Stanford Philosophy Department: Graduate Program


Stanford offers both terminal M.A. and Ph.D. study. Admitted students start in Autumn quarter. Our program is well known for its excellent support, streamlined teaching requirements, and low average time to degree. For placement info, please check our Ph.D. placement record. For the most current information about degree requirements, please check this year's Stanford Bulletin. (Bulletin info supercedes this page's info.)

GRADUATE PROGRAM MASTER OF ARTS Special Program in Symbolic Systems Special Program in the Philosophy of Language Coterminal BA and MA DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Special PhD programs PhD Minor Graduate Program in Humanities Graduate Program in Cognitive Science Special Track in Philosophy and Symbolic Systems Joint Program in Ancient Philosophy Graduate Degrees in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology MASTER OF ARTS Four programs lead to the M.A. in Philosophy. One is a general program providing a grounding in all branches of the subject. The others provide special training in one branch. Admissions. All prospective master's students, including those currently enrolled in other Stanford programs, must apply for admission to the program. The application deadline is the last Tuesday in March of the academic year preceding entry into the program. No fellowships are available. Entering students must meet with the director of the master's program and have their advisers' approval, in writing, of program proposals. The master's program should not be considered a stepping stone to the doctoral program; these two programs are separate and distinct. Unit Requirements. Each program requires a minimum of 45 units in philosophy. Students in a special program may be allowed or required to replace up to 9 units of philosophy by 9 units in the field of specialization. Although the requirements for the M.A. are designed so that a student with the equivalent of a strong undergraduate philosophy major at Stanford might complete them in one year, most students need longer. Students should also keep in mind that although 45 units is the minimum required by the University, quite often more units are necessary to complete department requirements. Up to 6 units of directed reading in philosophy may be allowed. There is no thesis requirement, but an optional master's thesis or project, upon faculty approval, may count as the equivalent of up to 8 units. A special pro-gram may require knowledge of a foreign language. At least 45 units in courses numbered 100 or above must be completed with a grade of 'B-' or better at Stanford. Students are reminded of the University requirements for advanced degrees, and particularly of the fact that for the M.A., students must complete three full quarters as measured by tuition payment. GENERAL PROGRAM The General Program requires a minimum of 45 units in Philosophy courses numbered above 99. These courses must be taken for a letter grade and the student must receive at least a 'B-' in the course. Courses taken to satisfy the undergraduate core or affiliated courses may not be counted in the 45 units. The requirement has three parts: Undergraduate Core: students must have when they enter, or complete early in their program, the following undergraduate courses (students entering from other institutions should establish equivalent requirements with a master's adviser upon arrival or earlier): Logic: 50 (formerly 57), 150 (formerly 159), or 151 (formerly 160A) Philosophy of science: any course from 60, 61, 163-167-167 Moral and political philosophy: one from 170-173 Metaphysics and epistemology: one from 80, 180-189 History of philosophy: two history of philosophy courses numbered 100 or above Graduate Core: students must take at least one course numbered over 105 from three of the following five areas (courses used to satisfy the undergraduate core cannot also be counted toward satisfaction of the graduate core). Crosslisted and other courses taught outside the Department of Philosophy do not count towards satisfaction of the core. Logic and semantics Philosophy of science and history of science Ethics, value theory, and moral and political philosophy Metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of language History of philosophy Each master's candidate must take at least two courses numbered above 200 (these cannot be graduate sections of undergraduate courses). One may be a graduate core seminar (360, 370, 380, 381), but no student is admitted to a core seminar before completing undergraduate requirements in the area of the seminar and securing the approval of the instructor. Specialization: students must take at least three courses numbered over 105 in one of the five areas. SPECIAL PROGRAM IN SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS Students should have the equivalent of the Stanford undergraduate major in Symbolic Systems. Students who have a strong major in one of the basic SSP disciplines (philosophy, psychology, linguistics, computer science) may be admitted, but are required to do a substantial part of the undergraduate SSP core in each of the other basic SSP fields. This must include the following three philosophy courses or their equivalents: 80; 151 (formerly 160A); and one from 181, 183, 184, 186. This work does not count towards the 45-unit requirement. