Ph.D. in Philosophy

Wayne State's Ph.D. in Philosophy prepares students with a breadth of knowledge in philosophy while emphasizing the depth of knowledge through intensive work on particular philosophical issues of interest to the student. Our doctor of philosophy program equips students for an academic career in research and teaching in philosophy.

Ph.D. handbook

For general information and requirements for all graduate students, see the philosophy graduate handbook.

• Overview of requirements
  • Earn 60 course credits distributed according to the requirements listed here.
  • Pass the logic requirement.
  • Pass all course distribution requirements (history, value theory, metaphysics-epistemology).
  • Pass the preliminary essay requirement.
  • Submit an acceptable dissertation prospectus and pass an oral exam on it.
  • Complete the foreign language competency (if applicable).
  • Complete four consecutive semesters of candidate status (PHI 9991, 9992, 9993, 9994), each of which is worth 7.5 credits.
  • Write an acceptable doctoral dissertation and pass a public lecture/defense of it.
• Credits

  Every student needs a minimum of 90 graduate credits to earn a Ph.D.

  • A minimum of 30 credits at the 7000 level.
  • 30 additional graduate credits (courses numbered 5000 and above).
  • 30 credits earned in four consecutive candidate status courses (PHI 9991, 9992, 9993, 9994) after candidacy has been approved. Each semester will be billed at a rate of 7.5 graduate credits.
• Cognate or minor courses

  The Ph.D. in Philosophy allows but does not require that the student take cognate courses. These are graduate courses (at the 5000 level and above) taken in a department other than philosophy and preferably related to the student’s dissertation interests. No more than three cognate courses will be allowed to count towards the Ph.D.

• Annual review

  The Graduate School mandates that each doctoral student receive an annual written review describing the student’s progress through and status within the program. The student may offer corrections to this review. The student must sign the annual review.

• Logic requirement

  The logic requirement is described in the first section. All Ph.D. students must pass the logic requirement, PHI 5050: Advanced Symbolic Logic by the end of their second year of graduate study or be dropped from the graduate program.

• Course distribution requirements

  In order to test knowledge of the core areas of philosophy and to assess whether a student can write a competent doctoral dissertation in philosophy, the department insists that all doctoral students take a certain number of graduate-level courses in these three areas:

  • History of philosophy: At least two courses, at least one of which must be in ancient philosophy or modern philosophy.
  • Value theory: At least two courses.
  • Philosophical problems: At least three courses.

  Note: A course may not "count double," e.g., a course on Aristotle's ethics will not count as both a value theory course and a history course.

• Preliminary essay

  Students in the Ph.D. program are required to submit a passing preliminary essay (prelim). A passing prelim must be an original research paper of a quality commensurate with the student’s progress through the program. Students will be required to submit at least two drafts of the prelim (counting the final draft). Prelim essays are permitted, but by no means required, to be revisions of or improvements on a prior term paper or master’s thesis (Plan A) or essay (Plan B). In no case will a master’s thesis or essay count automatically as a passing prelim. In addition to writing the prelim, students will also be required to present their prelim to the department in the form of a colloquium. However, the assessment of the prelim will be based entirely on the written component.

  Prelims are evaluated by a committee of three faculty members, one of whom is the chair. The student should seek out a faculty member willing to read a prelim on the student’s proposed topic and to serve as chair of the grading committee. That faculty member should then organize a committee of two other readers. If the student cannot find a faculty member willing to read a prelim on the student’s proposed topic, the student should pick another topic.

  A submitted prelim will receive one of three grades: pass, fail, and rewrite. A grade of failing on a prelim means that the student is dropped from the Ph.D program. A grade of rewrite means that although the essay did not pass outright, the committee thinks that it can be improved to a passing state. A student who receives this grade must revise the prelim.

  The committee will return prelim submissions within one month of receiving them, with some combination of written and oral comments. If revisions are requested, as they typically are, it is very important for the student to address the comments in the revised version of the prelim, while also being careful not to introduce new problems.

  Prelims are to be submitted and revised in accordance with the following schedule (semesters of instruction are fall and winter semesters; a year in the Ph.D. program includes summer semesters as well):

  1. Submit by the end of the student’s third year (i.e., including spring/summer semesters) in the Ph.D program.
  2. Pass by the end of the seven semester of instruction (i.e., counting only fall and winter semesters) in the Ph.D program.

  Students may enroll in PHI 7910 and PHI 7920 while working on their prelim, but they are not required to do so.

  Note that this schedule reflects the maximum allowable time for submission and passing of a prelim. Students are allowed to submit a prelim earlier than the time at which they are required to have submitted one (though it is inadvisable to submit two prelims in the same term). Students should do their best to ensure that the prelim they submit is of sufficient quality to receive a grade of pass. Before submission of a prelim, students should discuss and receive advice regarding drafts of papers they intend to submit from the faculty member whom they intend to ask to chair the committee for that prelim.

  Coursework may not be substituted for a prelim essay.

• Plan of work

  A plan of work is a form listing all courses past, present, and future that a student will submit for the Ph.D. degree. A plan of work should be submitted before 40 graduate credits are earned. Since there will be some predicting of courses to be taken, a plan of work may be amended after submission.

  Any transfer credits approved by the department accompany a plan of work (on a transfer of credits form). A plan of work must be approved both by the philosophy department and by the graduate school. Plans of work, including a transfer of credits form, may be found at the Graduate School.

