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The PhD program requires a minimum of 96 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate.
Recipients of the PhD in Philosophy will normally complete 96-102 hours,
as summarized below.
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Hours
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| Area requirements |
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24
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| Electives |
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18
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| MA/MS in supporting field
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30-36
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| Dissertation Research |
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24
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| Total |
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96-102
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Teaching Practicum
All students must participate in a teaching practicum.
Logic Requirement
All students must pass PHIL 641, its equivalent, or a higher level logic course.
Area requirements, 24 hours (eight courses)
Logic and Methodology, two courses, to be selected from:
History of Philosophy, two courses, to be selected from:
Value Theory, two courses, to be selected from:
Epistemology and Metaphysics, two courses, to be selected from:
Electives, 18 hours (six courses)
Electives may be selected from any graduate course in Philosophy.
However, the courses taken to fulfill a student's area requirements and electives must include at least
4 courses from the following, each of which may be repeated as content varies:
- PHIL 661, Seminar in History of Philosophy
- PHIL 662, Seminar in Ethics and Value Theory
- PHIL 663, Seminar in Metaphysics and Epistemology
- PHIL 664, Seminar in Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science
- PHIL 665, Seminar in Applied Philosophy
- PHIL 682, Philosophical Authors
Supporting Degree (30-36 hours)
A thesis option master's at Texas A&M requires 30 credit hours and non-thesis option requires 36 credit hours.
The supporting degree must be in a field other than philosophy, and must supplement the student's research and teaching interests in philosophy.
All supporting degrees must be approved by the department's Graduate Program Advisory Council (GPAC), which must also approve the use of a master's degree earned at another university.
Dissertation Research (24 hours)
Students writing their dissertation will normally complete a total of 24 hours of PHIL 691, Research.
Comprehensive Examinations
To be admitted to Doctoral candidacy, the student must pass comprehensive examinations in two of the following areas:
- history of philosophy,
- metaphysics and epistemology, and
- ethics and value theory.
Previously administered comprehensive exams are available here.
Dissertation and preliminary examination
Students must complete and successfully defend a doctoral dissertation
demonstrating the ability to make original contributions to a recognized
area of philosophical research. The process of completing a dissertation
begins with the formation of an Advisory Committee, composed of at least
four members of the graduate faculty. A majority of the Committee, including
the chair, must be a member of the Philosophy Department, and at least
one member must be from some other department. The Advisory committee
is responsible for administering a written and oral preliminary examination
of the student on the area in which the student's dissertation proposal
has been written, approval of the proposal itself, and conducting the
student's final oral defense of the dissertation.
Language Requirement
There is no departmental language requirement for the PhD. The student's
Advisory Committee will determine what language requirement, if any,
is appropriate for the dissertation project the student wishes to undertake.
Final Examination
Satisfactory completion of an oral defense of the dissertation is the
final step required for the PhD degree. This examination must be scheduled
in advance with the Office of Graduate Studies, and may be held only
after the dissertation is in substantially final form, and all members
of the student's Advisory Committee have had sufficient time to review
it.
Credit for Work Done at Other Institutions
University regulations permit students to receive credit toward the
PhD for courses taken at other institutions, provided those courses
were not used as credit for another degree. Whether such credit
may be counted as part of a student's degree plan will be determined
by the student's PhD Committee, subject to approval by the Department
of Philosophy and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Independent of transfer of credit, students who already hold an advanced degree in a field other
than philosophy from another institution may petition to have that degree
count as the supporting degree for the PhD. The minimum hours required for a PhD at Texas A&M
is reduced to 64 for students already holding a master's degree, so a student entering with the
supporting master's degree in hand can expect to finish up to two years earlier.
Additional policies governing the graduate programs can be seen by clicking
here.
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