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Four courses in philosophy at the graduate level (numbered 200 or above), including courses from three of the following five areas: Philosophy of language Logic Philosophy of mind Metaphysics and epistemology Philosophy of science At most two of the four courses may be graduate sections of undergraduate courses numbered 100 or higher. Three courses numbered 100 or higher from outside Philosophy, chosen in consultation with an adviser. These courses should be from two of the following four areas: Psychology Linguistics Computer Science Education Remaining courses are chosen in consultation with and approved by an adviser. SPECIAL PROGRAM IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE Admission is limited to students with substantial preparation in philosophy or linguistics. Those whose primary preparation has been in linguistics may be required to satisfy all or part of the undergraduate core requirements as described in the "General Program" subsection above. Those whose preparation is primarily in philosophy may be required to take additional courses in linguistics. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Philosophy of language: two approved courses in the philosophy of language numbered 180 or higher. Syntactic theory and generative grammar: 384 and LINGUIST 231. Logic: at least two approved courses numbered 151 (formerly 160A) or higher. An approved graduate-level course in mathematical linguistics or automata theory. COTERMINAL BACHELOR'S AND MASTER'S DEGREES It is possible for current Stanford undergraduates to earn an M.A. in Philosophy while earning a B.A. or B.S. This can usually be done by the end of the fifth undergraduate year, although a student whose degree is not in philosophy may require an additional year. Standards for admission to, and completion of, this program are the same as for M.A. applicants who already have the bachelor's degree when matriculating. Applicants for the coterminal program are not, however, required to take the Graduate Record Exam. Information about applying is available from Graduate Admissions in the Registrar's Office, and on our admissions page. For University coterminal degree program rules and University application forms, see the Registrar's forms page. DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY The University's basic requirements for the Ph.D. degree (residence, dissertation, examination, and so on) are discussed in the "Graduate Degrees" section of the Bulletin. The requirements detailed here are department requirements. All courses used to satisfy proficiency requirements must be passed with a letter grade of 'B-' or better (no satisfactory/no credit). At the end of each year, the department reviews the progress of each student to determine whether the student is making satisfactory progress, and on that basis to make decisions about probationary status and termination from the program where appropriate. Any student in one of the Ph.D. programs may apply for the M.A. when all University and department requirements have been met. PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS Course requirements, to be completed during the first two years: four core graduate courses and seminars in philosophy of language (381); philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and epistemology (380); value theory (370); and philosophy of science (360) three of the four items listed below: three history courses, each consisting of an approved graduate-level course in the history of philosophy. Courses satisfying this seven-out-of-eight requirement must include at least one history course in ancient philosophy, one in modern. PHIL 151 (formerly 160A) PHIL 150 (formerly 159) or the equivalent A total of at least 49 units of course work in the Department of Philosophy numbered above 110, but not including Teaching Methods (PHIL 239) or affiliated courses. Units of Individual Directed Reading (PHIL 240) may be included only with the approval of the Director of Graduate Study. Teaching Assistance: a minimum of five quarters of teaching assistance, usually during the second and third years. As part of the training for being a teaching assistant, Ph.D. students are required to take PHIL 239 during Spring Quarter of their first and second years. Candidacy: to continue in the Ph.D. program, each student must be approved for candidacy during the sixth academic quarter (normally the Spring Quarter of the student's second year). Students may be approved for candidacy on a conditional basis if they have only one or two outstanding deficiencies, but are not officially advanced to candidacy until these deficiencies have been removed. Approval for candidacy indicates that, in the department's judgment, the student can successfully complete the Ph.D. In reaching this judgment, the department considers the overall quality of the student's work during the first six quarters and the student's success in fulfilling course requirements. During the third year of graduate study, and after advancement to candidacy, a Ph.D. student should successfully complete at least three graduate-level courses/seminars, at least two of which must be in philosophy. Courses required for candidacy are not counted toward satisfaction of this requirement. Choice of courses/seminars outside philosophy is determined in consultation with a student's adviser. During the summer of their second year, students