why philosophy in phd

Philosophy: What and Why?

Find a job in philosophy, what is philosophy.

Philosophy is the systematic and critical study of fundamental questions that arise both in everyday life and through the practice of other disciplines. Some of these questions concern the nature of  reality : Is there an external world? What is the relationship between the physical and the mental? Does God exist? Others concern our nature as rational, purposive, and social beings: Do we act freely? Where do our moral obligations come from? How do we construct just political states? Others concern the nature and extent of our knowledge: What is it to know something rather than merely believe it? Does all of our knowledge come from sensory experience? Are there limits to our knowledge? And still others concern the foundations and implications of other disciplines: What is a scientific explanation? What sort of knowledge of the world does science provide? Do scientific theories, such as evolutionary theory, or quantum mechanics, compel us to modify our basic philosophical understanding of, and approach to, reality? What makes an object a work of art? Are aesthetic value judgments objective? And so on.

The aim in Philosophy is not to master a body of facts, so much as think clearly and sharply through any set of facts. Towards that end, philosophy students are trained to read critically, analyze and assess arguments, discern hidden assumptions, construct logically tight arguments, and express themselves clearly and precisely in both speech and writing.

Here are descriptions of some of the main areas of philosophy:

Epistemology studies questions about knowledge and rational belief.  Traditional questions include the following: How can we know that the ordinary physical objects around us are real (as opposed to dreamed, or hallucinated, as in the Matrix)?  What are the factors that determine whether a belief is rational or irrational?  What is the difference between knowing something and just believing it?  (Part of the answer is that you can have false beliefs, but you can only know things that are true.  But that’s not the whole answer—after all, you might believe something true on the basis of a lucky guess, and that wouldn’t be knowledge!)   Some other questions that have recently been the subject of lively debate in epistemology include: Can two people with exactly the same evidence be completely rational in holding opposite beliefs?  Does whether I know something depend on how much practical risk I would face if I believed falsely?  Can I rationally maintain confident beliefs about matters on which I know that others, who are seemingly every bit as intelligent, well-informed, unbiased and diligent as I am, have come to opposite conclusions?

Metaphysics is the study of what the world is like—or (some would say) what reality consists in. Metaphysical questions can take several forms. They can be questions about what exists (questions of ontology); they can be questions what is fundamental (as opposed to derivative); and they can be questions about what is an objective feature of the world (as opposed to a mere consequence the way in which creatures like us happen to interact with that world). Questions that are central to the study of metaphysics include questions about the nature of objects, persons, time, space, causation, laws of nature, and modality. The rigorous study of these questions has often led metaphysicians to make surprising claims. Plato thought that alongside the observable, concrete world there was a realm of eternal, unchanging abstract entities like Goodness, Beauty, and Justice. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz claimed that the world was composed of tiny indivisible souls, called monads. Even today contemporary metaphysicians have been known to doubt the existence of ordinary objects, to deny the possibility of free will, and to argue that our world is just one of a plurality of worlds.

Logic is the study of the validity of patterns of inference. Logic is not a branch of psychology: It does not concern how people actually reason or which kinds of reasoning they find intuitively compelling. Rather, logic concerns the question of when a claim is conclusively supported by other claims. For instance, the inference from the claims “it is raining” and “if it is raining then the streets are wet” to the claim “the streets are wet” is logically valid – the premises conclusively support the conclusion. The validity of this specific inference, and of other inferences of the same form, is tied to the nature of the concept “if … then”. More generally, the notion of logical validity is closely connected to the nature of concepts such as “and”, “or”, “not”, “if … then”, “all”, and “some”. In studying the notion of logical validity, logicians have developed symbolic languages. These enable us to state claims clearly and precisely, and to investigate the exact structure of an argument. These languages have turned out to be useful within philosophy and other disciplines, including mathematics and computer science. Some of the questions about logic studied by members of the philosophy department include: Given that logic is not an empirical science, how can we have knowledge of basic logical truths? What is the connection between logic and rationality? Can mathematics be reduced to logic? Should we revise logic to accommodate vague or imprecise language? Should we revise logic to answer the liar paradox and other paradoxes concerning truth? 

Political philosophy is the philosophical study of concepts and values associated with political matters. For one example, is there any moral obligation to do what the law says just because the law says so, and if so on what grounds? Many have said we consent to obey. Did you consent to obey the laws? Can one consent without realizing it? Are there other grounds for an obligation to obey the law? Another central question is what would count as a just distribution of all the wealth and opportunity that is made possible by living in a political community? Is inequality in wealth or income unjust? Much existing economic inequality is a result of different talents, different childhood opportunities, different gender, or just different geographical location. What might justify inequalities that are owed simply to bad luck? Some say that inequality can provide incentives to produce or innovate more, which might benefit everyone. Others say that many goods belong to individuals before the law enters in, and that people may exchange them as they please even if this results in some having more than others. So (a third question), what does it mean for something to be yours, and what makes it yours?

The Philosophy of Language is devoted to the study of questions concerned with meaning and communication. Such questions range from ones that interact closely with linguistic theory to questions that are more akin to those raised in the study of literature. Very large questions include: What is linguistic meaning? How is the meaning of linguistic performances similar to and different from the meanings of, say, gestures or signals? What is the relationship between language and thought? Is thought more fundamental than language? Or is there some sense in which only creatures that can speak can think? To what extent does the social environment affect the meaning and use of language? Other questions focus on the communicative aspect of language, such as: What is it to understand what someone else has said? What is it to assert something? How is assertion related to knowledge and belief? And how is it that we can gain knowledge from others through language? Yet other questions focus on specific features of the languages we speak, for example: What is it a name to be a name of a particular thing? What's the relationship between the meanings of words and the meanings of sentences? Is there an important difference between literal and figurative uses of language? What is metaphor? And how does it work?

Ethics is the study of what we ought to do and what sorts of people we ought to be. Ethicists theorize about what makes acts right and wrong and what makes outcomes good and bad, and also about which motivations and traits of character we should admire and cultivate. Some other questions that ethicists try to answer are closely related to the central ones. They include: What does it mean to act freely? Under what conditions are we responsible for our good and bad acts? Are moral claims true and false, like ordinary descriptive claims about our world, and if they are what makes them so?

The History of Philosophy plays a special role in the study of philosophy. Like every other intellectual discipline, philosophy has of course a history.  However, in the case of philosophy an understanding of its history - from its ancient and medieval beginnings through the early modern period (the 17th and 18th centuries) and into more recent times - forms a vital part of the very enterprise of philosophy, whether in metaphysics and epistemology or in ethics, aesthetics, and political philosophy.  To study the great philosophical works of the past is to learn about the origins and presuppositions of many of the problems that occupy philosophy today.  It is also to discover and to come to appreciate different ways of dealing with these problems, different conceptions of what the fundamental problems of philosophy are, and indeed different ways of doing philosophy altogether.  And it is also the study of works—from Plato and Aristotle, through Kant and Mill and more recent writers—that have shaped much of Western culture far beyond academic philosophy. Many of the most creative philosophers working today have also written on various topics in the history of philosophy and have found their inspiration in great figures of the past. 

Why Study Philosophy?

This question may be understood in two ways: Why would one engage in the particular intellectual activities that constitute philosophical inquiry? And how might the study of philosophy affect my future career prospects?

Philosophy as intellectual activity may have a number of motivations:

• Intellectual curiosity: philosophy is essentially a  reflective-critical inquiry  motivated by a sense of intellectual “wonder.” What is the world like? Why is it this way, rather than another? Who am I? Why am I here?
• Interest in cultural and intellectual history: as a discipline, philosophy pays a great deal of attention to its history, and to the broader cultural and intellectual context in which this history unfolds.
• Sharpening thinking skills: the study of philosophy is especially well suited to the development of a variety of intellectual skills involved in the analysis of concepts, the critique of ideas, the conduct of sound reasoning and argumentation; it is important to emphasize that philosophical inquiry also fosters intellectual creativity (developing new concepts, or new approaches to problems, identifying new problems, and so on).
• Sharpening writing skills: the writing of philosophy is especially rigorous

Philosophy might affect future career prospects in a number of ways:

• Some philosophy concentrators go on to graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy. Most of those become professors of philosophy, which means that their professional lives are devoted to research and teaching in philosophy.
• A philosophy concentration is not limiting: in fact, the skills it develops and sharpens are transferable to a wide variety of professional activities. Obvious examples include the application of reasoning and argumentation skills to the practice of law; less obvious examples include the application of analytical and critical skills to journalism, investment banking, writing, publishing, and so on; even less obvious examples include putting one’s philosophical education to work in business entrepreneurship, political and social activism, and even creative arts.

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Department of Philosophy

College of humanities, main navigation, why philosophy.

What is “Philosophy”?

The word itself derives from Greek roots that means love of wisdom . A substantive and precise characterization of the field of philosophy, and its practice, is difficult. In part, this is because philosophy is so all-encompassing. Nearly every academic discipline is a historical outgrowth of philosophy. Because of its broad nature, contemporary philosophy is divided into numerous subfields, each of which would be easier to characterize than the whole of philosophy. Related questions concern the  value of philosophy. Below we summarize the practical  and  intrinsic value associated with philosophical education.

Practical Value of Philosophy

Raise your grad school entrance exam score

Philosophy students are consistently among the top performers on standardized grad school prep exams – e.g., GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT. Those exams do not emphasize discipline-specific knowledge; rather, they emphasize skills with logical reasoning and comprehension of logic-rich texts. Why? The thinking is that if you are good with logical reasoning, then we can train you! Philosophy students do fantastically well on these exams for the simple reason that philosophy courses   focus   on logical reasoning. Adding a philosophy Minor or second Major will help improve your prep exam scores, and that will likely get you into a better-ranked graduate program. More generally, you'll increase your problem-solving skills.

• ETS ,   2016 GRE test results data, by Major
• LSAC ,   2016 LSAT test results data, by Major
• Daily Nous ,   “Value of Philosophy – Charts and Graphs”
• PrepScholar ,   GRE scores, by Major
• Discover Magazine ,   “Verbal vs Mathematical Aptitude in Academics”

Improve your reading and writing skills

If mastery with creative writing (among other forms) is your goal, then English courses are terrific. If instead, the goal is mastery of reading and writing skills associated with academic, journal-style texts – i.e., analytical writings rich in logical reasoning – you can do no better than to take philosophy courses. Indeed, recent data for the GRE exam (see links above) show that for the two portions of the exam associated with verbal and writing skills, philosophy students earned the very highest scores of any Major. Adding a philosophy Minor or second Major will improve your reading and writing in your first Major, helping you to earn better grades.

Enhance your studies in another field

This is not simply to repeat that the themes that philosophy students develop superior logical, reading, and writing skills. Rather, the present point is that philosophy is among the most interdisciplinary of fields – arguably, the most interdisciplinary. The history of every other academic discipline traces back to philosophy. Whether you're majoring in psychology, biology, physics, or whatnot, your discipline was founded by philosophers working on specialized topics unique to (what has become) your field. Part of the legacy of these philosophical origins is that scholars across all fields continue to earn PhD degrees – “PhD” abbreviates “Philosophy Doctorate”. The philosophical foundations underlying other disciplines makes the study of philosophy particular well-suited as Minor or a second Major. Many of our course titles are a tribute to the interdisciplinarity of philosophy – such courses as “Philosophy of Biology”, “Philosophy of Physics”, “Philosophy of Science”, “Philosophy of Social Science”, “Philosophy of Mind”, “Philosophy of Language”, “Philosophy of Law”, “Philosophy of Literature”, “Philosophy of Education”, “Philosophy of Art” . . . you get the idea. Bottom-line: The study of Philosophy combines fantastically well with a Major in  any  other field. Adding a Philosophy Minor or second Major typically rewards students with a deeper understanding of issues relevant to their first Major.

Boost your career and salary

Though STEM fields are much in demand these days, the situation remains strong for Humanities Majors. Indeed, recent studies indicates that, over time, degrees in the Humanities reward students with higher salaries, gradually closing the initial pay gap occurring in comparison with Majors in professional fields. Further research indicates that philosophy Majors are the best paid, among Humanities Majors. Indeed, a Wall Street Journal analysis shows that philosophy Majors and mathematics Majors are tied, for earning the highest midcareer salary increases – greater than a 100% increase.

