Graduate Study in the Sage School

Degree Requirements

The following is a list of the major requirements for the PhD in Philosophy. (The Sage School does not offer a terminal MA in Philosophy.)

• Six registration Units. One registration unit corresponds to the satisfactory completion of one academic semester of full-time study and research.
• Twelve graduate-level courses. Students are expected to complete graduate-level work in each of these four areas. (See the coursework guidelines below for more information.)
  1. History of Philosophy
  2. Metaphysics and Epistemology
  3. Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy
  4. Logic

• Sage seminar. In their first semester in the program, first-year students participate in a proseminar (the Sage Seminar) which provides an introduction to selected central issues in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy language.
• Fifth-semester tutorial. During the fifth semester, students find and begin work on a suitable dissertation topic. Students select a faculty member in the field of philosophy to supervise their research and meet regularly with him/her to gauge progress.
• Admisson to Ph.D. candidacy (A-exam). This oral examination is taken in the sixth semester of residence. It covers the student�s dissertation prospectus and relevant literature.
• Teaching experience. All students are required to serve as a Teaching Assistant (TA) during some of their time in the program.
• Dissertation. The dissertation must embody the results of original research in a substantial treatment of a single issue or connected set of issues.
• Final examination for Ph.D. candidates (B-exam). This is an oral defense of a student’s dissertation work given in front of the student’s Special Committee.

(A student's special committee may also impose additional requirements: for example, languages or courses in related fields necessary for research in the student's area of specialization.)

Coursework Guidelines

Students are expected to complete twelve graduate-level courses distributed as specified in the following four categories:

History of Philosophy

Students are expected to do work in four different history divisions (see below). The four courses should include at least one, and no more than two, in (1)-(3), and at least one in (5)-(7). The work in at least one of (5)-(7) should be primarily in metaphysics and epistemology. Two courses (or equivalent work) largely devoted to the same philosopher will not count as two for purposes of this guideline. (Normally graduate-level courses with a second digit of 2 count as history courses.)

Divisions: (1) Plato; (2) Aristotle; (3) Ancient philosophy other than Plato and Aristotle; (4) Medieval philosophy; (5) Rationalists; (6) Empiricists; (7) Kant; (8) Modern philosophy (16th-18th centuries) other than (5)-(7); (9) 19th century; (10) 20th century.

Metaphysics and Epistemology

Students are expected to do work in at least two areas in this category. This category is construed as including Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Art, Mathematics, Language, Mind, and Religion. (Normally graduate-level courses with a second digit of 5, 6, 7, or 8 [in the four-digit course number] satisfy this guideline.)

Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy

Students are expected to do work in at least one area in this category. (Normally graduate-level courses with a second digit of 4 [in the four-digit course number] satisfy this guideline.)

Logic

Students are expected to demonstrate competence in elementary first-order logic and its meta-theory, and familiarity with the fundamental concepts of set theory. Normally students satisfy the guideline by taking PHIL 3310 or 4310. Questions about the suitability of other courses in the Philosophy Department or courses in other departments should be directed to the Logic Committee.

Logic Prerequisite: Students will be allowed to take graduate-level courses in logic only if either (i) the Logic Committee has agreed that they have done previous work equivalent to the content of PHIL 2310, or (ii) they have successfully completed 2310, (iii) they have learned the material covered in 2310, and have taken the preliminary and final examinations (in take-home form) for 2310, or (iv) they have special permission from the Logic Committee. The faculty members who teach PHIL 2310 will set and administer the relevant examinations. Students who choose option (ii) may not count 2310 as one of the 12 required courses. Students are expected to complete this logic prerequisite by the beginning of their third term in residence.

Graduate work done elsewhere

Students may request credit for graduate-level work completed elsewhere. Such credit is limited to two residence units (i.e., two semesters of full-time course work). Credit for work done elsewhere is not granted automatically, and no decision about whether to grant such credit is made until a student has completed at least one semester of graduate study at Cornell. In some cases the decision is deferred until the end of the first year of graduate study at Cornell.