are required to attend a dissertation development seminar given by the department. Dissertation work and defense: the third and fourth (and sometimes fifth) years are devoted to dissertation work. Dissertation Proposal: by Spring Quarter of the third year, students select a dissertation topic, a reading committee, and some possible thesis relative to that topic. The topic and thesis should be sketched in a proposal of three to five pages, plus a detailed, annotated bibliography indicating familiarity with the relevant literature. The proposal should be approved by the reading committee before the meeting on graduate student progress late in Spring Quarter. Departmental Oral: during Autumn Quarter of the fourth year, students take an oral examination, called the "Departmental Oral," based on at least 30 pages of written work, in addition to the proposal. The aim of the exam is to help the student arrive at an acceptable plan for the dissertation and to make sure that the student, thesis, topic, and adviser make a reasonable fit. In cases where such an exam is deemed inappropriate by the reading committee, the student may be exempted by filing a petition with the Director of Graduate Study, signed by the student and the members of the reading committee. Fourth-Year Colloquium: no later than the Spring Quarter of the fourth year, students present a research paper in a seminar open to the entire department. This paper should be on an aspect of the student's dissertation research. University Oral Exam: Ph.D. students must submit a completed draft of the dissertation to the three-person reading committee at least one month before the student expects to defend the thesis in the University oral exam. If the student is given permission to go forward, the University orals take place approximately two weeks later. A portion of the exam consists of a student presentation based on the dissertation and is open to the public. A closed question period follows. If the draft is ready by Autumn Quarter of the fourth year, the student can request that the University oral count as the department oral. SPECIAL GRADUATE PROGRAMS The department recognizes that some students may need to spend a large amount of time preparing themselves in some other discipline related to their philosophical goals, or in advanced preparation in some area within philosophy. In such circumstances, the department may be willing to waive some of the Ph.D. requirements. Such an exemption is not automatic; a program must be worked out with an ad-vi ser and submitted to the department some time in the student's first year. This proposal must be in writing and must include: The areas to be exempted (see below). A program of additional courses and seminars in the special area (usually at least 12 units). A justification of the program that considers both intellectual coherence and the student's goals. The department believes there is plenty of room for normal specialization within the program as it stands, and that all students specialize to some extent. Thus, the intent is not to exempt courses on a one-to-one basis, but only to grant exemptions when a student plans an extensive and intensive study of some relevant area. Special program students may be exempted from the following: One additional item from the items listed above in requirement 1(a) PHIL 150 (formerly 159); but in this case, a student must take PHIL 50 (formerly 57) If a student's special program involves substantial course work outside of philosophy, the student may, with the approval of the adviser, petition the department to reduce requirement l(d) (the Philosophy unit requirement for the first two years). Normally this requirement is not reduced below 32 units. PH.D. MINOR To obtain a Ph.D. minor in Philosophy, students must follow these procedures: Consult with the Director of Graduate Study to establish eligibility, and select a suitable adviser. Give to the department academic assistant a signed copy of the program of study (designed with the adviser) which offers: 30 units of courses in the Department of Philosophy with a letter grade of 'B-' or better in each course. No more than 3 units of directed reading may be counted in the 30-unit requirement. At least one course or seminar numbered over 99 to be taken in each of these five areas: Logic Philosophy of science Ethics, value, theory, and moral and political philosophy Metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of language History of philosophy Two additional courses numbered over 199 to be taken in one of those (b) five areas. A faculty member from the Department of Philosophy (usually the student's adviser) serves on the student's doctoral oral examination committee and may request that up to one third of this examination be devoted to the minor subject. Paperwork for the minor must be submitted to the department office before beginning the program. INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN HUMANITIES The Department of Philosophy also participates in the Graduate Program in Humanities leading to the joint Ph.D. degree in Philosophy and Humanities. Please check the "Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities" site. GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE Philosophy participates with the departments of Computer Science, Linguistics, and Psychology in an interdisciplinary program in Cognitive Science. It is intended