• Wall Street Journal ,   “Salary Increase By Major”
• Forbes ,   “Surprise: Humanities Degrees Provide Great Return On Investment”
• Nace Center ,   “Philosophy Projected as Top-Paid Class of 2016 Humanities Major”
• Harvard Business Review ,   “How Philosophy Makes You a Better Leader”
• Forbes ,   “How Philosophy Can Make You a Better Manager”
• Chronicle of Higher Education ,   “Over Time, Humanities Grads Close the Pay Gap With Professional Peers”

Intrinsic Value of Philosophy

Expand your knowledge

The history of philosophy is the history of big ideas and influential thinkers – such thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, Xunzi, Aquinas, Descartes, Pascal, Locke, Hume, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Beauvoir, Rawls, and more. Take on course on one or more of these thinkers. You'll discover that rethinking the ideas of great intellectual masters is its own reward.

Improve your skills at logical analysis and persuasion

The outstanding performance of philosophy students on grad school prep exams is the natural outgrowth of strong logical and analytical abilities. Together with superb abilities at dissecting the writings of others, and persuasively expressing one's own views, makes the study of philosophy a natural fit for freethinkers and problem-solvers.

Wall Street Journal ,   “Philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen’s Big Bet on Philosophy” Washington Post ,   “Why kids – now more than ever – need to learn philosophy. Yes, philosophy.”

Boost the meaning and satisfaction in your life

Generations of thinkers have praised the virtues of an active life of the mind. Perhaps the most famous is attributed to Socrates – “The unexamined life is not worth living”. While we are not asserting something quite that strong, it is widely agreed that a contemplative life will increase the sense of meaning and satisfaction in your life.

New York Times ,   “In a New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined” New York Times ,   “Philosophers Find the Degree Pays Off in Life And in Work” Salt Lake Tribune ,   “Colleges defend humanities amid tight budgets” Google's in-house philosopher, Damon Horowitz,   “Quit Your Technology Job and Get a Humanities Ph.D.

Further Links on the Value of Philosophy

New York Times ,   “Robert E. Rubin: Philosophy Prepared Me for a Career in Finance and Government”

CNBC ,   “Mark Cuban says studying philosophy may soon be worth more than computer science – here's why”

The Guardian ,   “Bertrand Russell: the everyday value of philosophy”

Entrepreneur ,   “5 Reasons Why Philosophy Majors Make Great Entrepreneurs”

Washington Post ,   “For philosophy majors, the question after graduation is: What next?”

Psychology Today ,   “Is a Philosophy Degree Useful?”

Huff Post ,   “The Unexpected Way Philosophy Majors Are Changing The World Of Business”

The Guardian,   “I think, therefore I earn”

Bloomberg ,   “Philosophy is Back in Business”

Wall Street Journal ,   “Doing the Math to Find the Jobs”

The Atlantic ,   “Earning Power of Philosophy Majors”

Salon ,   “Be employable, study philosophy”

“Graduating with a philosophy degree? There's more than Starbucks in your future”

“Philosophy is a Great Major”

Department of Linguistics and Philosophy

Ph.d. program.

The program of studies leading to the doctorate in philosophy provides subjects and seminars in such traditional areas as logic, ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, aesthetics, social and political philosophy, and history of philosophy. Interest in philosophical problems arising from other disciplines, such as linguistics, psychology, mathematics and physics, is also encouraged.

Before beginning dissertation research, students are required to take two years of coursework, including a proseminar in contemporary philosophy that all students must complete in their first year of graduate study. Students are also required to pass general examinations and demonstrate competence in the following areas: value theory, logic and the history of philosophy.

Interdisciplinary study is encouraged, and candidates for the doctorate may take a minor in a field other than philosophy. There is no general language requirement for the doctorate, except in those cases in which competence in one or more foreign language is needed to carry on research for the dissertation.

Below is a detailed description of the philosophy Ph.D. program. For information about applying, see our admissions page ; we have also compiled data on placement , retention, and average completion times .

1. Your Advisor

When you join the Department you will be assigned a faculty advisor who will supervise your course of study. Your advisor must approve your program at the beginning of each term, and you should keep them abreast of your progress and problems. When forming a Fifth Term Paper committee the chair of your committee becomes your advisor. Similarly, when you form a dissertation committee.

Your teachers will write comments on your performance in subjects which you complete. These comments will be placed in your file in the Department office (your file is open to you), and they will be discussed at a meeting of the faculty at the end of each term. You should see your advisor at the end of each term to review your progress.

You may change your advisor at any time. Similarly you may change the composition of your fifth year paper and dissertation committees, as well as adjust the topics of those projects. To make a change first ask the relevant faculty if they are willing, then notify the Chair of the Committee on Graduate Students (COGS).

The current composition of COGS is: Brad Skow (Chief Cog), Kieran Setiya , and Roger White .

2. Requirements

2.1 overall course requirements.

Students must pass (with a grade of C or higher) at least 10 graduate subjects in philosophy (unless you earn a minor, in which case see section 4 below ). At least 7 must be subjects at MIT.

Students may petition COGS to use undergraduate subjects at MIT to satisfy the overall course requirement (except: in the case of an undergraduate logic subject more advanced than 24.241, no petition is needed).

Students must take at least 2 subjects in philosophy at MIT during each term of their first year, and at least 1 subject in philosophy at MIT during each term of their second year. Normally, students take 4 subjects during their second year.

2.2 Teaching Requirement

All graduate students must acquire some teaching experience. This requirement is normally satisfied by serving as a Teaching Assistant in an undergraduate subject in philosophy at MIT.

2.3 Logic Requirement

The Department has a standing committee which is charged with administering the logic requirement; the requirement may be satisfied in one of the following ways:

(a) by auditing Logic I and completing the work (Logic I may not be taken for graduate credit); (b) by successfully completing a logic assessment set by the committee; (c) by successfully completing an alternative or more advanced subject in logic at MIT (for example, modal logic or Logic II) approved by the committee. (d) by being exempted from the requirement by COGS. Such exemption does not affect the overall course requirements (2.1 above).

The level of knowledge of logic expected for exemption, or tested on the examination, is what is covered in Logic I at MIT: proof procedure and semantics for first-order predicate logic with identity, and some acquaintance with standard metalogical results (for example, those concerning completeness, incompleteness and decidability).

Students are normally expected to satisfy the logic requirement by the beginning of their second year.

2.4 Distribution Requirement

2.4.1 proseminar.

All first-year students are required to complete the two-semester sequence 24.400-24.401, Proseminar in Philosophy. The first semester is an intensive seminar on the foundations of analytic philosophy from Frege to roughly 1960. The second semester is an intensive seminar on highlights of analytic philosophy from roughly 1960 to the present. The two-semester sequence counts as two subjects.

2.4.2 History of Philosophy

Students must complete two graduate subjects in the history of philosophy. For the purposes of this requirement, the history of philosophy means philosophers or philosophical schools that flourished before 1879.

A subject that spends a substantial part of, but not all of, its time on history counts toward this requirement provided the student’s term paper focuses on the history part. If there is doubt about whether a subject qualifies, consult COGS.

History subjects designed for a mixture of graduate and undergraduate students, like 100-level courses at Harvard, also count.

COGS permission is required in order to satisfy this requirement by taking two subjects on the same philosopher. (COGS will likely reject using two subjects on Descartes’ Meditations to fulfill the history requirement; COGS will likely approve using two subjects on Kant, one focused on ethics, the other on metaphysics and epistemology.)

Students wishing to fulfill this requirement by some other means should contact COGS.

2.4.3 Value Theory

Students must complete one graduate subject in ethics or political philosophy or aesthetics.

2.5 Fifth Term Paper Requirement

By the end of a student’s third term (usually fall of the second year) the student should select a paper topic for their Fifth Term Paper and form a committee to advise them on their work. The committee will consist of two faculty members (a supervisor and a second reader). The proposed topic and names of committee members should be submitted to COGS before the end-of-term meeting.

During the student’s fourth term, the student, in consultation with the committee, should assemble a reading list on the chosen topic. As a guideline, the reading list might consist of roughly twenty papers or the equivalent; the faculty recognizes that lengths of lists will vary. The final list must be approved by the committee and submitted to COGS by the end-of-term meeting.

During the fifth term, the student will write a polished paper on the chosen topic, roughly 25 pages long, in consultation with their committee. After submitting a final version of the paper that the committee deems satisfactory, the student will sit for an oral examination with the committee on both the paper and, more generally, the paper’s topic, as defined by the reading list.

The fifth term paper project is graded pass-fail. Students must pass the oral exam by the end-of-term meeting of their fifth term. After a student passes the exam their committee will write a report on the project to be given to the student and placed in the student’s file. Successfully completing this project constitutes passing the written and oral general examination requirements imposed by MIT’s Graduate School.

2.6 Petitions

A student may petition COGS to waive a requirement in light of their special circumstances.

3. Independent Studies

While in the normal case a student’s 10 graduate subjects will be seminars, students may also take an independent study with a faculty member. Students wishing to register for 24.891 or 24.892 must obtain permission from the Chief COG. After talking with the faculty member they wish to supervise their independent study, the student should write a proposal describing how often they will meet, how long the meetings will last, a tentative list of readings, and the amount of writing they will do. The Chief COG will approve an independent study only if the amount of work proposed equals or exceeds the usual amount of work in a seminar.

Students can minor in a field outside philosophy of their choosing (for example, linguistics, psychology, science technology and society, physics, feminist theory…). To earn a minor in field X a student must (i) pass 3 graduate subjects in field X, (ii) pass one graduate philosophy subject on a topic related to field X, and (iii) obtain COGS approval. (It is best to seek approval before all 4 subjects have been taken.) A student may receive no more than two minors; in the case of two minors, a single philosophy subject may (in rare cases) be used to satisfy clause (ii) for both minors.

Students who earn a minor need only pass 8, rather than 10, graduate philosophy subjects (7 must be taken at MIT). The subject used to satisfy (ii) counts as one of these 8.

Our faculty uses pluses and minuses, but the grades on your official transcript will be straight letter grades. Here are the meanings that MIT assigns to the grades:

A Exceptionally good performance, demonstrating a superior understanding of the subject matter, a foundation of extensive knowledge, and a skillful use of concepts and/or materials.

B Good performance, demonstrating capacity to use the appropriate concepts, a good understanding of the subject matter, and an ability to handle the problems and material encountered in the subject.

C Adequate performance, demonstrating an adequate understandingof the subject matter, an ability to handle relatively simpleproblems, and adequate preparation for moving on to more advanced work in the field.

D Minimally acceptable performance.

When the faculty determines the status of a student in the program, it does so on the basis of a review of the student’s total performance, which includes weighing the strengths and weaknesses of the student’s whole record. Thus it is in principle possible to redeem a weakness in one area by excellence in others.

An Incomplete (a grade of I) indicates that a minor part of the subject requirements has not been fulfilled and that a passing grade is to be expected when the work is completed. The grade I for the term remains permanently on the student’s record even when the subject is completed. In subjects in which the major work is a term paper, students may earn an I for the subject only if they submit a draft to the instructor(s) by midnight on the day before the end of term meeting. If a student does not hand in a draft by midnight on the day before the end of term meeting, the instructor is required to give the student an F. (The end of term meeting is shortly after the beginning of exam week.)

Any uncompleted incompletes on registration day of the following term will be converted to an F.

6. Ph.D. Thesis

A student is normally not allowed to begin work on a Ph.D. thesis until they have completed all of the requirements listed above. Students must complete all of those requirements by the end of their fifth term; exceptions will be made only after petition to COGS.

Once a student has completed the requirements listed above, there is the option of taking a terminal Master’s Degree instead of the Ph.D. This requires completing a Master’s thesis — students should consult COGS for more details.

The Ph.D. thesis is a substantial piece of original and independent research that displays mastery of an area of philosophy. A student may plan to write a sustained piece of work on one topic; they may instead plan to write three or more papers on connected topics. By the second month of the student’s sixth term they will submit to COGS a short (three to five pages) description of the projected thesis.

When the plan is approved, COGS will appoint a thesis committee consisting of a thesis supervisor and two additional readers, who shall be members of the philosophy faculty chosen by the student and willing to undertake the responsibility. The student will then meet with the members of the thesis committee for discussion of the material to be dealt with in the thesis. COGS approval is required if the student wants to include a non-MIT professor, or an MIT professor who is not on the philosophy faculty, on the committee. COGS approval is also required for a committee whose members include fewer than two MIT philosophy faculty (and this will be approved only in exceptional circumstances).

The student will meet regularly with their thesis supervisor throughout the writing of the thesis, and will provide all members of the thesis committee with written work by the end of each term. This requirement holds for nonresident as well as resident students.

