Graduate Brochure

Introduction | Requirements | Time Limits, Financial Aid, Affirmative Action
Doctoral Dissertations, Colloquia & Conferences | How To Apply | Advice for Applicants

Graduate Program Requirements

The department offers programs leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. It is the intention of the graduate program to enable the student to obtain an understanding of diverse traditions and to develop as a philosopher in his or her own right. To this end, the department offers courses and seminars in the history of philosophy and in traditional and contemporary philosophical issues, from a variety of perspectives. Master's Degree Program Doctoral Degree Work Interdisciplinary Degree Program in Cognitive Science Science Studies Program Master's Degree Program

Master's Degree Program

To qualify for a Master's degree in philosophy, a student must pass eight of the distribution requirement seminars as described below, under the subheading "Distribution Requirements." At least one of the seminars must be from the ethics and political philosophy category, and no more than four seminars from any one of the five areas may count toward the master's degree. The student must also complete a master's research paper, under the direction of a faculty member or his or her choice, and have it approved by two members of the department faculty.

Although Ph.D. students sometimes elect to complete their studies with a Master's degree, we do not admit students to a Master's degree program.

Doctoral Degree Program

Course Work

During the first two years of residence the student's work will normally total thirty-six units (nine courses) per year. At least twelve of these units in each year must be graduate philosophy seminars (those numbered 201-285). The balance may be made up from additional graduate courses in philosophy, upper-division courses in philosophy (those numbered 100-199), approved upper-division or graduate courses in related departments, and, if the student is a teaching assistant, Philosophy 500 (Apprentice Teaching).

After consultation with the graduate advisor, each entering student shall be assigned a faculty advisor. Students are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor periodically to plan their course of study during their first two years and must meet once a year in the spring to review progress in the program.

Logic Requirement

During the first term of residence, all entering graduate students will take an examination designed to demonstrate their level of proficiency in formal logic. The examination covers the predicate calculus, up to and including functions, relations, and identity. Students who pass the examination with a grade of B+ or better have satisfied the first component of the logic requirement. Students who do not score a B+ or better must take Philosophy 120 (Symbolic Logic) during the first year of study and achieve a grade of B+ or better. By the end of the sixth term of residence, all students must also pass an advanced logic course (Philosophy 121, 122, 211, or another logic class approved by the graduate advisor) with at least a grade of B+.

Proseminar

In fall quarter of their first year of residence, graduate students shall take a proseminar designed to introduce them to philosophical methods and improve their skills at writing and analysis. Enrollment in the proseminar is limited to first-year students. The proseminar is normally team-taught. The topics to be covered will address some central area of areas of philosophy and will vary from year to year. The proseminar is a regular four-unit seminar and as such may be counted toward satisfaction of the distribution requirement.

Core Courses

In the following areas, the Department shall offer "core" or advanced introductory seminars: philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, the history of philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. The Department shall offer at least three of these courses in each academic year. Students must take two of these core courses by the end of their sixth quarter of residence. Courses taken to satisfy this requirement may be applied toward the distribution requirement. (A core course provides a point of entry into a field that is suitable for graduate students with no prior work in this area of philosophy as well as students with some background knowledge. A core course need not be and normally should not be a general survey of the field, but will take up some central topic. A core course will normally offer students the option of writing shorter papers rather than one long seminar paper; as an alternative, a final examination may be offered.)

Distribution Requirements

By the end of the seventh quarter of residence, a student must have completed ten graduate seminars in philosophy with a grade of B+ or better. The seminars must be distributed as follows:

  1. Four seminars in the history of philosophy. At least one of these courses must be in ancient philosophy; at least one must be in modern philosophy.
  2. Six seminars in the four areas listed below. Students must take at least one seminar in every area and two seminars in any two of the areas.
    1. Philosophy of science and philosophy of logic
    2. Philosophy of mind and philosophy of language
    3. Ethics and political philosophy
    4. Metaphysics and epistemology

Courses used to satisfy a requirement in one category cannot be used to satisfy a requirement in another category. The determination as to what category or categories a particular seminar taught in a given quarter may count toward is normally made by the seminar instructor.

The proseminar and courses used to satisfy the Core Course requirement may be counted toward fulfillment of the Distribution requirement.

At the end of the fifth quarter of residence, a student must have completed eight of the required seminars. In order to remain in the program, a student must have attained an average of B+ or better in all philosophy seminars completed by this point. Philosophy Writing Workshop

In fall term of their third year of study, graduate students shall enroll in the Philosophy writing workshop, a one to three unit course depending on the expected enrollment. This course is graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. In this workshop each student shall produce a polished original philosophical essay (this may be based on a paper written for a seminar), criticize the essays produced by other workshop participants, and present the essay as a talk to an audience of workshop participants, the faculty instructor, and other interested graduate students and faculty. Independent Study Courses * Philosophy 290 (Directed Independent Study) is appropriate for a graduate student still in the process of fulfilling course requirements for the degree. * Philosophy 295 (Research Topics) is an appropriate course for a student in the process of coming up with a dissertation prospectus. * Philosophy 299 (Thesis Research) is appropriate for a student working on his or her dissertation. Language Requirement

Before advancing to candidacy, all students must demonstrate reading proficiency in one of the following languages:

  • German
  • French
  • Latin
  • Classical Greek

If a student's chosen dissertation topic requires competence in a second language from the above list, then the student's dissertation advisor can require a suitable demonstration of competence. In special circumstances students may be permitted to substitute a different language or a special competency (such as advanced work in mathematics or in one of the sciences) if educationally compelling reasons can be given for doing so. These exceptions will be decided on a case-by-case basis. The language requirement must be met before the student can be advanced to candidacy. Third Year Advising

At the end of the student's sixth quarter of study, the Department appoints a three-member faculty committee for that student. The composition of the committee will reflect the student's preferences and the area of philosophy in which the student is inclined to do dissertation work. The committee's task is to help the student to develop a sound dissertation project and advance to candidacy in a timely manner. There is no expectation that the members of this third-year committee necessarily will serve on the dissertation committee. Dissertation Prospectus and Oral Candidacy Exam

Some time after completing the distribution requirements, the student must submit a dissertation prospectus to his or her doctoral committee. The committee will then orally examine the student on the intended subject and plan of research. The examination will seek to establish that the thesis proposed is a satisfactory subject of research and that the student has the preparation and the abilities necessary to complete that research. This oral qualifying exam must be passed before the end of the twelfth quarter of residence. Students who are passed and have met the other requirements will be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. Teaching Requirements

Participation in undergraduate teaching is one of the requirements for a Ph.D. in philosophy. The student is required to serve as a teaching assistant for the equivalent of one-quarter time for three academic quarters. The duties of a teaching assistant normally entail grading papers and examinations, conducting discussion sections, and related activities, including attendance at lectures in the course for which he or she is assisting. Doctoral Dissertation

Under the supervision of a doctoral committee, each candidate will write a dissertation demonstrating a capacity to engage in original and independent research. The candidate will defend the thesis in an oral examination by the doctoral committee. (See "Graduate Studies: The Doctor of Philosophy Degree.") Application Request

For information regarding the graduate program call (858) 534-6809 or write to:

University of California, San Diego
Graduate Advisor; Philosophy, 0119
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla CA 92093-0119

Email address: casmann@ucsd.edu.

Interdisciplinary Degree Programs

The philosophy department at UCSD participates in two interdisciplinary programs, 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.)
  3. 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

SSP Handbook

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:

  1. 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.
  2. The Introduction to Science Studies 209A, plus the Seminar in Science Studies 209B, to be taken twice with changed content.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.)