Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Ph.D. students entering with a master's in philosophy take 30 hours (10 classes) of coursework. Students entering the Ph.D. program without a master's in philosophy take 48 hours (16 classes) of coursework.
All students, regardless of whether they enter with a prior M.A., must satisfy both historical and topical coursework requirements. Historical courses foreground historical methods of philosophical study, such as focusing on a period or figure. Topical courses foreground topical modes of philosophical study, such as focusing on a question or philosophical problem.
Students entering with an M.A. will have their graduate transcripts evaluated by the Director of Graduate Studies in order to determine which of these course requirements have already been satisfied at the graduate level.
Ph.D. students earning an M.A. in cursu must satisfy the distribution requirement by the time they complete the qualifying paper requirement.
Ph.D. students entering the program without an M.A. may take a maximum of three 5000-level courses. Students entering the program with an M.A. may take one 5000-level course. PHIL 5100, the course in Logic that may be taken to satisfy the department's logic requirement, does not count in determining whether the maximum number of 5000-level courses has been reached.
To remain in the program, students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.5 (based on a 4.0 scale).
Students must obtain the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies when selecting courses.
Advisory Committee
At the beginning of their course of studies, each graduate student is assigned an Advisory Committee nominated by the Director of Graduate Studies.
Three faculty members constitute the Advisory Committee. One serves as chair of the committee. The composition of the Advisory Committee reflects the pluralism of the department. It meets with the student two times in the first year (once in the fall and once in the spring) and then once in the spring semester as long as the student is taking courses. After coursework, it is replaced by the student's dissertation committee, with the expectation that a dissertating student and their committee will have routine meetings. One member of the original Advisory Committee is designated as an advisor on non-dissertation matters.
The main role of the Advisory Committee is to advise students about their requirements, to check on their progress, to offer perspective on the student's professional development, to promote the students' professional interests, to keep them apprised of developments in the department and University relevant to their program of study, and to make sure that they are making the most of their coursework years and of the pluralism of the department.
CIP Code
38.0101 - Philosophy.
You can use the CIP code to learn more about career paths associated with this field of study and, for international students, possible post-graduation visa extensions. Learn more about CIP codes and other information resources.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| One required course in each of the below historical periods: 1 | 12 | |
Ancient Philosophy | ||
Medieval Philosophy | ||
Modern Philosophy | ||
Contemporary Philosophy 2 | ||
| One required course in each of the below topical areas: 1 | 6 | |
Metaphysics and Epistemology | ||
Value Theory 3 | ||
| Elective Courses | ||
| For students with a master's degree, four electives. For students with a bachelor's degree, ten electives. 4 | 12 to 30 | |
| Logic Requirement (or Department exam) 5 | ||
| Logic I | ||
or PHIL 0940 | Logic Examination | |
| Proficiency in 1 language other than English | ||
| Ph.D. students in Philosophy must demonstrate a strong level of reading competence, as determined by their Advisory Committees, in one language other than English. Students register for a 0-credit, pass/fail course when they are prepared to demonstrate proficiency in the relevant language. 6 | 0 | |
| Proseminar, Comprehensive Exam, Qualifying Papers, and Dissertation: 5 | ||
| Proseminar: Philosophy Research/Writing | ||
| PhD Qualifying Papers—Philosophy (only for students entering without an M.A.) | ||
| PhD Comprehensive Examination-Philosophy 7 | ||
| Proposal Development | ||
| Proposal Acceptance | ||
| Dissertation Direction (Completion and public defense of the dissertation) | ||
| Total Credits | 30-48 | |
- 1
If one or more of these requirements are fulfilled with an M.A., students may substitute completion of the course with additional elective(s). Consult the Course Areas section for lists of courses fulfilling each requirement.
- 2
The contemporary philosophy requirement is construed as post-Hegelian philosophy, where methods of study are historical (for instance, figure-based). Consult the Course Areas section for lists of courses fulfilling each requirement.
- 3
The value theory requirement includes courses in ethics, aesthetics, and social and political philosophy.