The following rules govern completion of the thesis.

6.1 Final Term

The student will meet with their thesis committee during the first week of the term to assess the feasibility of completing the thesis during that term. The student and the committee will agree on a table of contents for the thesis, and on a schedule of dates for meeting the following requirements; a copy of the contents and the schedule should be given to COGS.

6.1.1 MIT Deadline

MIT requires that the completed thesis be delivered to the Department office by a date set by the Registrar for all Departments. (Early in January for February degrees, early in May for June degrees.) The Department regards this requirement as met by delivery to the thesis committee by that date of what the student regards as the final draft of their thesis.

6.1.2 Thesis Defense

The student will meet privately with their thesis committee to defend the thesis and to discuss any needed revisions. This meeting constitutes the official oral examination of the thesis.

The private defense must be scheduled for a date which will leave time for the student to make revisions before the MIT deadline. Once a student has completed the oral examination, and made any requested revisions, the decision whether to recommend award of the PhD is made by unanimous vote of the thesis committee.

6.1.3 Public Defense

The public defense is open to all members of the Department and their guests; it is chaired by the thesis supervisor, and normally runs for an hour, starting with a twenty-minute presentation by the student of the main results of the thesis. The public defense is the one occasion on which the entire Department has an opportunity to learn about and participate in the student’s work, and is a central part of the Ph.D. program.

The public defense is to be held after the student’s committee has voted to recommend awarding the PhD. One week before the public defense, the student should email the revised version to the chief COG, to be made available to members of the Department. A copy of the abstract should be emailed to the Academic Administrator for distribution when announcing the public defense to the Department.

6.1.4 Final Library Copy

The final library copy must be given to the Departmental representative to MIT’s Committee on Graduate School Policy (CGSP) by the day before that committee’s end-of-term meeting at which it approves the final degree list.

6.2 September Degrees

Students who will be unable to complete their theses during the spring term may wish to petition COGS for consideration for award of the degree in September. Such petitions will be granted on condition that an appropriate thesis committee can be constituted to work with the student during the summer. A schedule analogous to that described under 6.1 — including the scheduling of private and public defenses — must be given to COGS by the end of the spring term. The final library copy of the thesis must be given to the Departmental representative to CGSP by the day before that committee’s September meeting at which it approves the September degree list.

7. Policies on Satisfactory Progress and Good Standing

A student is in good standing so long as they have not fallen behind on any deadline mentioned in this document. The most salient of these is the deadline for the 5th term paper.

If a student is not in good standing, they will be unable to use their travel funds. If a student is not in good standing or has received a grade of B or lower in two classes in the previous semester, they are at risk of failing to make satisfactory academic progress.

If a student is at risk of failing to make satisfactory academic progress, the faculty will discuss the matter at the next end of term of meeting. (If any of the student’s advisors are not present at the meeting, they will be consulted before any action is taken.) The faculty will consider the work the student has produced, or failed to produce, so far, and the progress it represents. If there are serious doubts about the student’s prospects of completing the PhD, which includes writing a thesis that meets the conditions in section 6 , the student’s academic progress will be deemed unsatisfactory, and they will be issued a written notice from the Chief COG. The notice will explain how the student’s progress is unsatisfactory, what the student should accomplish in the following semester in order to avoid an official warning from the Vice Chancellor, and what steps the faculty will take to help the student accomplish these things. If a student fails to meet the conditions of the notice by the end of the following semester, as determined by the faculty, the student will receive an official warning from the Vice Chancellor. This warning will explain why the student’s progress continues to be unsatisfactory, what the student should accomplish in the following semester in order to continue in the program, and what steps the faculty will take to help the student accomplish these things. If the student is in a position to receive a terminal Master’s Degree, the conditions for doing so will be detailed. If the student fails to meet the conditions of the warning by the end of the semester, as determined by the faculty, the student will be denied permission to continue in the program.

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As a PhD student in the Harvard philosophy program, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your ideas, knowledge, and abilities. You'll work with other doctoral students, our faculty, and visiting scholars, all in a stimulating and supportive environment. The program has strengths across a broad range of topics and areas, so you'll be able to pursue your interests wherever they may lead, especially in moral and political philosophy, aesthetics, epistemology, philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, the history of analytic philosophy, ancient philosophy, Immanuel Kant, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. In addition, students can pursue joint degrees with classics, Harvard Law School, and in Indian philosophy.

Incoming cohorts consist of five to eight students per year. You will have substantial access to our renowned faculty and all the resources that Harvard makes available. This relatively small size also gives students a sense of intellectual community.

The curriculum is structured to help you make your way towards a dissertation: graduate-level coursework, a second-year research paper, a prospectus to help you identify a dissertation topic, and then the dissertation itself. Past dissertations in the department have addressed a broad range of topics: Aristotle, Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau; contemporary moral and political philosophy; metaphysics; epistemology; and logic.

In addition to your research, you will also have the opportunity to develop your teaching skills in many different settings across the University.

You can find graduates of the PhD program in many universities. Some of our students have gone on to faculty positions at Yale University, Princeton University, Brown University, and Stanford University. Other graduates have gone on to diverse careers in, among others, the arts, the law, secondary education, and technology.

In addition to the standard PhD in philosophy, the department offers a PhD in classical philosophy in collaboration with the Department of the Classics and a coordinated JD/PhD program in conjunction with Harvard Law School.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Philosophy and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

Philosophy | Classical Philosophy | Indian Philosophy 

For information please consult the Department webpage on the  graduate program overview .

Admissions Requirements

Please review admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Philosophy .

Academic Background

Applicants to the program in Philosophy are required to have a solid undergraduate background in philosophy, indicating that they have a good grounding in the history of philosophy, as well as familiarity with contemporary work in ethics, epistemology and metaphysics, and logic.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Optional

Writing Sample

A writing sample is required as part of the application and should be between 12 to 30 pages long. The sample must address a substantial philosophical problem, whether it is an evaluation or presentation of an argument, or a serious attempt to interpret a difficult text. The upload of the writing sample should be formatted for 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper, 1-inch margins, with double-spaced text in a common 12-point font, such as Times New Roman.

Applicants seeking admission to the coordinated JD/PhD program must apply to and be separately admitted to Harvard Law School and the Department of Philosophy.

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for Philosophy

See list of Philosophy faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

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Program Overview

The Department of Philosophy offers programs covering a wide range of fields in philosophy. The department’s graduate program is primarily a PhD program. In addition to the standard PhD in Philosophy, the department offers a PhD in Classical Philosophy in collaboration with the Department of the Classics, a PhD in Indian Philosophy in collaboration with the Department of South Asian Studies, and a joint JD/PhD program in conjunction with the Harvard Law School. Below you will find a list of the requirements for each program. The department does not admit applicants who wish to study only for the master’s (AM) degree. The AM may be taken as a step toward the PhD after a minimum of two terms in residence.

PhD in Philosophy

Graduate advising.

The department’s arrangement for advising students is structured to correspond to four stages of a student’s progress toward the PhD. These stages include the first year, the second-year paper, reading and research toward a dissertation topic, and work on the dissertation.

• The director of graduate studies is assigned as an advisor to all first-year students and continues to meet with all students at the beginning of each term and sign their study cards throughout their time in the program. Their advising role is particularly important during the coursework stage (generally through the second year), because they have principal responsibility for monitoring the student’s progress toward fulfilling the general requirements for the degree: the preliminary requirement, and the distribution requirement. In addition, each first-year student is assigned an informal faculty advisor.
• At the end of the first year, students should arrange with a member of the faculty to supervise the student’s second-year paper. That faculty member will be the student’s advisor during the second year. If necessary, the director of graduate studies is available to assist a student in finding a suitable faculty member.
• At the beginning of the third year, after the second year paper is completed, a student arranges for a faculty member to be their advisor during the process of exploring areas for a possible dissertation and formulating a topic and a prospectus. This advisor may be the same person as the second-year paper advisor but need not be. Normally, a student will continue with this advisor until the topical examination, but change is possible by arrangement among the parties involved.
• When a prospectus is well along, the student should discuss the formation of a dissertation committee with the advisor, the director of graduate studies, and possible committee members.  Normally, this committee has three members, two of whom must be Harvard faculty as members; however, the committee may consist of only two members at the time of the topical examination.  Committees may have a fourth member, who may be, with permission of the DGS, a faculty member in another Harvard department or at another institution. This committee conducts the topical examination and, after a successful topical, will continue supervising the student’s work on the dissertation. Normally it conducts the dissertation defense when the dissertation is completed.
• During work on the dissertation, change is possible by arrangement with the parties involved and with the approval of the director of graduate studies. At this stage, one member of the committee will be designated as the student’s advisor. The significance of this will vary as the supervision of dissertations is more collective in philosophy, for example, than in many other fields. In some cases, the advisor will be the principal supervisor, in others the role of the committee members will be close to equal and the choice of one advisor is a matter of convenience.

Preliminary Requirement

Candidates must pass at least twelve approved philosophy courses or seminars. The norm is that these course are completed during the first four terms in the department. Courses numbered 301 or above do not count toward this preliminary requirement, save that the two required terms of Philosophy 300, the First Year Colloquium, may be counted as two of the twelve. Independent Studies (Philosophy 305) may also be used to satisfy distribution requirements but not the preliminary requirement with the prior approval of the DGS. For a letter-graded course philosophy course to be considered satisfactory, the candidate’s grade in the course must be B or higher.  The average grade for all letter-graded philosophy courses taken during the candidate’s time in the program must be at least B+.

Courses taken to meet the preliminary requirement must be approved in advance by the department’s director of graduate studies. Students must take and complete Philosophy 300a plus two letter-graded courses or seminars during their first term and Philosophy 300b plus three letter-graded courses or seminars more in their second term, thus completing five letter-graded courses during the first two terms of residence.

These courses, like the rest of the twelve, should be among those designated “For Undergraduates and Graduates” or “Primarily for Graduates” in the course catalogue. At least ten of the courses must be taught by members of the Department of Philosophy (including visiting and emeritus members). This requirement can be modified for students specializing in Classical or Indian Philosophy.

All graduate students must complete two semesters of the Pedagogy seminar, Philosophy 315hf. Normally this is done during a student's third year in the program, when students begin functioning as teaching fellows. Exceptions to taking 315hf in the third year must be approved in advance by the DGS.

Students who have done graduate work elsewhere may petition the DGS to obtain credit for up to three courses, which may be counted toward the preliminary requirement. If they are in philosophy (as would normally be the case), such courses will be regarded as equivalent to those taught by members of the department.

Distribution Requirement

This requirement, intended to ensure a broad background in philosophy, is met by completing eight distribution units of work, normally before the beginning of the fourth year of graduate study. A distribution unit may be fulfilled (i) by completing an approved course or seminar (which may also be counted toward the preliminary requirement), or (ii) by writing a paper under the guidance of a faculty member, with the approval of the director of graduate studies. In the latter case the work does not count toward the preliminary requirement.

The units are to be distributed as follows:

• Contemporary Theoretical Philosophy: Three units in core areas of twentieth- and twenty-first century metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and the like.
• Practical Philosophy: Two units in contemporary or historical ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, and the like.
• History of Philosophy: The distribution requirement in history is intended to assure that students have knowledge of the philosophical tradition out of which contemporary Anglo-American philosophy has grown, as well as an ability to work though texts whose philosophical presuppositions are different enough from those of contemporary Anglo-American philosophy that careful historical and philosophical analysis is required to bring them to light.

Three sorts of courses satisfy the requirement:   A. Courses in ancient Greek, Roman, or medieval philosophy.   B. Courses in early modern European philosophy up to and including Kant.   C. Courses on the foundations of philosophical traditions other than contemporary Anglo-American philosophy. These might include courses on traditional South Asian or East Asian philosophy, 19th century Continental European philosophy, early 20th century work of Heidegger, and so on.   A student must take three history courses to satisfy the requirement; at most one of these may be in practical philosophy. Save in the most exceptional circumstances (and with the approval of the DGS), at least one of these courses must be of category A and at least one must be of category B. Students should verify (with the DGS) in advance of taking a course to satisfy the requirement that the course will in fact satisfy it.

The First-Year Colloquium (Philosophy 300a and 300b) may not be used to fulfill any part of the distribution requirement. Philosophy 299hf, the second-year paper, may be used to fulfill a distribution requirement.

