A student's course of study is supervised by an advisory committee, in consultation with the Graduate Advisor until the student receives a dissertation committee. Under certain circumstances, holders of the Master's degree in Philosophy from other universities may be admitted to the doctoral program. These students are required to enroll in first-year proseminars. Ph.D. students are required to complete 12 more units in philosophy in addition to the 48 units for the M.A. degree. A student must know one foreign language well enough to conduct philosophical research in that language.
Competence is judged by a translation exam administered by the department.
Having acquired an M.A. degree either here or at another institution, all Ph.D. students must complete an acceptable proposition by the end of their first year in the Ph.D. program. A proposition is a paper, no more than forty pages in length, devoted to a significant problem in philosophy. Students must write a dissertation prospectus and pass a qualifying oral examination before advancing to candidacy. This examination, which is supervised by a faculty committee as stipulated in the regulations of the Graduate Division, concentrates on the students' preparation for writing a dissertation as indicated by the dissertation prospectus. It must be taken after the student has passed the M.A. Language, and Proposition requirements and normally occurs within two quarters of the completion of these requirements.