The Philosophy Department at UCSD participates in two interdisciplinary programs - Cognitive Science and Science Studies - the requirements for which are outlined below.
Interdisciplinary Degree Program in Cognitive Science
The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Cognitive Science includes faculty from a number of UCSD Departments including Anthropology, Biology and Neurobiology, Cognitive Science, Communication, Computer Science and Engineering, Linguistics, Music, Neurosciences, Philosophy, Psychiatry, Psychology, and Sociology. This group includes many outstanding figures in contemporary cognitive science.
Students wishing to pursue a Ph.D. in "Philosophy and Cognitive Science" register in the Philosophy program in the normal fashion, but pursue a significant portion of their studies with faculty in the several departments participating in the interdisciplinary program. Students may apply for admission to the interdisciplinary program at the same time that they apply to the Department of Philosophy, or at some point after entering UCSD. (All students wishing to transfer into any interdisciplinary program must do so prior to the end of the fifth quarter of residency.)
Students in philosophy/cognitive science are required to do the following:
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Complete all requirements for the Philosophy Ph.D. except that the Distribution Requirement is amended. By the end of the ninth quarter of residence, a Philosophy/Cognitive Science degree student must have completed ten graduate seminars in philosophy with a grade of B+ or better in each course distributed across the areas of (A) philosophy of science and philosophy of logic, (B) philosophy of mind and philosophy of language, (C) ethics and political philosophy, (D), epistemology and metaphysics, and (E) history of philosophy. Students must take at least one seminar from each of these five areas and at least two seminars form any four of these areas.
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The equivalent of one year's course work (usually in six courses) in one or more of the other Departments affiliated with the Department of Cognitive Science. (It should be noted that a philosophy graduate student who completes this requirement is deemed thereby to have satisfied the philosophy language requirement by gaining an approved special competency.)
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Six quarters of Cognitive Science 200.
A plan detailing the course of study must be approved by the Cognitive Science Program Committee. The dissertation should be interdisciplinary, reflecting the two areas of specialization.
Science Studies Program
The Science Studies Program at UCSD is committed to interdisciplinary investigations. Understanding, interpreting, and explaining the scientific enterprise demand a systematic integration of the perspectives developed within the history, sociology, and philosophy of science. The program offers students an opportunity to work towards such integration, while receiving a thorough training at the professional level in one of the component disciplines.
Students enrolled in the program choose one of the component disciplines for their major field of specialist studies, and are required to complete minor field requirements in the others. The core of the program, however, is a year-long seminar in Science Studies, led by faculty from all participating departments.
To obtain a Ph.D. in Philosophy/Science Studies, students must take a total of 18 courses, including:
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Nine seminars in philosophy with a grade of B+ or better, distributed across the areas of (A) philosophy of science and philosophy of logic, (B) philosophy of mind and philosophy of language, (C) ethics and political philosophy, (D) metaphysics and epistemology, and (E) history of philosophy. Students must take at least one seminar from each of these five areas and at least two seminars from any three of these areas. This requirement must be completed by the end of the seventh quarter of residence. By the end of the fifth quarter of residence, a student must have taken at least five Philosophy seminars (distributed across at least three areas), and must have achieved an average B+ or better in all philosophy seminars taken up to that point. Failure to take a sufficient number of seminars or to achieve a B+ average means that the student may not continue in the program after the fifth quarter.
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The Introduction to Science Studies 209A, plus the Seminar in Science Studies 209B, to be taken twice with changed content.
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Students must attend the Colloquium series for their entire first and second years. They receive course credit (Science Studies 209C) in any two quarters of their choice (once in their first year and once in their second year, with exceptions to be considered by the Director of Science Studies). This course is taken for a "S/U" grade option only.
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Two additional Science Studies courses outside philosophy drawn from a list of approved courses available each year from the Science Studies Program office. (One course in one of the sciences may be substituted for one of these courses as part of an approved program of study.)
The student's program of study must be approved by the Philosophy faculty advisor for Science Studies.
The examining committee will be made up of at least five members, three of whom must be faculty members in the "home" Department. At least one outside member must be senior faculty. At least two internal members and at least one external member should be faculty of the Science Studies Program. Exceptions to this policy require permission from the director of the science studies program.
Students may apply for admission to the interdisciplinary program at the same time that they apply to the Department of Philosophy, or at some point after entering UCSD. (All students wishing to transfer into any interdisciplinary program must do so prior to the end of the fifth quarter of residency.)
Graduate Program
Staff Contact
Catherine Asmann
Graduate Program Coordinator
Phone: (858) 534-3076
casmann@ucsd.edu
Faculty Contact
Rick Grush
Director of Graduate Studies
Phone: (858) 822-4440
Email: Rick Grush