Logic Requirement

Candidates for the Ph.D. are expected to have mastered the fundamentals of logic and to have an understanding of the elements of logic’s metatheory. Normally, this requirement is satisfied by successfully completing one of the Department’s 100-level courses in logic: 140 (Introduction to Mathematical Logic), 144 (Logic and Philosophy), or 145 (Modal Logic). It can also be satisfied by taking an appropriate mathematics course (for example, Mathematics 143, 144a, or 145b). The requirement may also be satisfied by an examination set by the DGS in consultation with appropriate Department members or by serving as a TF in a Department logic course.

Second-Year Paper

Students are required at the end of their second year in residence to submit a paper whose length is between 7,500 and 12,000 words including footnotes.

The expectation is not that the second-year paper should constitute a kind of Master’s Thesis; a better model is that of a journal article: i.e., an essay that sets out a focused philosophical problem, articulates its significance, and makes a significant contribution rather than a mere intervention. Given this goal, the second-year paper may under no circumstances be over 12,000 words, and generally will be significantly shorter. Students must annotate the paper with an accurate word count.

By the end of the first year, students need to have a faculty advisor who will supervise the second year paper. Together the advisor and advisee will write a plan of study for the summer and the first term of the second year, and submit it to the DGS. This plan of study will specify a schedule for submitting work and receiving feedback, and will also specify a benchmark to be met before the beginning of the second semester.

A preliminary draft of the second-year paper is to be submitted by the end of the spring vacation of the second semester, and a final draft is due by June 1st. Under extraordinary circumstances and with the written approval of both advisor and the DGS, the final version of the paper may be submitted after June 1st, but no later than August 1st.

Once the second-year paper is submitted to the advisor, the advisor forwards the paper to the DGS, who selects a faculty member to act as the paper’s reader. The author, advisor, and reader meet in a timely manner to discuss the paper, after which the examiner in consultation with the advisor awards the paper a grade. This grade will be recorded as the student’s grade for their two semesters of 299hf.

Normally, a student is not allowed to participate in a dissertation workshop until they have submitted their second-year paper.

The Third Year

In a successful third year, graduate students do two things: they acquire pedagogical skills and confidence as teachers; they make enough progress on isolating a dissertation topic that they are able, at the end of that year or by the end of the first term of the fourth year, to write a prospectus and have a successful topical exam.

Normally, at the end of a student's second year, the student's 2YP advisor and the DGS consult and then assign a pre-prospective advisor to the student. The pre-prospectus advisor need not, and often will not, be someone who specializes in the area in which a student expects to write a dissertation. Rather, the advisor is someone with whom the student is comfortable discussing philosophy and who can advise about directions of research. In many cases the pre-prospectus advisor may be the 2YP advisor, since the student has formed a working relationship with that faculty member.

The student and pre-prospectus advisor should meet before the end of spring exams. The meeting's purpose is to discuss the student's general area(s) of interest for a dissertation and, if the student is ready, to devise a tentative list of articles or books which the student will read and reflect on over the next twelve months.

G3s meet with their pre-prospectus advisor in the first days of the fall term. The aim of this meeting is to give the student a manageable set of concrete tasks to complete toward settling on a prospectus topic. In this meeting, advisor and student should decide on: a collection of at least six articles or book chapters to discuss at meetings; a schedule for meetings during the fall (the norm being a meeting roughly every two weeks); the written work the student commits to doing in advance of each meeting. This work need not be elaborate --it might, for example, be a few pages of critical summary and discussion of the reading for the meeting.

Until a successful defense of a prospectus, students register of that section of Philosophy 333 associated with their pre-prospectus advisor.

The norm is that in the fall term of year 3 students do research in the area in which they expect to write so that they can fashion a fairly specific topic for the prospectus; spring term is then devoted to writing a prospectus. Students normally aim at having a prospectus and a topical before the beginning of classes in the fourth year; the expectation is that students have done a topical by the end of the first term of their fourth year.

Students who have completed their second year paper are required to enroll each term in one of the two dissertation workshops, Philosophy 311, Workshop in Moral and Political Philosophy or Philosophy 312, Workshop in Metaphysics and Epistemology. In an academic year in which a student is actively seeking post Ph.D. employment, they are not required to enroll in a workshop.

This a requirement for the Ph.D.; it is only in unusual personal circumstances that students may fail to enroll in a workshop. Permission not to enroll in a Workshop must be granted by the director of graduate studies. G3s are not required to present more than once a year in a workshop, and it is understood that their presentations may consist of such things as (constrained) literature reviews, overviews of the particular area in a sub-discipline, or drafts or presentations of a prospectus.

Prospectus and Topical Examination

When the prospectus is complete, a candidate must pass an oral topical examination on the prospectus. The examining committee consists of at least two Philosophy Department faculty members. If the topical examination is not passed, it must be taken again and passed by the beginning of the winter recess in the year immediately following. Normally students have a successful topical by the end of their fourth year in the program.

Requirements for a prospectus are set by a student's dissertation committee and may vary with committee membership. That said, in many cases a good default model for a prospectus will simply be a list of clear, straightforward answers to the following five questions: (1) What question(s) do you intend your dissertation to answer? (2) Why do you consider these questions to be important? (3) What is a good summary of what you consider to be the most important contributions to these questions in the literature? (4) Why, in your view, do these contributions leave more work to be done? (5) What is your tentative plan of attack (including a list of sources you anticipate using)? Think of your answers to these questions as building a case for why your dissertation project needs to be done , along with a sketch of how you in particular plan to do it. Finally, limit yourself to about 5000 words.

Although called an examination, a topical (which is approximately ninety minutes in length) is in fact a conference on the dissertation topic, not an occasion on which the candidate is expected to produce a complete outline of arguments and conclusions. The conference is intended to determine the acceptability of the topic on which the candidate wishes to write a dissertation, the candidate’s fitness to undertake such a dissertation, and the candidate’s command of relevant issues in related areas of philosophy. A dissertation on the proposed topic may be submitted only if the topical examination is passed.

Application to take the topical examination must be made to the director of graduate studies at least two weeks in advance. At the same time, the candidate must submit copies of a dissertation prospectus to the director of graduate studies and members of the student’s prospective committee.

Financial Support, Travel and Research Funding, and Teaching

Beyond tuition remission, Ph.D. students receive the following financial support from the Graduate School.

· A stipend for their first two years. During this period, students do not teach.

· Financial support via guaranteed teaching in the third and fourth year . During this period, students are hired as teaching fellows; the normal workload for a teaching fellow is two sections a term.

· A dissertation completion fellowship. This includes a full stipend for one academic year.

In addition, various university fellowships (for example: Term Time and Merit Fellowships, Fellowships at the Safra Center) are available on a competitive basis.

The Department also grants each Philosophy graduate student one academic term of stipend support through Philosophy Department Fellowships and also a total of $5500 in fellowships for professional development. For details see: Funding | Department of Philosophy (harvard.edu)

Dissertation and Dissertation Defense

Once the topical exam is passed, the examining committee (which must consist of at least two faculty members of the Philosophy Department) normally becomes the dissertation advisory committee.  One member of the committee is the dissertation’s primary advisor (aka, the dissertation director).  It is expected that a student will have a committee of at least three members within a few months of the defense; the committee must have three members at the time of the defense.  It is possible, with the approval of the primary advisor and the DGS, to add a faculty member from another institution.  Normally a dissertation committee has no more than four members; larger committees must be approved by primary advisor and the DGS.

The primary advisor has primary responsibility for supervision for the dissertation.  The norm is that the student and the dissertation committee set out in advance how often students will meet with and receive feedback from advisors.  The expectation is that the committee and the student will meet as a body once a term to discuss progress on the dissertation.

At least three months before a final defense of the dissertation can be scheduled, the candidate must submit a draft of the dissertation or at least a substantial part of it to the committee.  Until this is done, a defense of the dissertation cannot be scheduled.  Assuming the committee approves scheduling a defense, the candidate completes a draft and circulates it to the committee. While it is a matter for the committee and the candidate to decide, the expectation is that the complete draft of the dissertation which will be defended will be circulated to the committee at least three weeks before the date of the defense . 

Dissertation defenses are public, and may be attended both by department members and other interested parties.  They are normally two hours in length, and normally begin with a brief summary by the candidate of what the candidate has accomplished in the dissertation, followed by a conversation between the candidate and the committee.  The purpose of this conversation is not so much to test the range and detail of the candidate’s knowledge as to judge the candidate’s skill in presenting and discussing matters considered in the dissertation as well as the candidate’s ability to meet friendly but searching criticism.

PhD in Classical Philosophy

The departments of the Classics and Philosophy collaborate in an interdisciplinary PhD program in Classical Philosophy for students registered in either department. Candidates whose major field is philosophy are expected to take the Proseminar for graduate students in the classics, as well as attend seminars or other courses in classics relevant to their interests. With the approval of the director of graduate studies, students in the Classical Philosophy program may be permitted to count an appropriate course in ancient philosophy toward the distribution requirement in metaphysics and epistemology and one (in addition to the one already required) toward the requirement in history of philosophy.

Language requirements:

Candidates who plan to write a dissertation in Classical Philosophy are expected to have learned at least one of the classical languages (Greek or Latin) before they are admitted. Depending upon the level of fluency they have reached before entering the program, they may be asked to take additional language or reading courses. If they have not previously studied the second language, they will be required to reach the level of one year of college coursework. This can be done either by taking courses or by passing a language examination. In addition, candidates will be expected to have acquired a reading knowledge of German sufficient for reading scholarly literature and to pass a departmental examination on a suitably chosen text. The rules and procedures for the dissertation will, in general, be those established for candidates in philosophy.

PhD in Indian Philosophy

The departments of Philosophy and South Asian Studies collaborate in an interdisciplinary PhD program in Indian Philosophy for students registered in either department. Candidates whose major field is Philosophy are expected to take advanced language courses in South Asian studies and pass AM qualifying examinations. Candidates whose major field is South Asian studies are expected to fulfill the requirements of students in Philosophy, including distribution and logic requirements. With the approval of the director of graduate studies, students in Indian Philosophy may be permitted to count appropriate course in advanced Sanskrit or Tibetan toward the distribution requirement in metaphysics or epistemology and one toward the requirement in history of philosophy.

Language Requirements:

Candidates who plan to write a dissertation in Indian Philosophy are expected to have learned at least one of the relevant classical languages (Sanskrit or Tibetan) before they are admitted to the program. Depending upon the level of fluency they have reached before entering the program, they may be asked to take additional language or reading courses. In addition, candidates will be expected to satisfy the specific language requirements of their home department. The rules and procedures for the dissertation will, in general, be those established for candidates in Philosophy.

For more information please see the PhD in Indian Philosophy section .

JD/PhD in Philosophy and Law

A coordinated JD/PhD in Philosophy and Law is available. Students wishing to obtain the coordinated degrees must be admitted separately to both programs. Students admitted for the coordinated degrees must begin either with the first full year of law school or the first two years of philosophy; after that they may alternate terms as they choose. The program in Law may be completed in five terms. The requirements for philosophy are the same as for regular philosophy graduate students. For more information please see the JD/PhD Coordinated Program section .

The Master of Arts (AM) in Philosophy

The Department does not admit students for degrees other than the PhD. Students who have been admitted for the PhD and who have completed all course requirements for the degree may apply to be awarded an AM in Philosophy.

Harvard PhD students from programs (such as African and African-American Studies) which require PhD students to take courses required for an AM in another program are not required to take the first year colloquium required of Philosophy PhDs. (Students from these programs who wish to the take the colloquium must consult with the DGS.) Students from these programs who have completed 10 philosophy courses which satisfy the course requirements for a PhD and who have satisfied the distribution requirements for the PhD may apply to be awarded an AM in Philosophy.

A student who is pursuing an ad hoc degree administered in part by the Philosophy Department may petition to receive a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy. To receive this degree the student must have taken a total of 10 courses in Philosophy at the level of 100 or higher. At least two of these courses must satisfy the graduate distribution requirement in metaphysics and epistemology, two must satisfy the practical philosophy distribution requirement, two the history distribution requirement, and one must be a logic course. All must be passed with a grade of B or better. Students may receive this degree only when the Department has voted to support their petition.

Secondary Field in Philosophy

Much work in philosophy speaks directly to one or more disciplines which have Harvard PhD programs --literature, physics, statistics, science, mathematics, linguistics, and economics, to name a few. A secondary field in Philosophy gives students from other disciplines an opportunity to step back and look at the big picture in their discipline, putting students from discipline X in a position to do "philosophy of X" as part of doing X, thereby helping them both to understand their field more deeply and to open a path to developing it in innovative ways.