to provide an interdisciplinary education, as well as a deeper concentration in philosophy, and is open to doctoral students. Students who complete the requirements within Philosophy and the Cognitive Science requirements receive a special designation in Cognitive Science along with the Ph.D. in Philosophy. To receive this field designation, students must complete 30 units of approved courses, 18 of which must be taken in two disciplines outside of philosophy. The list of approved courses can be obtained from the Cognitive Science program located in the Department of Psychology. SPECIAL TRACK IN PHILOSOPHY AND SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS Students interested in interdisciplinary work relating philosophy to artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, linguistics, or logic may pursue a degree in this program. Prerequisites. Ideally, admitted students have covered the equivalent of the core of the undergraduate Symbolic Systems Program requirements, including courses in artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive science, linguistics, logic, and philosophy. The graduate program is designed with this background in mind. Students missing part of this background may need additional course work. Aside from the required course work below, the Ph.D. requirements are the same as for the regular program. Courses of Study. The program consists of two years of courses and two years of dissertation work. Students are required to take the following courses in the first two years: 1. Six Philosophy courses: a) two of the following: 360, 370, 380, 381 b) one course in the history of modern philosophy c) two quarters of graduate logic courses from among 350A, 351A, 352A, 353A d) at least one additional seminar in the general area of symbolic systems: e.g., 354, 358 2. Five cognitive science and computer science courses: a) at least two courses in cognitive psychology b) two or three graduate courses in computer science, at least one in AI and one in theory 3. Three linguistics and computational linguistics courses: a) graduate courses on natural language that focus on two of the following areas: phonetics and phonology, syntax, semantics, or pragmatics b) one graduate course in computational linguistics, typically LINGUIST 239 4. At least two additional graduate seminars at a more advanced level, in the general area of the program, independent of department. These would typically be in the area of the student's proposed dissertation project. The requirements for the third year are the same as for other third-year graduate students in philosophy: a dissertation proposal, creation of a dissertation committee, and at least three approved graduate courses and seminars. The dissertation committee must include at least one member of the Department of Philosophy and one member of the Program in Symbolic Systems outside the Department of Philosophy. The requirement for the fourth year is the same as for the other graduate students in philosophy: a department oral on an initial draft of part of the dissertation, a fourth year colloquium, and a University oral exam when the dissertation is essentially complete. JOINT PROGRAM IN ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY This program is jointly administered by the Departments of Classics and Philosophy and is overseen by a joint committee composed of members of both departments. It provides students with the training, specialist skills, and knowledge needed for research and teaching in ancient philosophy while producing scholars who are fully trained as either philosophers (with a strong specialization in ancient languages and philology) or classicists (with a concentration in philosophy). Students are admitted to the program by either department. Graduate students admitted by the Philosophy department receive their Ph.D. from the Philosophy department; those admitted by the Classics department receive their Ph.D. from the Classics department. For Philosophy graduate students, this program provides training in classical languages, literature, culture, and history. For Classics graduate students, this program provides training in the history of philosophy and in contemporary philosophy. Each student in the program is advised by a committee consisting of one professor in each department. Requirements for Philosophy Graduate Students: These are the same as the proficiency requirements for the Ph.D. in Philosophy with the following exception: if the student has already taken two courses in modern philosophy, there is no need to take a course in modern philosophy to satisfy proficiency requirement 1.a.2. One year of Greek is a requirement for admission to the program. If students have had a year of Latin, they are required to take 3 courses in second- or third-year Greek or Latin, at least one of which must be in Latin. If they have not had a year of Latin, they are then required to complete a year of Latin, and take two courses in second- or third-year Greek or Latin. Students are also required to take at least three courses in ancient philosophy at the 200 level or above, one of which must be in the Classics department and two of which must be in the Philosophy department. GRADUATE DEGREES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Please see the "History and Philosophy of Science and Technology" site.

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