A Brief Summary of Ph.D. Degree Requirements

Courses and Residency
Breadth Requirements
Language Requirement
Ph.D. Qualifying Examination
Ph.D. Dissertation

The Ph.D. program is designed to be completed in five or six years.

Courses and Residency
Completion of the Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 12 five-unit courses (60 credits) at UCSC. Doctoral students may take courses in other departments, but must complete 50 credits of graduate work in philosophy.  Doctoral students are required to be in residence for a minimum of six quarters and to take a minimum of 12 credits per quarter during that period.

Normally, course work toward the Ph.D. will be completed within the first two years of the program. The normal course load for doctoral students is 15 upper division/graduate credits per quarter, unless they are teaching assistants, in which case the normal course load would be 12 upper division/graduate credits per quarter.

The Graduate Division's information about academic standing can be found here.

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Breadth Requirements
During their first year all graduate students are expected to fulfill a set of breadth requirements. These include the First-Quarter Seminar (Philosophy 201), the logic requirement, and at least one course in the area of metaphysics and epistemology and one course in the area of value theory, according to a list determined annually by the Graduate Committee.

Upon entry into the program, each student will be assigned a faculty adviser. Students will discuss with their adviser their choice of courses for the year and their progress in the program. Students are formally evaluated by the department at the end of each academic year. 

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Language Requirement
The language requirement for Ph.D. students will be individually determined.  The Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the relevant faculty, will have final authority on the issue.

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Ph.D. Qualifying Examination
The Qualifying Examination is designed to assess the student's ability to complete a Ph.D. degree.  This must be completed before beginning the fourth year of study, and should be taken during the third or near the end of the second year of study.  In order to take the Qualifying Examination, the student must submit a dissertation prospectus to their Qualifying Committee.  This prospectus will contain a detailed research plan and a bibliography of relevant material.  All course requirements must be satisfied by the time of the Qualifying Examination.

The Qualifying Examination will consist of an oral examination by a Qualifying Committee, with the following possible outcomes:

• The student may receive a M.A. degree and be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.
• The student may be asked to take the Qualifying examination again.
• The student may fail the Qualifying Examination.

Once a student is advanced to candidacy, work begins on the dissertation.

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Ph.D. Dissertation
The final requirement for the Ph.D. degree is the completion of the dissertation, including an oral defense. When the student has submitted the dissertation in the form required by the University, and the dissertation committee has approved it, the student is ready for the oral defense of the dissertation.

For further information about requirements for the Ph.D. in Philosophy, please contact
the Director of Graduate Studies.

For general information about graduate studies at UCSC, visit the Graduate Division website.

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