Graduate students may apply to the Philosophy Department to do a secondary field after their first term as a graduate student at Harvard. Secondary field students normally begin the secondary field in the second or third semester at Harvard, normally taking one or two courses a semester until they have completed the secondary field requirements.

Applicants should contact the Philosophy DGS before applying to do a secondary field in Philosophy. Applications must include: a brief statement explaining what the applicant hopes to achieve with the secondary field, including a brief summary of the applicant's background in philosophy; a copy of the undergraduate transcript (this can be a copy sent from the student's home department at Harvard) and a brief letter from a Harvard faculty member of the student's home department discussing how a secondary field in philosophy would contribute to the student's work in the home department.

To complete a secondary field in philosophy, a student completes four courses in philosophy at the 100 level or higher with a grade of B+ or better. One course must be in the area of one of the Department's PhD distribution requirements: moral and political philosophy; metaphysics and epistemology; logic; history of philosophy. A second course must be in another of these areas. At least one course must be a graduate seminar. In principle, an independent study with a member of the Department may be used to complete the secondary field. A capstone project is not required. Courses are counted towards satisfying the secondary field requirements only when approved to do so by the Philosophy DGS.

A student completing a secondary field in philosophy is assigned an advisor from the Philosophy Department, normally the DGS.

A Doctor of Philosophy or Doctorate

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More than 54,000 students earned doctoral degrees in 2016, the latest year for which figures are available, a 30 percent increase since 2000, according to the  National Science Foundation . A Ph.D., also called a doctorate, is a "Doctor of Philosophy" degree, which is a misleading moniker because most Ph.D. holders are not philosophers. The term for this increasingly popular degree derives from the original meaning of the word "philosophy," which comes from the ancient Greek word  philosophia , meaning "love of wisdom."

What Is a Ph.D.?

In that sense, the term "Ph.D." is accurate, because the degree has historically been a license to teach, but it also signifies that the holder is an "authority, in full command of (a given) subject right up to the boundaries of current knowledge, and able to extend them," says  FindAPhD , an online Ph.D. database. Earning a Ph.D. requires a hefty financial and time commitment— $35,000 to $60,000  and two to eight years—as well as research, creating a thesis or dissertation, and possibly some teaching duties.

Deciding to pursue a Ph.D. can represent a major life choice. Doctoral candidates require additional schooling after completing a master's program to earn their Ph.D.: They must complete additional coursework, pass comprehensive exams , and complete an independent dissertation in their field. Once completed, though, a doctoral degree—often called a "terminal degree"—can open doors for the Ph.D.holder, especially in academia but also in business.

Core Courses and Electives

To obtain a Ph.D., you need to take a group of core courses as well as electives, totaling about 60 to 62 "hours," which are roughly the equivalent of units at the bachelor's degree level. For example, Washington State University offers a  Ph.D. in crop science . Core courses, which make up about 18 hours, include such subjects as introduction to population genetics, plant transmission genetics, and plant breeding.

Additionally, the student must make up the remaining required hours through electives. The  Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health  offers a doctoral degree in Biological Sciences in Public Health. After core courses such as laboratory rotations, biological sciences seminars, and core principles of biostatistics and epidemiology, the Ph.D. candidate is required to take electives in related fields such as advanced respiratory physiology, advanced respiratory physiology, and ecological and epidemiological control of parasitic diseases. Degree-granting institutions across the board want to ensure that those who earn Ph.D.s have broad knowledge in their chosen field.

Thesis or Dissertation and Research

A Ph.D. also requires students to complete a large scholarly project known as a  dissertation , a research report—usually 60-plus pages—which signifies that they are able to make significant independent contributions to their chosen field of study. Students take on the project, also known as a  doctoral thesis , after completing the core and elective coursework and passing a  comprehensive examination . Through the dissertation, the student is expected to make a new and creative contribution to a field of study and to demonstrate her expertise.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, for example, a strong medical dissertation relies heavily on the creation of a specific hypothesis that can be either disproved or supported by data collected through independent student research. Further, it must also contain several key elements starting with an introduction to the problem statement, conceptual framework, and research question as well as references to literature already published on the topic. Students must show that the  dissertation  is relevant, provides new insight into the chosen field, and is a topic that they can research independently.

Financial Aid and Teaching

There are several ways to pay for a doctoral degree: scholarships, grants, fellowships, and government loans, as well as teaching.  GoGrad , a graduate school information website, provides such examples as the:

• Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program, which provides full tuition and an annual stipend of $25,000 to $38,000.
• National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, a three-year graduate fellowship that is designed to support doctoral students across 15 engineering disciplines
• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, a three-year program that provides an annual stipend of $34,000 and a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance for tuition and fees

As it does for bachelor's and master's degrees, the federal government also offers several  loan programs  to help students finance their Ph.D. studies. You generally apply for these loans by filling out the free application for federal student aid ( FAFSA ). Students planning to go into teaching after obtaining their doctoral degrees often also supplement their income by teaching undergraduate classes at the schools where they are studying. The University of California, Riverside, for example, offers a "teaching award"—essentially a stipend applied toward tuition costs—for Ph.D. candidates in English who teach undergraduate, beginning-level, English courses

Jobs and Opportunities for Ph.D. Holders

Education accounts for a large percentage doctoral awards, with elementary education, curriculum and instruction, educational leadership and administration, special education, and counselor education/ school counseling topping the list. Most universities in the United States require a Ph.D. for candidates who seek teaching positions, regardless of the department.

Many Ph.D. candidates seek the degree, however, to boost their current salaries. For example, a health, sports, and fitness educator at a community college would realize a bump in annual pay for obtaining a Ph.D. The same holds for educational administrators. Most such positions require only a master's degree, but obtaining a Ph.D. generally leads to an annual stipend that school districts add to the annual salary. That same health and fitness instructor at a community college could also move on from a teaching position and become a dean at a community college—a position that requires a Ph.D.—boosting his pay to  $120,000 to $160,000  a year or more.

So, the opportunities for a doctoral degree holder are wide and varied, but the cost and commitment required are significant. Most experts say you should know your future career plans before you make the commitment. If you know what you want to get out of the degree, then the years of required study and sleepless nights may well be worth the investment.

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What You Need to Know Before Getting a PhD in Philosophy

Is a getting PhD in Philosophy an attainable career option in today’s world?

Whether you are interested in influencing academia or becoming a scholar at a think tank, obtaining a doctorate degree in philosophy can be a rewarding and realistic step in your career—if you are willing to work hard.

Even getting into a graduate program can be competitive. Dr. Bill Glod notes that there could be over 200 applicants for every five spots at some of the top schools. But with the proper planning, you can be successful despite the competitive field.

In the podcast below, Dr. Glod walks you how to get into a good PhD program—and what to expect once you enroll—so that you can succeed in this field.

A few things you should think about before getting a PhD in Philosophy:

• Whether a PhD in Philosophy is really right for you, and how to prepare for a career in Philosophy as an undergraduate.
• Different types of programs in Philosophy.
• Different methodologies you’ll encounter within the field.
• How to approach the application process if you are sympathetic to classical liberal ideas.
• How many programs you should apply to, and what you should be looking for in a program.
• What classes to take once you enroll.

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• 14 February 2018

Train PhD students to be thinkers not just specialists

• Gundula Bosch 0

Gundula Bosch directs the R3 Graduate Science Initiative at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Under pressure to turn out productive lab members quickly, many PhD programmes in the biomedical sciences have shortened their courses, squeezing out opportunities for putting research into its wider context. Consequently, most PhD curricula are unlikely to nurture the big thinkers and creative problem-solvers that society needs.

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Graduate program.

The vibrancy of the Department’s philosophical culture, its strength in a broad range of areas of philosophy, and the outstanding reputation of our faculty combine to attract some of the nation’s most talented graduate students. Our philosophy doctoral program has an excellent placement record . Since 1996, over 70% of graduates have continued on to tenure-track academic positions.  

Department Strengths

Our faculty have a wide range of expertise covering ethics, the philosophy of science, logic, metaphysics and more, but Duke’s Department of Philosophy is especially strong in three key areas:

Value theory and moral psychology

Combining a long-standing record of excellence in ethics with innovative, interdisciplinary work in moral psychology and a growing number of faculty with leading contributions to decision theory , Duke is a rich place for graduate students to study normative and evaluative questions of good and goodness.

Graduate students have the chance to work with faculty researching applied questions in business ethics and clinical medical research, as well as others examining the role of emotions in virtuous action, morality in atheism, moral relativity and the relationship between morality and psychology.

By bringing Benjamin Eva to the department in 2020 and Reuben Stern in 2022, we extended those strengths with two philosophers interested in how to make good decisions through a study of counterfactuals, conditional beliefs and related issues.

Inclusive philosophy and social ontology

Duke is a department with a strong commitment to inclusivity. Recent hires include Ásta (in 2022) and Kevin Richardson (in 2021), two leaders in the growing field of social ontology investigating the meaning and nature of social categories including race, gender and sexual orientation.

The department is also highly ranked in Asian and comparative philosophy , thanks to the work of several faculty who have published extensively on classical Chinese philosophy and cross-cultural philosophy as part of their work in ethics. Wenjin Liu , hired in 2022, further strengthens this area, combining research on ancient Greek ethics with ancient Chinese philosophy.

Duke faculty have devoted themselves to recovering neglected figures in philosophy , such as Emilie Du Châtelet. Project Vox , co-led by Andrew Janiak , highlights the work of marginalized individuals.

Philosophy of science and causation

Because Duke is known for its interdisciplinary work, it’s no surprise that our department works closely with other fields. Our strength in philosophy of science is the result.

Our faculty combine philosophical research with science labs to dive deep into the philosophy of neuroscience and cognitive science . This work probes memory, artificial intelligence, the neurology of counterfactuals and more.

Working with colleagues in Duke’s highly regarded Department of Economics , our faculty are also deeply engaged with the philosophy of economics . Research topics include questions of causality and reductionism in the discipline, how to understand supply and demand curves, along with modeling problems in economics more generally. The Center for the History of Political Economy provides a home for further study of economics and economic thinkers.

Many of our faculty work on questions of causation more broadly, including free will, how to model causation, understanding causes from messy empirical data, causation in physics and in the history of philosophy, and more.

History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine 

(Affectionately known as  HiP-STeM ) uses the tools and methods of the humanities (especially history and philosophy) to study the sciences understood as human endeavors. This includes historical evolution and context; conceptual foundations and puzzles; theories, methods, and claims to knowledge; institutions, material practices, and social structures, past and present.

Duke HPSTM incorporates science, technology, engineering, medicine, and mathematics. We promote universal ownership of the sciences as shared cultural inheritance through encouragement and support of HPSTM in research and in teaching across the academy.

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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Philosophy Department

Why study philosophy, why major in philosophy.

As students head to university, they and their parents wonder: What is the best major for the current, changing world? It might just be Philosophy—that most ancient and enduring academic discipline in which permanence is questioned alongside the dynamism of change. Consider it for reasons of career, citizenship, character, and the joy of learning how to learn and adapt to challenges the future will pose.

Career . Those who regard undergraduate study just as vocational training can’t imagine what Philosophy majors do besides preparing for graduate school with the hopes of becoming teachers. Most philosophy graduates, an extraordinary percentage of whom secure employment or continue their education, take their philosophy education into many directions. Top career fields for Philosophy majors include Management, Sales, Community Service, Computer Science, Entrepreneurship, and the Entertainment Industry. Philosophy is great preparation for Law School, and Philosophy majors have the highest acceptance rate to Medical School. According to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, skills in communication and analysis are crucial across virtually all occupations. The method of Philosophy is reasoned debate and critical discussion of imaginative ideas constrained by evidence. Active listening and clear expression backed by critical thinking and creative problem-solving on complex topics in the light of a vast literature are Philosophy’s stock in trade. And don’t forget that today’s graduates will be changing careers several times during their lives. Being a flexible learner is essential to making the transitions. Suppleness and flexibility of mind are among Philosophy’s benefits.

Citizenship. In the bad-tempered echo chambers of cable television, social media, and talk radio, American democracy is being poisoned. Civil discourse between our citizens and our politicians is crucial. Learn how to do it in Philosophy class. You’ll find sharp disagreement about matters of value based entirely on reasons without personal attacks. It is trial and error of ideas, where each side learns from the reasons and criticisms of the other in the spirit of respect and mutual learning and commitments to see what they previously failed to see, hear what they once failed to hear, understand what they previously failed to understand. It takes practice. Get started. It is not only your country but also the world that needs you. Civil discourse is required for negotiating solutions to problems. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Face the Nation that the greatest threat to the United States’ security is “the inability of our political leaders to come together on bipartisan solutions.” This observation applies, unfortunately, to a growing number of countries across the globe.