- 4
Elective courses can be any graduate-level course in the Philosophy department, subject to departmental policy (Ph.D. students entering the program without an M.A. may take a maximum of three 5000-level courses. Students entering the program with an M.A. may take one 5000-level course.)
- 5
More information about these requirements are outlined on our page on the Fordham website. PHIL 5100 Logic I, if taken, counts as an elective for all Ph.D. students, and is not counted towards the limit of 5000-level courses that may be taken. If PHIL 5100 is taken, a grade of "B" or higher must be earned for the course to fulfill the logic requirement.
- 6
These 0-credit, pass/fail courses are numbered PHIL 098X, for example PHIL 0980 French Language Proficiency, PHIL 0981 German Language Proficiency, PHIL 0982 Spanish Language Proficiency, PHIL 0983 Latin Language Proficiency, and PHIL 0984 Ancient Greek Language Proficiency.
- 7
The comprehensive exam is an oral examination based on both a reading list and related paper.
Ancient Philosophy courses
Courses in this group have the PGAN attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 5001 | Introduction to Plato | 3 |
| PHIL 5009 | Introduction to Aristotle | 3 |
| PHIL 5209 | Ancient Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 6025 | Philosophy's Origins | 3 |
| PHIL 6101 | Presocratic Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 7009 | Plotinus | 3 |
| PHIL 7012 | Plato's Dialogues | 3 |
| PHIL 7018 | Ancient Psychology | 3 |
| PHIL 7310 | Self-Cultivation Philosophies | 3 |
| PHIL 7650 | Aristotelian Ethics | 3 |
Medieval Philosophy courses
Courses in this group have the PGMD attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 5010 | Introduction to St. Thomas Aquinas | 3 |
| PHIL 5012 | Introduction to St. Augustine | 3 |
| PHIL 6110 | Philosophy of the Islamic World | 3 |
| PHIL 6460 | Intentionality | 3 |
| PHIL 6505 | Medieval Philosophical Theories of the Fall | 3 |
| PHIL 7039 | Aquinas's Philosophy of God | 3 |
| PHIL 7042 | Buridan on the Soul | 3 |
| PHIL 7058 | Bonaventure's Metaphysics | 3 |
| PHIL 7060 | Varieties of Essentialism | 3 |
| PHIL 7069 | Medieval Logic and Metaphysics | 3 |
| PHIL 7071 | Aquinas: Questions on God | 3 |
| PHIL 7076 | Metaphysical Themes in Duns Scotus | 3 |
| PHIL 7080 | Medieval Views on Cognition and Certainty | 3 |
Modern Philosophy courses
Courses in this group have the PGCM attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 5002 | Nineteenth Century Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 5005 | Classical Modern Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 6104 | German Idealism and Freedom | 3 |
| PHIL 7106 | Kant I | 3 |
| PHIL 7110 | Descartes and Spinoza | 3 |
| PHIL 7120 | Philosophical Writings of Rousseau | 3 |
| PHIL 7140 | Kant and German Idealism | 3 |
| PHIL 7149 | Hegel's Phenomenology | 3 |
| PHIL 7161 | Nietzsche | 3 |
| PHIL 7164 | First Philosophy: Nietzsche, Heidegger, and the Presocratics | 3 |
| PHIL 7166 | Recognition and Intersubjectivity | 3 |
| PHIL 7370 | Moral Emotions | 3 |
| PHIL 7380 | Modern Philosophies of Property | 3 |
Contemporary Philosophy courses
Courses in this group have the PGCP attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 5002 | Nineteenth Century Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 6103 | Dialectical Thinking and Ideology Critique | 3 |
| PHIL 6440 | The Epistemology of John Henry Newman | 3 |
| PHIL 7031 | Alienation and Reification | 3 |
