The Department of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky offers programs of study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Applicants may, once admitted to the Ph.D. program, apply to leave the program with an M.A. only.
The purpose of the Ph.D. program is to develop the student’s ability to complete a Doctoral degree successfully. Doing so will enable the student to do independent research in philosophy, to secure an academic job at the University or College level, or to pursue a career in which rigorous and critical thinking are desired.
The purpose of the M.A. degree is to provide the student with a fundamental understanding of the major historical and contemporary points of view in all of the basic areas of philosophical inquiry and to develop the student’s capacity to formulate and analyze philosophical problems. Such a degree is suitable either as preparation for further study in Philosophy or as a complement to advanced training in a variety of other fields.
Admission Requirements
It is expected that candidates admitted to the graduate program in philosophy will: (1) provide proof of completion of a B.A., B.S., or M.A.; (2) have given evidence of superior skills on the GRE; (3) have achieved an overall grade-point average of at least 3.2 (4.0 scale) in all undergraduate course work; and (4) have achieved an overall grade-point average of at least 3.5 in all graduate course work.
Degree Requirements
Satisfactory progress through the Ph.D. program is typically made by fulfilling seven general requirements, each merely summarized here. (The requirements are more technical than this: please refer only to the official program regulations for the authoritative statement of the requirements).
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At least 52 hours of course work (including 4 hours of PHI 767 ), with specific distributional requirements.
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Satisfactory completion of PHI 741 and PHI 742 (1st year Prosem).
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Satisfactory completion of PHI 740 (Teaching Practicum).
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Satisfactory completion of PHI 520 : Logic, or its equivalent.
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Satisfactory demonstration of reading competence in one foreign language relevant to the student’s philosophical program of study (e.g., Greek, Latin, French, or German).
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Satisfactory completion of three steps preparatory to writing the dissertation: the Area Proposal, the Qualifying Exam, the Dissertation Proposal (each of these steps has written and oral components).
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Satisfactory completion and oral defense of a Dissertation.
The coursework requirements differ depending on previous graduate coursework, specifically whether one enters with no M.A. in Philosophy, a one-year M.A. in Philosophy, a two-year M.A. in Philosophy. See these checklists for summaries:
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