Character. The central question of Philosophy since the times of Imhotep, Antef, Maitreyi, Gautama Buddha, Confucius, Aspasia, and Socrates is: what is the best sort of life for a human being? The advice of Philosophy can be boiled down to this: Be Reasonable, Truthful, and Compassionate. There are grander pieces of advice, such as, Seek Union with the Eternal. However, this provides no obstacle to violent religious fanaticism, if being reasonable, truthful, and compassionate is neglected. There are narrower ones, such as: Make a Lot of Money. However, this provides no obstacle to exploitation of the unfortunate and vulnerable, if being reasonable, truthful, and compassionate is neglected. Philosophy’s advice is always needed, whatever other advice you follow. It helps make you open-minded, as you appreciate the merits of opposing ideas. It helps give you the courage of your convictions, as you more accurately gauge the strength of your reasons. It helps make you strong and wise, as you begin to focus on the bigger picture and less on your own limited hopes and assumptions. It helps you become more mature, as you start to see past your own willfulness and illusions. Being reasonable contributes to good character.

Joy of Learning . Philosophers have a reputation for being “smart.” This is because they fall in love with learning and continue to learn in their many endeavors. The joy of learning enables philosophy students to excel in the areas of study they love, and this offers the possibility of continued growth in which career, citizenship, and character flourish.

People who think that Philosophy is impractical tend to be the least acquainted with it. Majoring in Philosophy is practical for a career, but also beyond for citizenship, and within for character.

Professor Emeritus Donald L. M. Baxter

and Philosophy Department Head, Lewis Gordon

UConn Instructor and PhD Student Jordon Ochs on Why Study Philosophy

Uconn undergraduate student caesar valentin on why he studies philosophy.

Doctor of Philosophy

The PhD programs advance scientific discovery by training and supporting students doing in-depth research that solves the world’s biggest public health challenges. At the forefront of efforts to benefit the health of people worldwide, the School offers students the opportunity to join in shaping new ideas in public health and implementing them effectively. PhD students benefit from collaborations across public health disciplines and a broad range of academic fields through connections with other Harvard faculties.

All PhD students conduct research through a dissertation, in addition to other avenues of discovery. All PhD programs at Harvard University are administered by the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), and applications are processed through the GSAS online application system . Choose from one of four PhD programs offered collaboratively between Harvard Chan School and GSAS.

• Abbreviation : PhD
• Degree format : On campus  
• Time commitment : Full-time  
• Average program length : Varies between 4 to 7 years based on program

When applying to the PhD, applicants must choose one of the following specialized fields of study. Eligibility requirements vary by program and field of study.  

• Biological Sciences in Public Health
• Biostatistics
• Health Policy
• Environmental health
• Epidemiology
• Global health and population
• Social and behavioral sciences

Career outcomes vary based on field of study and research, but in general, PhD graduates will be prepared for a career in academia, health policy, government agencies, consulting, the pharmaceutical or biomedical industry, and generally improving lives through qualitative and quantitative research.

Admission information

Like all PhD (doctor of philosophy) programs at the School—and the University—the PhD in health policy is offered under the aegis of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Applications are processed through the GSAS online application system located at gsas.harvard.edu/admissions/apply .

Department of Philosophy - UC Santa Barbara

Why philosophy.

Philosophy addresses fundamental questions that engage all reflective people, but which apparently cannot be answered by the empirical sciences: Are our actions determined by forces over which we lack control, or is free choice possible? What distinguishes people from (non-human) animals? Are there objective standards of right and wrong, or is morality subjective? Does altruism exist or are people essentially self-interested? What are the limits of human knowledge? Can machines think? What is the relationship between mind and body? Is there a God? Our majors explore topics such as these in a range of introductory and advanced courses, including “Introduction to Ethics”, “History of Philosophy: Empiricists to Kant”, “Philosophy of Mind”, and “Freedom and Determinism”.

Professor Aaron Zimmerman describes philosophy here:

Philosophy is a fascinating subject, but sometimes people wonder about the practical career-value of a Philosophy degree. Such concerns are misplaced. Majors in Philosophy typically do very well. The evidence shows that a Philosophy degree prepares students well for professional careers and graduate training in disciplines across the humanities, law, finance, business, medicine, and the social sciences.

Philosophy majors are trained to think analytically, to engage in rigorous argument, and to communicate clearly and effectively in writing. While the questions studied in Philosophy might seem abstract, its emphasis on critical argument and analysis enables students to graduate with a highly valuable professional skill set in critical thought and clear writing.

Evidence of the practical value of a Philosophy degree can be seen in a number of ways. The results from standardized testing across multiple fields is a useful metric, and indicate that Philosophy majors are among the best performers overall. Many business schools, law schools, and graduate schools take notice of this pattern. Philosophy majors also tend to do well in their careers based on income trends.

Who Studies Philosophy? APA Information

Resources for Undergraduates: APA Information

Chart 1: Educational Testing Service, 2014 ( https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table4.pdf )

Chart 2: Profile of GMAT Candidates, 2007-08 to 2011-12 ( http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED543174.pdf )

Chart 3: Note: Some other Majors had LSAT Scores Higher than Philosophy, but these had fewer than 1,000 LSAT test takers LSAC data request by Derek Muller, Pepperdine University School of Law ( http://excessofdemocracy.com/blog/2014/4/the-best-prospective-law-studen... )

Chart 4: The Wall Street Journal, “Degrees that Pay You Back” ( http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-Degrees_that_Pay_y... )

Department of Philosophy

• Why Philosophy?

What is truth? How are scientific claims justified? Are we responsible for our actions? Do people have free will? What is justice?

Ken Taylor Memorial

Memorial Reception in honor of Professor Kenneth Taylor, April 5, 2023

APA honors Professors

Professors Helen Longino and Michael Friedman are honored for their contributions to the field.

The Paradox of Trust

Lanier Anderson and Jorah Dannenberg discuss the internal tension known as the Paradox of Trust. 

We are a lively community of philosophers with a broad range of scholarly interests.

We offer rigorous, competitive programs in traditional core areas of philosophy, as well as opportunities to explore sometimes-neglected subfields like feminist philosophy or aesthetics.

Our traditional strengths in logic and the philosophy of science remain central to the department, and they are now complemented by very strong programs in action theory, ethics and political philosophy, language, mind and epistemology, and the history of philosophy — especially ancient philosophy and Kant studies.

History of the Department           See Faculty Research Areas

Engage Philosophy

Philosophy should be engaged and applied, addressing questions as they arise in the real world and within the practices of other disciplines. That tradition in Stanford Philosophy is reflected in our collaboration with a wide range of interdisciplinary programs.  Follow the links below to learn more. 

• WAYS Requirements

Undergraduate program overview

Graduate program overview

Undergraduate Community

• The Dualist Undergraduate Philosophy Organization
• Major in Philosophy
• Combined Major in Philosophy and Religious Studies
• Minor in Philosophy

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• Graduate Program
• Graduate Admissions
• Reading Groups and Workshops
• Minorities and Philosophy

Upcoming Events

• Philosophy Colloquia Series

Colloquium: Sasha (Alexandra) Newton (UC Riverside)

8th Annual Berkeley/Stanford Symposium: “The fog comes ... and then moves on”: On Transience and Translucence

Alexandra Lianeri, "Dēmokratia’s Dissociative Historical Futurity in Nineteenth-Century Britain"

• In the Press

‘Big steps ahead’ for Stanford HAI

Teaching democracy and disagreement

Lanier Anderson stewards VPUE during leadership transition

• Tuition fees

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a high level globally-recognised qualification that is rooted in original research.

The qualification is awarded for the outcomes of a period of advanced, individual study which demonstrates an original contribution of new knowledge or practice to your chosen discipline.

Studying for a PhD provides you with a unique and exciting opportunity to explore a research topic in real depth.

At the same time you will learn relevant research and professional skills. You will be expected to take the initiative and to develop your own ideas whilst guided and supported by your supervisory team.

The experience of undertaking a PhD will differ between subject areas. Some PhD projects are deliberately multi- or inter-disciplinary, exploring topics at the boundaries of traditional subjects, or applying approaches associated with a range of disciplines to a single research area.

All of our Academic Schools have PhD opportunities. Search our courses for a particular research area. Alternatively, if you’re not ready for a full PhD programme, we offer Research Master's degrees to prepare students for PhD study.

Types of PhD programmes

Practice-based PhD study is more commonly available in the creative and performing arts, where creative work forms a significant part of the intellectual inquiry.

The research investigation is undertaken partly by means of the creative process, while the thesis is formed of a piece of original creative work supported by a narrative and critique that places the work in an academic context.

We offer a number of practice-based PhDs including:

• the School of Music's PhD by Performance and PhD by Composition ,
• the School of English, Communication and Philosophy's PhD in Creative and Critical Writing .

Designed for those who have already accumulated suitable published work demonstrating a coherent research direction (as much as a conventional PhD).

In addition to the published works, students provide a 5,000 - 10,000 word critical commentary evaluating their field and indicating the original contribution to learning they have made.

To be eligible, you must have:

• graduated from Cardiff University six or more years ago, or
• been a member of staff for six years, or
• been the holder of an honorary title from Cardiff University for six years

If you meet one of these criteria and are interesting in finding out more, please contact your Academic School .

For many subjects the demands of advanced study and research for a PhD require a demonstration of relevant skills and understanding at Master’s level as a condition of entry.

For some PhD programmes there is the need for Master’s level training to be specifically tailored to the demands of PhD research in that discipline. This may be delivered as a linked package (e.g. the "1+3" model), or via a continuous PhD programme that has embedded within it a structured component of preparatory research skills and methods training.

We offer the following Integrated PhDs:

• Integrative Neuroscience (4 year Wellcome Trust)
• Cancer Studies (4 year)
• Economics (4 year PhD including two years of teaching, coursework and research training)
• Social Sciences (1+3 year PhD including 1 year MSc in Social Science Research Methods which is mandatory for ESRC funded students who do not meet the core training requirements)

While the majority of research degrees are taken at universities and other higher education institutions, there are also some opportunities for collaborative study with an external partner.

This may mean, for example, that the project is sponsored by a company, that you spend some of your time in the workplace of the partner or that the partner contributes resources or expertise to the project.

A collaborative PhD can allow you to benefit from the input of industrialists and policy-makers and to experience first-hand the direct impact of your research.

Collaborative PhDs can include:

• CASE Studentships (Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering)
• Specifically advertised funded projects

Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship for Research Excellence

Full tuition fee funding and an annual stipend to support self-funding full-time PhD international students for up to three years.

Find out more

Postgraduate

Be part of a thriving postgraduate community in a university known internationally for outstanding research and teaching.

Postgraduate prospectus 2024

Download a copy of our prospectus, school and subject brochures, and other guides.

Order or download

Get in touch if you have a question about studying with us.

Doctor of Philosophy in Education

Additional Information

• Download the Doctoral Viewbook
• Admissions & Aid

The Harvard Ph.D. in Education trains cutting-edge researchers who work across disciplines to generate knowledge and translate discoveries into transformative policy and practice.

Offered jointly by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Ph.D. in Education provides you with full access to the extraordinary resources of Harvard University and prepares you to assume meaningful roles as university faculty, researchers, senior-level education leaders, and policymakers.

As a Ph.D. candidate, you will collaborate with scholars across all Harvard graduate schools on original interdisciplinary research. In the process, you will help forge new fields of inquiry that will impact the way we teach and learn. The program’s required coursework will develop your knowledge of education and your expertise in a range of quantitative and qualitative methods needed to conduct high-quality research. Guided by the goal of making a transformative impact on education research, policy, and practice, you will focus on independent research in various domains, including human development, learning and teaching, policy analysis and evaluation, institutions and society, and instructional practice.   

Curriculum Information

The Ph.D. in Education requires five years of full-time study to complete. You will choose your individual coursework and design your original research in close consultation with your HGSE faculty adviser and dissertation committee. The requirements listed below include the three Ph.D. concentrations: Culture, Institutions, and Society; Education Policy and Program Evaluation; and Human Development, Learning and Teaching . 

We invite you to review an example course list, which is provided in two formats — one as the full list by course number and one by broad course category . These lists are subject to modification. 

