Graduate Studies Please note: Application materials must be postmarked by January 15 to be considered for the following academic year (exception: if January 15 falls on a weekend or holiday, forms are to be postmarked by the following business day). The Department of Philosophy at the University of Oregon offers a graduate program leading to the master of arts (M.A.) and the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. The program, which is pluralistic in orientation, requires students to develop a broad knowledge of the history of philosophy, major fields, and various approaches and methods. Students are urged to concentrate in a specific area at the advanced level. In addition to the major periods in the history of philosophy, concentrations are supported in American philosophy, continental philosophy, social and political philosophy, feminist philosophy, ethics, philosophy of language, philosophy of race, and aesthetics. Each student designs a program in consultation with the graduate adviser. Two or more years are typically required to complete the master's degree and four or more years for the doctorate. A complete and detailed list of the university and department requirements for graduate degrees is available from the department office. Whether to Apply to the Master's or the Doctoral Program Prospective graduate students may apply either for the Master's program or directly to the Doctoral program. It is not required that someone interested in the doctoral program first enter the master's program. Entrance to the doctoral program is highly competitive. Typically we have approximately eighty doctoral applications and accept four or five new students each year. We usually have twenty or more applications for the Master's program, and we accept between two and five students each year. The Department offers Graduate Teaching Fellowships to all entering doctoral students. We do not have sufficient funding to guarantee a Graduate Teaching Fellowship to master's students. However, selected master's students are occasionally given term-long Graduate Teaching Fellowships when there is a need for additional teaching assistants and funding is available. People typically apply to the Master's program for one or more of the following three reasons: (1) they desire a master's degree as their terminal degree in philosophy; (2) they want to use the master's degree as a basis for later application to a doctoral program; (3) they do not feel that their current application is strong enough for direct admission to the Doctoral program. Applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree in philosophy might be well advised to apply first to the Master's program, with the idea of later applying to the Doctoral program, on the basis of their graduate work at the master's level. Any graduate courses in philosophy taken in our Master's program will count toward the doctoral degree, if one is later accepted into that program. Master's courses may or may not transfer to other doctoral programs. Master of Arts The master's program is designed to provide a broad knowledge of the history of philosophy and of recent developments in the basic fields of philosophy. There are two ways to earn a master's degree. The first involves satisfying the second language requirement and at least 48 credits of work, including the completion of the three distribution requirements associated with the Ph.D. The second involves satisfying the second language requirement, writing a master's thesis under the direction of a thesis advisor, and completing at least 45 credits of work, 9 of which can be taken as "thesis credits" (PHIL 503). Doctor of Philosophy The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 81 credits of graduate-level course work, of which 18 must be in Dissertation (PHIL 603). Students must demonstrate proficiency in a second language, complete three course distribution requirements, and pass two comprehensive examinations - one in history and one in the student's area of specialization. The distribution requirements may be satisfied by receiving a mid-B or better in (1) three courses in each of three sub-disciplinary fields; (2) one course from each of four historical periods; and (3) two courses from each of the four philosophical traditions that ground the diverse philosophical perspectives of the department. Each course taken may be used to satisfy up to two distribution requirements. The comprehensive examinations are passed by completing two substantial research papers under the supervision of faculty. Students are advanced to candidacy upon completion of the comprehensives. A dissertation prospectus must be accepted by the candidate's dissertation committee after a preliminary oral examination. The written dissertation must receive the approval of the dissertation committee after a final oral examination.   Updated 14 September 2007

 

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