*qualification in Logic by satisfactory completion of two approved courses; qualification in the remaining three areas by satisfactory completion of three courses in that area; for the three courses in the History of Philosophy, at least one course must be in Ancient Philosophy, and at least one course must be in Medieval or Modern Philosophy
Transfer students holding the M.A. degree may be granted up to 24 hours of credit towards the Ph.D. Further, those 24 hours may, with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, be used to satisfy some of the area requirements mentioned above: For each of the four areas other than Logic, up to two approved courses from other institutions may be used to satisfy the requirements for that area. Thus, if you have taken two ethics courses in an M.A. program, then subject to the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies those courses may be used to satisfy two out of the three courses required for fulfillment of the Ethics area requirement. Likewise for the Metaphysics and Epistemology area requirement and the History of Philosophy area requirement. Two approved courses in logic from an M.A. program are sufficient for fulfillment of the Logic area requirement.
Students are free to choose their own courses and concentrate in the areas in which they are most interested, though Ph.D. candidates must bear in mind the necessity of preparing themselves in the four areas of qualification. The interests and areas of specialization of the faculty allow students a wide range of topics and areas in which to do research and write theses and dissertations. For more information on recent thesis and dissertation topics, see the listing of recent thesis and dissertation titles.
In cooperation with the School of Law, the department offers a joint program in law and philosophy leading to the degrees of J.D. and M.A. in philosophy. A joint J.D. and Ph.D. is also possible. For either of these programs, one must be admitted separately to both the Law School and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. (Click here for more information about J.D./M.A. program.)