Ph.D. Concentrations and Examples

Summary of Ph.D. Program

Doctoral Colloquia  In year one and two you are required to attend. The colloquia convenes weekly and features presentations of work-in-progress and completed work by Harvard faculty, faculty and researchers from outside Harvard, and Harvard doctoral students. Ph.D. students present once in the colloquia over the course of their career.

Research Apprenticeship The Research Apprenticeship is designed to provide ongoing training and mentoring to develop your research skills throughout the entire program.

Teaching Fellowships The Teaching Fellowship is an opportunity to enhance students' teaching skills, promote learning consolidation, and provide opportunities to collaborate with faculty on pedagogical development.

Comprehensive Exams  The Written Exam (year 2, spring) tests you on both general and concentration-specific knowledge. The Oral Exam (year 3, fall/winter) tests your command of your chosen field of study and your ability to design, develop, and implement an original research project.

Dissertation  Based on your original research, the dissertation process consists of three parts: the Dissertation Proposal, the writing, and an oral defense before the members of your dissertation committee.

Culture, Institutions, and Society (CIS) Concentration

In CIS, you will examine the broader cultural, institutional, organizational, and social contexts relevant to education across the lifespan. What is the value and purpose of education? How do cultural, institutional, and social factors shape educational processes and outcomes? How effective are social movements and community action in education reform? How do we measure stratification and institutional inequality? In CIS, your work will be informed by theories and methods from sociology, history, political science, organizational behavior and management, philosophy, and anthropology. You can examine contexts as diverse as classrooms, families, neighborhoods, schools, colleges and universities, religious institutions, nonprofits, government agencies, and more.

Education Policy and Program Evaluation (EPPE) Concentration

In EPPE, you will research the design, implementation, and evaluation of education policy affecting early childhood, K–12, and postsecondary education in the U.S. and internationally. You will evaluate and assess individual programs and policies related to critical issues like access to education, teacher effectiveness, school finance, testing and accountability systems, school choice, financial aid, college enrollment and persistence, and more. Your work will be informed by theories and methods from economics, political science, public policy, and sociology, history, philosophy, and statistics. This concentration shares some themes with CIS, but your work with EPPE will focus on public policy and large-scale reforms.

Human Development, Learning and Teaching (HDLT) Concentration

In HDLT, you will work to advance the role of scientific research in education policy, reform, and practice. New discoveries in the science of learning and development — the integration of biological, cognitive, and social processes; the relationships between technology and learning; or the factors that influence individual variations in learning — are transforming the practice of teaching and learning in both formal and informal settings. Whether studying behavioral, cognitive, or social-emotional development in children or the design of learning technologies to maximize understanding, you will gain a strong background in human development, the science of learning, and sociocultural factors that explain variation in learning and developmental pathways. Your research will be informed by theories and methods from psychology, cognitive science, sociology and linguistics, philosophy, the biological sciences and mathematics, and organizational behavior.

Program Faculty

The most remarkable thing about the Ph.D. in Education is open access to faculty from all Harvard graduate and professional schools, including the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Harvard Kennedy School, the Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard School of Public Health. Learn about the full Ph.D. Faculty.

Jarvis R. Givens

Jarvis Givens studies the history of American education, African American history, and the relationship between race and power in schools.

Paul L. Harris

Paul Harris is interested in the early development of cognition, emotion, and imagination in children.

Meira Levinson

Meira Levinson is a normative political philosopher who works at the intersection of civic education, youth empowerment, racial justice, and educational ethics. 

Luke W. Miratrix

Luke Miratrix is a statistician who explores how to best use modern statistical methods in applied social science contexts.

Eric Taylor

Eric Taylor studies the economics of education, with a particular interest in employer-employee interactions between schools and teachers — hiring and firing decisions, job design, training, and performance evaluation.

Paola Uccelli

Paola Ucelli studies socio-cultural and individual differences in the language development of multilingual and monolingual students.

View Ph.D. Faculty

Dissertations.

The following is a complete listing of successful Ph.D. in Education dissertations to-date. Dissertations from November 2014 onward are publicly available in the Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) , the online repository for Harvard scholarship.

• 2022 Graduate Dissertations (265 KB pdf)
• 2021 Graduate Dissertations (177 KB pdf)
• 2020 Graduate Dissertations (121 KB pdf)
• 2019 Graduate Dissertations (68.3 KB pdf)

Student Directory

An opt-in listing of current Ph.D. students with information about their interests, research, personal web pages, and contact information:

Doctor of Philosophy in Education Student Directory

Introduce Yourself

Tell us about yourself so that we can tailor our communication to best fit your interests and provide you with relevant information about our programs, events, and other opportunities to connect with us.

Program Highlights

Explore examples of the Doctor of Philosophy in Education experience and the impact its community is making on the field:

Reshaping Teacher Licensure: Lessons from the Pandemic

Olivia Chi, Ed.M.'17, Ph.D.'20, discusses the ongoing efforts to ensure the quality and stability of the teaching workforce

Lost in Translation

New comparative study from Ph.D. candidate Maya Alkateb-Chami finds strong correlation between low literacy outcomes for children and schools teaching in different language from home

Why is it called a Doctor of Philosophy?

A doctor of philosophy is a higher level of graduation given in various subjects by universities. Universities give doctors of philosophy honor to a fellow for providing knowledge in their respected field. 

Since long the PhD degree has been awarded in various subjects. In the present article, we will try to make you understand why the degree is known as a doctor of philosophy, but before that let’s understand some basic things regarding the degree. 

What is PhD- doctor of philosophy?

PhD- doctor of philosophy is the esteem for a person or student in their academic career. Europe and the middle east people had started awarding the degree to their students during ancient times. 

The word was originally derived from a Greek word that we will discuss later. Because the answer is there in the meaning. 

The uppermost level of achievement is hard to get, a person has to face many difficulties to achieve it. Nowadays universities hold common entrance exams for students to get admission in PhD in order to maintain the importance of the degree.

However, a person with a master degree and master of philosophy can also apply directly for it. Still, the entrance process is too complicated for admission. 

Let me discuss it for you…

First, you have to clear an entrance exam conducted by the university or you have to prepare a proposal or research proposal focusing on a specific problem. 

Even though one has completed the entrance example, a research proposal is required. The university review committee makes a decision based on your research proposal. 

You only get admission in PhD when some expert professor will be interested in your research proposal. But the story still does not end here, your masters grade, your research background and publications also taken into account for admission. 

A typical PhD degree will take at least 3 years to complete. Although it can take more time to complete. Sometimes it takes 5 to 8 years, It depends on your research. 

Cost is yet another big factor in PhD, with fees and other costs, one has to invest $30,000 to $50,000 to $100,000 during PhD. Most universities provide financial freedom as well as financial assistance for students so don’t worry about the cost. 

Part-time jobs, fellowship, scholarship and project funds are various options to survive financially during PhD. 

The time and cost of the PhD-doctorate of philosophy depends on the choice of your subject and stream you select. 

For example, a science student has to invest more time and money in comparison to art students. And it’s a fact because a science student has to do extreme wet and dry lab work. 

Their lab utilities, chemicals and assays are costlier. If we want to learn more on cost and duration on PhD, read this article:  Cost and Duration of PhD in India

Now coming to our question, 

Why is it called a doctor of philosophy? 

There is a philosophical reason behind it. The word philosophy was derived from the Greek word “philosophia” which means “love of wisdom” . A person having a PhD degree is wiser than others having experience, knowledge and decision making skills. 

It is a tougher and topmost achievement that is why labeled with a doctor, the meaning of doctor is otherwise a physician or medical practitioner. 

It is called a doctor of philosophy due to the outstanding wisdom and sense of an achiever, to solve real-world problems with his or her best knowledge. And by doing it he or she solves the problem as well as provides knowledge in their related field. 

All this is possible because of their love of wisdom- doctor of philosophy. 

Notably, no authorities or universities still officially explained the meaning of ‘doctor of philosophy’.

In some other branches it is known with other names as well, like, DSc- doctor of science, EdD-doctor of education etc. However, all are similar to PhD. 

During Doctor of philosophy: 

Once you are enrolled in a PhD or doctor of philosophy, you have to complete three major criteria in your entire tenures: writing a thesis , publishing a research paper and completing viva. 

PhD is all about reading, researching and writing. Researching means we are descoring something new or providing some new information in previously existing knowledge. 

So we need to learn and read previous work related to our topic in order to understand our work and research. 

A thesis is a written draft or assay of our doctor of philosophy work. And hence it must be precise. Your PhD thesis reflects how accurately you have done your research. That is why it is very important to write a thesis in a proper manner. We have covered an amazing article on how to write a PhD thesis. You can read it here: 16 tips to write a thesis for a PhD . 

To make your research foundation more stronger, you have to publish your work in some peer reviewed well known journals. Universities strongly recommend at least one publication of PhD. 

If you want to learn more about how to write a research paper, read this article: Writing a research paper for PhD dissertation . 

The last criterion is the PhD viva. An external reviewer reviews your thesis and conducts a viva session. The session is in general only related to your PhD work. It is a kind of conversation in which you have to defend your work with arguments. 

Interestingly, some universities don’t conduct viva. A PhD thesis is considered as a criteria to award the degree. 

Course work is now mandatory in different universities across the world to enroll in PhD, usually, the first year of PhD is considered as a course work that must be cleared by a PhD student. 

The PhD degree is also known as a terminal degree because it is the last stage of the education system. Also, a doctor of philosophy is licensed to teach, so academics and teaching are their common job options. 

As they are commonly labeled as “professors” their responsibilities are not only teaching but also research. A PhD person can teach and at the same time conduct research projects and make their profile stronger. 

They can involve students in their research projects and can develop students’ interest in research, by doing so, they are making the future of the scientific and research community more stronger. 

That is the reason the role of a PhD person is very crucial. All these he or she can do only because of the love of wisdom they had developed during their PhD. 

Nonetheless, not only academics there are some higher levels of opening available for doctors of philosophy in research organisations, but also. 

Now what about the earning or salary? 

Usually, a PhD person can earn more than a school or graduation level teacher. They can earn between 50,000 to 2,00,000INR per month but still the potential of earning depends on how smarter a person is!

Conclusion: 

Their love of wisdom is the reason a person is called a doctor of philosophy or doctorate. Doctor or doctorate is a different topic to discuss, however. if you want to learn about it, read this article: doctorate vs doctor of philosophy . 

We know love for something makes us great and the same is true for study too. Students left their study due to lack of interest or to get a job. But trust me, if you are really interested in your subject go for a PhD. I bet you after completing your doctor of philosophy degree you will be a different person. 

Your sense of observing things becomes sharper and distinct from others. One more advantage you get from a PhD is honor and respect. You are called a doctor and people see you with respect. They think 100 times before arguing with you because you are a PhD- doctor of philosophy, no one can beat you in arguments. 

Dr. Tushar Chauhan is a Scientist, Blogger and Scientific-writer. He has completed PhD in Genetics. Dr. Chauhan is a PhD coach and tutor.

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Dr Tushar Chauhan

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Philosopher Ad Absurdum

Why Study A Philosophy PhD? Why I’m Chasing the Hopeless Dream

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Introduction

In October of this year, I made the decision that I was going to start a PhD in philosophy. The PhD process is often shrouded in mystery. It can also feel lonely with no comparison point for if a person’s PhD experience is normal. As a result, I have decided to share my own journey on the website to make the PhD process more transparent. This post explores my journey to starting a PhD, the struggles I have faced both personally and as part of academia widely and why I still want a PhD.

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Why I Initially Wanted to Do A Philosophy PhD

Discovering philosophy.

Not going to lie, I was that weirdo in school. You know the one. The one who actually wants to be sat in a history classroom on a Friday afternoon and is wildly waving their hand to answer the question because they are so enthusiastic about the topic. I have always enjoyed learning, particularly when it comes to humanities subjects. To me, the humanities and its concepts are integral to what makes us all human.

Though I have always loved the humanities, I didn’t discover philosophy until A-Levels. I really enjoyed my GCSE in religious studies but truly fell in love with philosophy during that period of time. Philosophy was nuanced and detail-orientated like a chess game but required radical creativity when finding solutions. It required digging deep into the foundations of what I thought I knew and turning it on its head.

Getting Into an Argument With Peter Vardy

The desire to study a PhD in philosophy started when I was 17 and my philosophy teacher took a group of us to a study conference led by Peter Vardy (you can find the full story here ). During this conference, Vardy opened the floor to questions about the arguments he had posed, including the argument that one day we would not be able to tell the difference between robots and humans. In front of roughly 300 people (and with the full support of my philosophy teacher) I actively challenged his argument until he became speechless. It may not have been a good kind of speechless looking back, but my philosophy teacher seemed pretty pleased with me.

