PhD Program

Requirements for the PhD

In order to be admitted to candidacy for the PhD, students must:
a. Earn 45 credits, distributed as specified below;
b. Pass all required comprehensive exams;
c. Satisfy the logic requirement;
d. Complete the Dissertation Transition Seminar;
e. Hold a pre-proposal meeting;
f. And do so within six (6) semesters from beginning the PhD program

At least 15 courses (45 credits) are required and are to be distributed as follows:

  1. Proseminars
    During their first year of residency in the PhD program, all students are required to pass the ethics proseminar and a year-long proseminar covering selected issues that arise in metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of science (LEMMS Proseminar 1 & LEMMS Proseminar 2).
  2. Advanced History Courses
    All students must take two history courses at the 6000-level or above. In order for a graduate course to count as satisfying a history requirement, it must: i. be focused on a figure(s), movement(s), or period(s); and ii. approach its material using the methodologies and tools of the study of history of philosophy in order to understand, interpret, reconstruct, and critically evaluate the text(s) or view(s) under consideration. Whether a particular course satisfies these requirements will be determined by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with appropriate faculty.
  3. Advanced Topical Courses
    Students must take two topically oriented courses at the 6000-level or above, one in a normative area and one in a non-normative area.
  4. Logic
    The logic requirement must be satisfied during the first year in the program. Students may satisfy the logic requirement in one of three ways:
    • Taking PHIL-5001, Intermediate Logic, and earning a grade of B or higher;
    • Taking and passing an examination administered by the Department on the material
      covered in PHIL-5001; or
    • By receiving a final grade of B+ or higher in an equivalent or more advanced course at
      another institution.

      Under (i) above, with approval by the Director of Graduate Studies as well as the faculty who teach PHIL-5001, an equivalent or more advanced course at Georgetown may be substituted for PHIL-5001. Under (iii) above, the Director of Graduate Studies as well as the faculty who teach PHIL-5001 must approve the proposal to certify a course from another institution as equivalent to or more advanced than PHIL-5001. Students who fail to pass the logic requirement during their first year in the program may have one further opportunity to pass the requirement.
  5. Preproposal Research Seminar
    In order to develop a direction for research and gain competence in the literature surrounding one’s dissertation project, students must take a Preproposal Research Seminar, which is a tutorial taken with a team of three potential committee members, the work product of which is a problem statement and an annotated bibliography, enabling students to move smoothly to a preproposal / organizational meeting.
  6. 4000–4999 Level Courses
    No more than one fifth (⅕) of the credits required for one’s degree may be earned in courses below the 5000-level. Courses below the 4000-level may not be taken for graduate credit.

Timeline for the Ph.D. Program

The following timeline applies in the first instance to students on financial aid. Students not on financial aid will develop an individualized timeline in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies.

Year One

Students will complete eight (8) courses or 24 credits, including the two Proseminars (Ethics and the year-long LEMMS Proseminar); a comprehensive examination based on the LEMMS Proseminar; the Intermediate Logic requirement (PHIL-5001) or its equivalent; and Symbolic Logic (PHIL-4000) if needed. Students will have a non-service Fellowship during Year 1 (see IV.A.2 below).

Year Two

Students will complete six (6) courses or 18 credits. Students will typically serve as a Teaching Assistant during Year 2.

Year Three

Students will take the zero-credit Dissertation Transition Seminar and a three-credit Preproposal Research Seminar during the Fall semester, thus completing all coursework requirements for the PhD. By the end of the Preproposal Research Seminar, a student will organize a provisional Dissertation Committee with a provisional Dissertation Mentor. By the end of the Spring semester, students will hold a “pre-proposal” or “organizational” meeting with their proposed Dissertation Committee (see II.B.2.a below). Students will typically serve as a Teaching Assistant during Year 3.

Year Four

Students will hold a formal Dissertation Proposal Defense by the end of the Fall semester of Year 4 (see II.B.2.b below). Students who fail their formal Dissertation Proposal Defense may hold a second defense during the Spring semester of Year 4. Students will typically serve as a Teaching Associate during Year 4, serving as the instructor of record for their own course.

Year Five

Students will have a non-service Fellowship during Year 5 and will work full-time on writing their Dissertation. Students must make substantial progress on writing the Dissertation during this year, and this should be described in the student’s Annual Progress Report (see II.B.3 below). Year 5 is the final year of financial support guaranteed by the Graduate School.

Year Six

Students should aim to finish and formally defend their Dissertation during Year 6. If funds are available to the Department, students will receive a service stipend to serve as a Teaching Associate. Funding cannot be guaranteed in advance.

Years Seven and Eight

Students may, if needed, take a seventh year to complete and defend dissertations, and it is permissible to apply for an eighth year in the program if necessary. However, no financial support is likely to be available for the seventh and eighth years.