Occasionally the funding may take the form of a Graduate Research Assistantship (assisting a faculty member with research) or a fellowship. Out-of-state fees are waived for students with GTAs, and, contingent upon funding, in-state registration fees are also waived for GTAs. GTAs are required by the Graduate College to have an official GPA of at least 3.0. Failure to maintain at least an official 3.0 GPA may result in a loss of funding. This means that it is vital to avoid grades of E that result from failure to complete course work in a timely manner.
Teaching
A student with a GTA will most often act as a teaching assistant in a course taught by a faculty member. This will usually involve teaching up to three one-hour discussion sections per week (with about 30 students each), grading papers and examinations, and other duties. It may sometimes involve grading but no direct teaching. There are some opportunities for a GTA to teach a course independently. In this case, the GTA is usually responsible for designing a syllabus (which must be approved by a faculty member), lecturing, designing paper topics and examinations, and grading papers and examinations. There are also some opportunities for additional independent teaching during the summer and winter sessions. GTAs teaching independently will consult with a faculty member.
The teaching of a GTA will be observed and evaluated by a faculty member at least once per semester. When the GTA is assisting in a course taught by a faculty member, that faculty member will do the evaluation. When a GTA is teaching independently, a faculty member will be assigned for this purpose. GTAs are entitled to two evaluations in each of their first two semesters as a GTA, at their discretion. GTAs are also entitled to two evaluations per semester late in their graduate career, with the intent of having an informed teaching letter for their dossiers. GTAs are evaluated either once or twice the first time they teach independently, at the discretion of the faculty member making the first evaluation. After each evaluation, the faculty member will file a written report which will be placed in the student's file. If a student's teaching has not yet been evaluated at a point well into the semester, the student should request an evaluation.
Conferences and Publications
Students are very strongly encouraged to attend philosophical conferences, present their work at philosophical conferences, and submit their work to philosophical journals. These activities are valuable both for a student's philosophical development and for establishing a professional record in preparation for the job market.
Conference attendance: Conferences are held quite regularly in Tucson: for example, there is a colloquium in Ancient Philosophy each February, a major conference on consciousness every second April, and occasional topical workshops. Students are encouraged to take part in these and other meetings. At the national level there are also three annual meetings of the American Philosophical Association, and many more specialized meetings.
Conference presentation: Students are strongly encouraged to submit their work to APA meetings and other philosophical conferences. Students whose work is accepted for presentation at an out of town conference are eligible for a modest travel stipend from the department, contingent upon their application to the Graduate College for similar funding.
Journal submission: Students are also strongly encouraged to submit their work to professional journals. Students should keep this in mind when writing papers for seminars and their starred paper.
Placement
Each October, the American Philosophical Association circulates a document, “Jobs for Philosophers”, with notices of advertised jobs in the USA, Canada, and some other countries. There are typically 100-200 jobs advertised, often requiring specific or constrained areas of specialization (in research) or areas of competence (in teaching). Candidates apply for these jobs in October through May, and the first main round of interviews (usually for 6-16 candidates per job) takes place at the APA conference on the east coast in late December. This is typically followed by a round of campus visits for 1-6 candidates per position, after which job offers are extended. Most tenure-track positions are advertised in this round. After this, there are further issues of Jobs for Philosophers (containing more non-tenure-track positions), for which there are often interviews at the Pacific and Central meetings of the APA. Students are strongly encouraged to join the American Philosophical Association and sign up to receive on-line issues of Jobs for Philosophers and periodic job announcements. The APA website is: http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa/
As a rough rule of thumb, students should expect to apply for jobs in a given year if their dissertation is at least half complete, and if they expect to complete it within the current academic year (or in the summer at the latest). Students who are job candidates will work closely with the Placement Director in compiling their application dossiers and preparing for interviews, and they are strongly advised to begin preparing for the job market starting in their first semester. An application will typically include a cover letter, CV, a writing sample, a number of letters of recommendation from faculty members, and materials related to teaching. Before the APA meeting, mock interviews will be conducted, and students will often give a practice talk. The Placement Director will travel to the APA to assist job candidates there.
Department Life
All students are expected to attend all department colloquia, which usually take place on Friday afternoons from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Students are encouraged to attend the department’s coffee hour, which takes place in the department library (Social Sciences 140) from 3-3:30pm every weekday.