There were multiple lessons that I gained from this experience. Firstly, I had really gotten a taste for philosophy and the art of debate.  However, more importantly, I learned that you could be a philosopher full-time. There are spaces where you can sit, read and debate ideas all day with others just as passionate as you are… and someone would pay you to do it. It was called becoming a lecturer at a university.  It sounded like the perfect place to be. A PhD was the gateway to this and became my ultimate goal.

Journey Through University

Experience at university.

During both my undergraduate, I never had any regret about deciding to study philosophy at university. I remember standing outside the library at Southampton and thinking how privileged I was to have gotten to this point. Every day, I got to read and write about philosophy surrounded by those who were also just as enthusiastic about the topic as I was. I had access to some of the leading philosophers in the world. I knew I was lucky, as a university education is not something everyone can afford, particularly studying a subject like philosophy.  

Discovering the Area for my Philosophy PhD

The area i thought i would study.

I enjoy most areas of philosophy, but I didn’t find the areas I enjoy the most until the end of my undergraduate and into my masters. In my second year of University, I was asked to review a book that focused on the philosophy of mental health for the blog. Before this point, I didn’t realise that there was a philosophy behind mental health. I had merely just accepted the presented objectivity of psychiatry. This motivated me to study the topic for my dissertation, where I looked at whether our concepts of mental health can also accommodate the diversity we have in society today. It also motivated me to do my masters at a university that specialised in the philosophy of mental health as I thought that this would be the topic I would do my PhD on.

The Area I Chose

However, I changed my mind on the topic after being introduced to the philosophy of disability and disability rights. After being newly identified as Autistic and ADHD, the subject matter drastically opened my eyes to a world of possibilities in regards to my identity as a disabled person. Philosophy quickly became my form of therapy to gain all the concepts I had needed for so long.  

Despite this, it was challenging. One lecture I attended included discussions of disability-selective abortions, where parents choose to abort a fetus because it has tested positive during pre-natal testing for a disability. As a neurodivergent individual with a chronic illness, I cannot express enough how uncomfortable it is to sit in a classroom of peers and find out some believe that you should have been aborted because they perceive your life to be a tragedy.

However, every cloud has a silver lining. What the experience showed was that disability selection and reproductive technology is something I have a lot to say about.  After receiving top marks for my essay on the subject, I decided that was the topic I wanted to study for my PhD.

Where Everything Went Wrong

Problems with my masters dissertation.

Before I got to the end of my masters, I thought I had everything in the bag. I was averaging a 74 on my degree and I thought I had essentially guaranteed myself the distinction I would need to secure the PhD funding. Little did I know that disaster was around the corner.

Everything that could go wrong went wrong with my masters dissertation. I mean, even the Queen died while writing it!

But in all seriousness, severe burnout, a harassment situation in university halls and extremely poor management of my personal flaws led to a dissertation that was some of the worst work I had produced in both my undergraduate and masters degrees. I received a 62 for my dissertation that I had worked extremely hard on. It wasn’t a bad mark but, due to university policies, it meant I was awarded a merit for my degree despite averaging a 70 that, in other circumstances, would have given me a distinction overall. 

The End of My Academic Career?

One of the largest barriers to gaining a PhD is the finances. It currently costs over £4,000 per year for tuitions fees alone. That is over £12,000 in total, before you get to living expenses. This is why most people attempt to secure funding to achieve a PhD. However, getting funding is ultra-competitive. Sometimes, they don’t even consider those who didn’t get a distinction in their masters. So, though I achieved top marks on some assessments during my Masters, I am now undesirable for funding because of my dissertation. Even though I tried anyway, I was unsuccessful in achieving the funding.

I was devastated. At the time, it felt like I had ruined my life. I had wasted years of hard work with one single grade.

Why No One Wants to Study A Philosophy PhD

My financial struggles reflect the wider crumbling of an institution. Funding for philosophy has been continuously slashed by institutions that do not see the value in the humanities. As a result, entire philosophy departments are being wiped out plus academic jobs are few and far between. The jobs that do exist involve poor working conditions and are only temporary, creating stress for individuals on whether they can maintain a continuous income. All of this disproportionately affects minority philosophers who still face significant prejudice within the profession.

The sad truth is that the job I wanted when I was 16 and dedicated years of my life to may never have existed for me as a disabled woman, and certainly doesn’t exist now with the erosion of philosophy in the UK.

Why I Want to Study a Philosophy PhD Anyway

At the start of this post, I stated that I wanted a PhD. Yet, I have stated many compelling reasons why people in my position wouldn’t one. So why do I still want one?

I Would Enjoy A Philosophy PhD

Yes, it is true that the finances are against me. However, money isn’t all there is to life. Philosophy may never make me rich, but I am fine with that. Life can be far more meaningful when we explore what is beyond the material (though I acknowledge that I am privileged enough to make those sorts of decisions). I have always believed that life needs to include something that sets off a spark inside of us. For me, that is the curiosity that comes with philosophy.

Making Philosophy Accessible

However, there is another reason to get the PhD. And that is the blog. I have always been fascinated by alternative career paths in philosophy. They often engage the public with the philosophical concepts they need. Connecting philosophical concepts to what the public is fixated on is entertaining to me. I also want to deal with the problems I have encountered in philosophy during my journey. This includes students being unable to afford to study philosophy or being denied access because of the elitist culture. I want to build on the values I have gained. I believe everyone should be able to access a philosophy education. By gaining my PhD, I hope it will provide me with valuable skills to develop the blog into something that can truly do good.

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Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry

Get your phd in chemistry.

Thank you for your interest in the graduate program at the University of Iowa Department of Chemistry. The Department has had a chemistry PhD program for over 75 years and currently consists of over 25 research faculty, over 130 graduate students, and over 20 postdoctoral associates, research scientists and visiting scholars. Our graduates and postdocs have accepted positions at leading academic and industrial institutions and national laboratories.

State-of-the-art research labs, support facilities, and classrooms are located in the Chemistry Building and the Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratory. Extensive resources are readily accessible such as NMR, mass spectrometry, and X-ray analysis facilities, advanced computational resources, and complete machine, electronics, and glass shops. In addition to strong programs in the core areas of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, we offer unique research opportunities in emerging interdisciplinary areas such as biocatalysis, natural products, materials, surface science, bioinorganic, chemical sensors, chemical education research, and environmental and atmospheric chemistry.

The Department of Chemistry funds the tuition for all of our graduate students in good standing. In addition, we offer teaching and research assistantships that pay an annual stipend and provide employee benefits such as health insurance. Additional funding from a variety of sources is also available. 

For more information, contact the graduate program by e-mail at [email protected] . 

Student resources

• First year student guide
• Annual review resources
• Teaching assistant resources
• Postdoctoral scholar resources
• Thesis and dissertation
• General catalog
• Current courses

Degree requirements

Competency requirement.

Students must demonstrate basic competency in three chosen sub-disciplines of chemistry (analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, physical). Competency is established in one of the following ways: Scoring at the 50th percentile level (national norm) on the proficiency exam, completing a one-semester review course with a grade of C or better (courses specified below), or completing a one-semester graduate-level/advanced course in that sub-discipline of chemistry with a grade of B or better. The competency requirement must be fulfilled before the beginning of the student's third semester in the graduate program.

Review courses

Courses currently designated as review courses are:

• CHEM:4171 (formerly 4:171): Advanced Analytical Chemistry
• BIOC:3120 (formerly 99:120): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I
• CHEM:4270 (formerly 4:170): Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
• CHEM:4372 (formerly 4:172): Advanced Organic Chemistry
• CHEM:4431 (formerly 4:131): Physical Chemistry I

Advanced course requirement

Beyond the competency requirements, a minimum of four additional courses that total at least 11 semester hours of graduate credit must be completed by the end of the fourth semester in residence. Grades of "B" or higher must be attained in all of these advanced courses. A grade of "B-" does not meet this requirement. Research, seminar, and pedagogy credits, courses that are doubly listed with sub-100 level numbers, courses taken with the S/U grade option, and courses with grades of "B-" or lower cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. The student is strongly encouraged to develop a detailed course plan that is reviewed and approved by the research advisor.

Comprehensive examination

The oral comprehensive examination is designed to assess the student's overall progress, knowledge of fundamental chemical principles and chosen area of specialization, and general competency for PhD research.

Before the beginning of the second semester after a permanent advisor has been appointed, a Graduate Academic Committee (GAC) of five faculty, at least four from Chemistry, will be formed for each student with a PhD degree objective. The committee will consist of the research advisor and four additional members invited by the student subject to the advisor’s approval.

The five member committee for the comprehensive examination is the same as the student's Graduate Academic Committee (GAC). Additional faculty members may be invited to attend the oral comprehensive examination and may be consulted in judging the presentation when it bears upon their areas of expertise.

To be eligible to take the Comprehensive Examination, the student must have a cumulative average of 3.00 or greater on appropriate graduate coursework at The University of Iowa. Appropriate graduate coursework includes review courses (Section II.B.), graded seminar presentations (Section III.F.), courses that satisfy the advanced course requirement (Section III.A.), and additional courses in chemistry or related disciplines that are judged appropriate by the student’s GAC. Graduate Chemistry Orientation (CHEM:5091, formerly 4:191), Ethics in Chemical Sciences (CHEM:5092, formerly 4;192), Research in Chemistry (CHEM:7999, formerly 4:290) and Research Seminar (CHEM:6990, formerly 4:291) shall be graded on an S/U basis and therefore are not included in the computation of the cumulative average.

The general comprehensive examination requirements set by the Graduate College must be completed by the end of the fourth semester in residence, unless written consent is received from the GAC and is approved by the Departmental Graduate Review Committee (DGRC). A student who fails to meet this requirement may be dropped from the PhD program. A student on academic probation is not eligible to take the comprehensive exam. Students entering with a Master's degree and those exempted from review courses are strongly encouraged to take the comprehensive examination during the second or third semester in residence.

The comprehensive examination is a two-part oral examination. The first part consists of an oral defense of the student's research problem and progress, and will be based upon a written Research Report submitted by the student. The second part consists of an oral defense of an original Research Proposal submitted by the student. The Research Report and the Research Proposal must be submitted (together) prior to five weeks before the last day of classes in the semester during which the examination is to be taken (or, for a spring semester examination, by the last Friday prior to Spring Break, whichever is earlier). It is strongly recommended that the examination be held at the earliest possible date in the semester to facilitate scheduling.

If the GAC approves both the Research Report and the Research Proposal, the oral examination may be scheduled. The student should then complete a Formal Plan of Study and a Request to the Graduate College for the PhD Comprehensive Examination. At the examination, the student will be asked to present a short (20 minute) summary of their research project. During or following this presentation, the committee will ask questions designed to probe the student's understanding of the research topic and important background material, the experimental methods and techniques which are important in the particular area, and the goals and significance of the research. The committee next will examine the candidate's understanding of areas related to the Research Proposal. The student will be asked to give a short (30 minute) presentation of the Research Proposal. The committee will ask questions designed to probe the quality and the student's understanding of the proposal. Typically, however, this discussion will evolve into a wide-ranging examination of the student's general competency in the chemical sciences.

Seminar requirements

Each student is expected to give a minimum of two acceptable seminars. One seminar must cover the student's research. The other may also deal with the student's research, or can be an extensive literature report. The student may register for the appropriate divisional seminar course and receive letter grade credit during those semesters in which the seminars are presented. The final PhD defense cannot be used to meet this requirement.

The research conference/three-month seminar

At least three months before the anticipated final defense, the PhD candidate must meet with their graduate academic committee. If scheduling permits, the research work can be reported as a research seminar during a regularly scheduled divisional seminar, with a subsequent committee meeting for questions and advice.

Final defense of the PhD dissertation

The Dean of the Graduate College will make a public announcement of a candidate’s final defense three weeks prior to the exam date. This final oral examination is open to the public. Dissertation copies must be made available to all members of the examining committee not later than two weeks before the examination date.

Milestones toward the PhD

The milestones on the path toward earning your PhD in chemistry at the University of Iowa are described below. These are illustrative of a typical student; most students follow this path, but some variations are possible.

Typical timelines for PhD completion

Create your academic path.

You'll find degree overviews, requirements, course lists, academic plans, and more to help you plan your education and explore your possibilities.

Current course list

The MyUI Schedule displays registered courses for a particular session and is available to enrolled students. The list view includes course instructors, time and location, and features to drop courses or change sections.