• Ph.D. candidates

   

  A Ph.D. student will be advanced to the rank of "Ph.D. candidate" by the Graduate School upon the recommendation of the department and completion of the following requirements:

  1. Approval of the plan of work by the graduate school.
  2. Completion of at least sixty credits of coursework, as required by the plan of work.
  3. Satisfactory completion of the course distribution areas of value theory, history of philosophy, metaphysics/epistemology; and satisfactory completion of the logic requirement.
  4. Passing the preliminary essay.
  5. Identification of the membership of the student's dissertation advisory committee. The advisory committee membership may be changed before submission of an approved prospectus without notification of the Graduate School.
• 9000-level dissertation coursework

  As indicated in the overview of requirements, the Ph.D. requires that all students complete four consecutive semesters of candidate status (PHI 9991, 9992, 9993, 9994). Once a student has completed their 60 course credits for the Ph.D., they're eligible to register for PHI 9991. Ideally, students will also have advanced to the rank of Ph.D. candidate before enrolling for 9991, but it is not strictly necessary. However, students may not register for 9992 until they have advanced to candidacy. If students complete 9991 but have not yet achieved candidacy, they may enroll in PHI 9990. Registration of up to 12 credits (normally equivalent to two semesters) will be permitted in 9990. This course will not substitute for any of the candidate status (PHI 9991-4) requirements.

  Candidates must be enrolled in a course in the semester in which they defend their dissertation. Candidate maintenance status (PHI 9995) will be available to candidates following enrollment in the four semesters of candidate status if they have not completed their dissertation and defense and if they are using university resources (e.g. the library) during a semester. The fee for maintenance status will be the registration fee plus the omnibus fee for one credit hour.

• Dissertation advisory committee

  The Dissertation Committee shall consist minimally of three major departmental members plus one extra-departmental member. The expertise of the extra-departmental member must be appropriate to the student’s dissertation work. At least two committee members, including the dissertation director, must hold regular graduate faculty appointments.

• Dissertation prospectus and oral exam

  After completing the course distribution requirements and passing all preliminary essays, the next major step in the Ph.D. program is the dissertation prospectus. A doctoral student must submit a written prospectus and complete an oral exam on it. This exam is given by the student’s dissertation committee. The dissertation prospectus must be submitted by the end of the second semester (including the spring/summer semester) of the student’s fourth year in the Ph.D. program, and the oral exam must be passed by the end of the first semester of instruction of the student’s fifth year. (For illustration of this requirement, see the “Appendix: timetable for completion of Ph.D. requirements” section below.)

  The student is reminded that the Graduate School requires that a plan of work be submitted before taking the written and oral qualifying examination.

  The dissertation prospectus should be a general description of the problem to be investigated in the dissertation, along with a proposed solution. It must include a bibliography that takes into account the relevant literature on the problem. As a rule of thumb, the prospectus should be roughly 10 to 20 double-spaced, typewritten pages in length, excluding the bibliography.

  Some dissertation advisors may require more: one or more chapters, or drafts of chapters, in addition to the prospectus, for example.

  The dissertation proposal can be rejected by the student’s dissertation committee. No oral exam will be administered until the committee is satisfied with the proposal.

  When the oral exam has been passed, the student must submit the prospectus along with a prospectus form to the Graduate School.

  This form, once approved by the graduate school, establishes the student’s dissertation topic and committee. Any future changes in the committee must receive graduate school approval.

• Doctoral dissertation

  The doctoral dissertation in philosophy should be an original piece of research. The department expects the dissertation to conform to high standards of clarity and argumentation. The Graduate School expects the dissertation to have a precise format.

• Foreign language competency

   

  A graduate student in the Ph.D. program may be expected to acquire competency in a foreign language if their dissertation advisor determines that such competency is necessary for the student’s dissertation. In such cases, the student’s advisor will work with the student and will consult with the graduate director to determine the appropriate level of competency and how competency can be satisfied and assessed.

• Public dissertation lecture/defense

  Students must be registered for the semester in which they defend the dissertation.

  Before a public dissertation lecture/defense is scheduled, the student’s committee should have read and approved the dissertation. Approval is indicated by signing part one of the final report form.

  The public dissertation lecture/defense is as its name suggests: a public procedure in which the student gives a short lecture (10 to 20 minutes—the student’s advisor can stipulate the time limit) on the dissertation project, after which the student’s Dissertation Committee questions the student. Audience members may be invited to comment or ask questions. Students pass or fail the lecture/defense. The student’s committee may also require minor revisions in the dissertation after the examination. The defense is overseen by a “graduate examiner.” This is typically the student’s advisor, though the student may request that the graduate school appoint an external examiner.

  Two final signed copies of the dissertation are to be submitted to the graduate school within ten calendar days after the lecture/defense. The Ph.D. degree will be certified only upon receipt of these two copies and the reconciliation of the student’s plan of work and transcripts.

• Timetable for completion

  Year one

  Semester	Informal recommendations	Formal deadlines
  Fall	8 to 10 credits of coursework. Enroll in PHI 5050 if offered.
  Winter	8 to 10 credits of coursework.
  Summer	20 total credits of coursework by the end of first year.

  Year two

  Semester	Informal recommendations	Formal deadlines
  Fall	8 to 10 credits of coursework.
  Winter	8 to 10 credits of coursework. Submit plan of work (before 40 credits earned).
  Summer	40 total credits of coursework by the end of second year.	Meet logic requirement by the end of second year.

  Year three

  Semester	Informal recommendations	Formal deadlines
  Fall	8 to 10 credits of coursework
  Winter	8 to 10 credits of coursework. Submit plan of work (before 40 credits earned).
  Summer	40 total credits of coursework by end of second year.	Meet logic requirement by the end of second year.

  Year four

  Semester	Informal recommendations	Formal deadlines
  Fall	PHI 9991 Submit prospectus.	Pass prelim by the end of fall semester.
  Winter	PHI 9992 Pass prospectus by end of semester.
  Summer

  Year five

  Semester	Informal recommendations	Formal deadlines
  Fall	PHI 9993
  Winter	PHI 9994
  Summer