Oct 31, 2025  
Spring 2026 Graduate Catalog 
    
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Spring 2026 Graduate Catalog

Philosophy, PhD

Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy

Chairperson: Anthony Steinbock, Harriman Hall 213 (631) 632-7585
Assistant to the Chair: Alissa Betz, Harriman Hall 211-A (631) 632-7590
PhD Program Director: Anne O’Byrne, Harriman Hall 207
Graduate Program Coordinator: Lisa-Beth Platania, Harriman Hall 213 (631) 632-7580
 

Department Website

The Department of Philosophy, in the College of Arts and Sciences, offers programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy and the Master of Arts in Philosophy.

PhD Degree in Philosophy

The doctoral program offers a rare opportunity to integrate the study of the history of philosophy with an exploration of contemporary philosophical methods and to apply an interdisciplinary approach to the framing and treatment of philosophical problems. The Philosophy Department is a sponsor of the Transatlantic Philosophical Collegium that offers advanced students opportunity for extended study at select German universities.

There are three general aims of the doctoral program:

  1. To cultivate and make explicit the values and principles of the principal contemporary styles of philosophical reasoning.
  2. To investigate the areas between philosophy and other disciplines that involve methodological, conceptual, and historical exchanges between philosophy and these other disciplines.
  3. To provide an understanding of the history, major figures, and diverse problems of philosophy.

Admission Requirements

Application Website

For admission to the doctoral and master’s programs in philosophy, the following are normally required:

  1. A bachelor’s degree with a major in philosophy.
  2. Some knowledge of the history of philosophy and of contemporary modes of thought is highly desirable. Deficiencies in these areas may require the student to undertake special work.
  3. Official transcripts  from the institution(s) where undergraduate and any graduate degrees were conferred; unofficial transcripts from other institutions where classes were taken but no degree was conferred
  4. Letters of recommendation from three previous or current instructors.
  5. Submission of a philosophical essay (which may be a paper written for a previous course).
  6. Statement of Purpose (no more than 2 pages single-spaced).
  7. Acceptance by both the Department of Philosophy and the Graduate School.

Degree Requirements

The doctoral program is designed to be completed in five years of full-time work. In addition to the minimum degree requirements of the Graduate School, the following are required:

A. Seminars

Seminar coursework will be required from the following three areas: history of philosophy (three seminars covering three of the following disciplines: ancient philosophy, medieval/Renaissance philosophy, modern philosophy, and 19th-century philosophy), interface studies (two seminars), and contemporary philosophy (five seminars, which must include PHI 630  and PHI 631  ). The student will also take at least two additional seminars in one of the three areas to fulfill the concentration of studies requirement, for a total of 12 seminars. 

Students also take PHI 623  Teaching Practicum and participate in a series of prospectus workshops aimed at producing a dissertation prospectus.

B. Non-seminar Requirements

  1. An examination in the History of Philosophy, which must be passed by the end of the second year. A style essay, judged acceptable by a committee of two department faculty, in one of the areas of contemporary philosophy.
  2. An interface essay, judged acceptable by a committee composed of at least one Philosophy faculty member and a faculty member from the relevant second discipline.
  3. Demonstrated competence in symbolic logic.
  4. Demonstrated competence in a foreign language.

C. Ph.D. Candidacy

Official Ph.D. candidacy is attained when a student fulfills the requirements listed above, submits a dissertation prospectus (10-15 pages), and passes an oral defense of the prospectus before an examining committee of three faculty.

D. Dissertation

When the dissertation is completed, there is an oral defence before a committee of four or five faculty members. Doctoral students may be awarded the M.A. degree upon completion of 30 graduate credits of graded coursework.

Courses

Detailed course descriptions for the doctoral program are available on the the Philosophy Department website each semester.