The department s graduate program is essentially a PhD program. Because the principal employment for men and women with advanced training in philosophy is in college teaching requiring the PhD, the department ordinarily does not admit applicants who wish to study only for the AM degree. The AM may be taken as a step toward the PhD after a minimum of two terms in residence. In addition, the Second Year Paper requirement must be satisfied. Substantial previous knowledge of philosophy is normally required.
Candidates usually have a bachelor s or master s degree in philosophy.
Applicants less well prepared in philosophy may be admitted under special conditions if they have a grounding in mathematics or the natural or social sciences. Teaching fellowships, which are administered by the department, are restricted to graduate students who have completed at least one year of work in the department and are making satisfactory progress toward the doctorate. Courses numbered 301 or above do not count toward this preliminary requirement, but two terms of Philosophy 300 may be counted as one of the 12. If a course record is to be considered satisfactory, the candidate s grades in these courses must be B or higher. Courses taken to meet the preliminary requirement must be approved in advance by the department s director of graduate studies.