Courses for Distribution Requirements
The following is a list of courses that may be taken for each distribution requirement. These are guidelines rather than strict rules. The final decision about whether a given course counts for a requirement is up to the faculty. Unstarred courses under a given heading will usually count toward the requirement in question. Starred courses will sometimes count toward the requirement in question, depending on how the course is taught. Courses not on these lists might also count toward the relevant requirements, depending on their content. Consult with the Director of Graduate Studies and with the area consultants to be sure.
In 2007-08, the Director of Graduate Studies is Richard Healey
(rhealey@u.arizona.edu). The area consultants are: Terry Horgan
(M&E), Julia Annas (History), David Schmidtz (Ethics), Shaughan Lavine
(Logic/Language/Science).
1. Metaphysics and Epistemology
540. Metaphysics
541. Theory of Knowledge
550. Philosophy of Mind
551. Philosophy and Psychology
*555. Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence
*567. Early Analytic Philosophy
596B. Metaphysics
596C. Epistemology
596K. Philosophy of Mind
*596V. Philosophy and Cognitive Science
2. History of Philosophy
510A. History of Moral and Political Philosophy I
510B. History of Moral and Political Philosophy II
512. Readings in Greek Philosophy
570. Greek Philosophy
571A. Rationalism and Empiricism
571B. Rationalism and Empiricism
572A. Ancient Philosophy: Plato
572B. Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle
596P. History of Philosophy: Ancient
596Q. History of Philosophy: Recent
3. Ethics and Value Theory
*524. Philosophy of Social Sciences
525. Philosophical Issues in Feminism
530A. Ethical Theory
530B. Ethical Theory
*533. Aesthetics
534. Social and Political Philosophy
538A. Philosophy of Law
596A. Ethics
596E. Aesthetics
596F. Social and Political Philosophy
596G. Philosophy of Law
4. Logic, Language, and Science
501A. Symbolic Logic I
501B. Symbolic Logic II
502. Mathematical Logic
503. Foundations of Mathematics
516. Philosophy of Mathematics
520. Philosophy of Science
521. Philosophy of Biological Science
522. Linguistic Semantics and Lexicology
526. Philosophical Problems of Space, Time and Motion
527. Philosophy of Physical Science
*532. Psychology of Language
563. Philosophy of Language
564. Formal Semantics
565. Pragmatics
*567. Early Analytic Philosophy
596H. Philosophy of Physical Science
596L. Philosophy of Language
596S. Philosophy of Mathematics
*596V. Philosophy and Cognitive Science
Formal Requirement
501A Symbolic Logic
501B Symbolic Logic
*516 Philosophy of Mathematics
*526 Philosophical Problems of Space, Time and Motion
*527 Philosophy of Physical Science
564 Formal Semantics
To satisfy the formal requirement, students may also take any course of a formal nature at an advanced level offered by another department that is approved by the Graduate Director and a faculty member in whose area the student is working, or any course in the Greek language approved by the Graduate Director in consultation with a faculty member working in the area of ancient Greek philosophy.
Minor Requirements
The Department approved the following governing graduate minors for students not majoring in Philosophy:
• A philosophy minor for a graduate student from outside the philosophy department requires that the graduate student take four graduate courses in philosophy (12 units) in any area subject to the approval of the director of graduate studies.
• Transfer credits will not be accepted for the minor.
• A comprehensive examination may be required, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies, in an area of philosophy chosen by the student with the approval of the Director.
The comprehensive exam would have both a written and an oral part
The student would have two faculty on the comprehensive examination committee, each from the philosophy department. They would help the student draw up a reading list in the student’s desired field in philosophy. The written part would be a three hour exam taken by the student at a time of his or her choosing on the subject agreed upon with the members of the committee. The oral examination would consist in the two philosophy department committee members examining the student on the basis of the written answers, exam questions not answered by the student, or on other issues connected with the agreed upon reading list. The oral part of the exam may take place in conjunction with an oral exam in the major field if this should occur.
The comprehensive exam would have both a written and an oral part
The student would have two faculty on the comprehensive examination committee, each from the philosophy department. They would help the student draw up a reading list in the student’s desired field in philosophy. The written part would be a three hour exam taken by the student at a time of his or her choosing on the subject agreed upon with the members of the committee. The oral examination would consist in the two philosophy department committee members examining the student on the basis of the written answers, exam questions not answered by the student, or on other issues connected with the agreed upon reading list. The oral part of the exam may take place in conjunction with an oral exam in the major field if this should occur.