Dec 12, 2024  
School of Graduate Studies Calendar, 2013-2014 
    
School of Graduate Studies Calendar, 2013-2014 [-ARCHIVED CALENDAR-]

Philosophy, Ph.D


Ph.D. Degree


Admission


Admission to the Ph.D. program requires an M.A. in Philosophy or an equivalent degree. Selection is made by the Ph.D. Program Committee of the Department of Philosophy, and any student admitted comes under the general regulations of McMaster University.

Requirements


The normal course load in the doctoral program is six half courses or the equivalent including the Ph.D. research seminar, which is a required course. Candidates are required to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the central areas of philosophy by demonstrating competence in 5 areas of philosophy from the 2 lists below. No more than three areas may be selected from one list:

Historical Systematic
Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Ethics and Value Theory
Modern Philosophy 1600 to 1800 Metaphysics and Epistemology
Continental Philosophy from 1800 Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy
British and American Philosophy from 1800 Logic, Philosophy of Language, and Philosophy of Science.

Students in the program may be required to demonstrate competence in one or more skills, which their supervisory committee decides, in consultation with the program officer, is needed for their dissertation (e.g., a language other than English, logic). Also required are successful completion of a Qualifying Examination in which the dissertation proposal is presented; a satisfactory dissertation and oral defense.

A detailed description of the doctoral program is available at http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~philos/PHD.html.