| PHIL 7153 | Husserl's Later Thought | 3 |
| PHIL 7156 | Husserl and Heidegger | 3 |
| PHIL 7159 | Kierkegaard | 3 |
| PHIL 7161 | Nietzsche | 3 |
| PHIL 7164 | First Philosophy: Nietzsche, Heidegger, and the Presocratics | 3 |
| PHIL 7203 | Merleau-Ponty | 3 |
| PHIL 7204 | Wittgenstein and Later Wittgenstein | 3 |
| PHIL 7210 | Whitehead | 3 |
| PHIL 7215 | Wittgenstein's 'Philosophical Investigations' | 3 |
| PHIL 7229 | Derrida | 3 |
| PHIL 7235 | Husserl's 'Ideas II' | 3 |
| PHIL 7459 | Heidegger's Being and Time, Black Notebooks | 3 |
Metaphysics and Epistemology courses
Courses in this group have the PGME attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 5051 | Existentialism and Critical Phenomenology | 3 |
| PHIL 5075 | Continental Philosophy and Faith | 3 |
| PHIL 5250 | Philosophies of Race | 3 |
| PHIL 6105 | Laws of Nature | 3 |
| PHIL 6107 | Philosophy and Translation | 3 |
| PHIL 6109 | The Epistemology and Ethics of Artificial Intelligence | 3 |
| PHIL 6215 | French Philosophy of Education | 3 |
| PHIL 6251 | American Pragmatism | 3 |
| PHIL 6252 | American Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 6410 | Understanding and Wisdom | 3 |
| PHIL 6420 | Expertise | 3 |
| PHIL 6436 | Philosophy of Time and Persistence | 3 |
| PHIL 6457 | Mind-Body Problem | 3 |
| PHIL 6580 | Virtue Epistemology | 3 |
| PHIL 6805 | Topics in Phil of Rel. | 3 |
| PHIL 6850 | Hermeneutics | 3 |
| PHIL 7060 | Varieties of Essentialism | 3 |
| PHIL 7145 | Phenomenology and Religious Experience | 3 |
| PHIL 7157 | Phenomenology | 3 |
| PHIL 7236 | The Emotions and Moral Perception | 3 |
| PHIL 7340 | Humility and Arrogance | 3 |
| PHIL 7350 | Evidential Undermining | 3 |
| PHIL 7360 | Scientific Realism | 3 |
| PHIL 7465 | The Emotions | 3 |
| PHIL 7730 | Recent Work in Epistemology | 3 |
| PHIL 7752 | Divine Providence | 3 |
| PHIL 7857 | Topics in Contmp Metaphy | 3 |
Value Theory courses
Courses in this group have the PGVT attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 5003 | Natural Law Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 5114 | Normative Ethical Theory | 3 |
| PHIL 5250 | Philosophies of Race | 3 |
| PHIL 5305 | Confronting Moral Controversy | 3 |
| PHIL 6102 | Human Rights | 3 |
| PHIL 6103 | Dialectical Thinking and Ideology Critique | 3 |
| PHIL 6106 | Autonomy and Paternalism | 3 |
| PHIL 6108 | Communitarianism | 3 |
| PHIL 6111 | Affective Injustice | 3 |
| PHIL 6120 | Democratic Political Economy | 3 |
| PHIL 6190 | Feminist Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 6270 | Pragmatist Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 6471 | Responsibility and Blame | 3 |
| PHIL 6472 | Responsibility, Blame, and Forgiveness | 3 |
| PHIL 6630 | Discourse Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 7031 | Alienation and Reification | 3 |
| PHIL 7035 | Recent Critical Theory | 3 |
| PHIL 7166 | Recognition and Intersubjectivity | 3 |
| PHIL 7236 | The Emotions and Moral Perception | 3 |
| PHIL 7240 | Contemporary Metaethics | 3 |
| PHIL 7245 | Moral Psychology of Anger | 3 |
| PHIL 7465 | The Emotions | 3 |
| PHIL 7580 | Biopolitics and Necropolitics | 3 |
| PHIL 7605 | Philosophical Aesthetics | 3 |
| PHIL 7664 | Philosophy of Literature | 3 |
| PHIL 7675 | Moral Genealogies | 3 |
| PHIL 7680 | Classics of Analytic Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 7760 | Dimensions of Political Justice | 3 |
| PHIL 7770 | Philosophical Bioethics | 3 |