Information for Graduate Students

General Information

Graduate education at Princeton is distinguished by its residential character, the small size of its formal seminars (usually 5 to 15 students), and the opportunity for a good deal of individual consultation with members of the faculty. The total number of graduate students in Philosophy who are in residence during a given academic year is about 40, so the ratio of students to faculty members in the department is roughly two to one.

Applications are not accepted from students desiring a terminal M.A., but only from those seeking a Ph.D. degree, study for which normally requires four or five years.

The first four semesters of graduate study are typically devoted to formal course work and independent research; by the end of the fifth semester, the student takes the General Examination, and, having passed it and demonstrated a capacity for doing scholarly work, proceeds to write a doctoral dissertation.

Although there is no admission with advanced standing, regardless of previous work in Philosophy, students with a strong undergraduate background, or who have done graduate work at other institutions, may be able to satisfy the standard pre-generals requirements more quickly and hence take the General Examination in two years or less.

All students are eligible for full financial support, including summer support.

The number of graduate students is very strictly limited. In recent years, it has been possible to offer admission to only about one of each dozen applicants. Decisions concerning admission are made on the basis of a careful comparative evaluation of the credentials submitted by the applicants. These credentials must show that the candidate has done superior work in his or her studies and has the capacity to complete successfully a program of graduate work at Princeton.

All applicants are required to submit a sample of their written work with their applications. Those applying to the Classical Philosophy Program must submit a paper on ancient philosophy.

An applicant need not have had a full undergraduate major in philosophy if the quality of previous work gives evidence of strong philosophical promise. For students who wish to enroll in the special programs in Classical Philosophy or Political Philosophy, or who intend to specialize in the philosophy of science, a major in a relevant field other than philosophy may in fact be an asset.

Students pursuing advanced degrees at other institutions are occasionally admitted to Princeton for one year as "visiting students." A visiting student must pay tuition.

The department has no program of postdoctoral study and offers financial assistance only to candidates for the Ph.D. degree at Princeton.

Course Work

In choosing courses each student follows an individual program planned in consultation with a faculty adviser.

A graduate student's standard program of formal instruction prior to the General Examination typically consists of three courses in philosophy per semester; all of these are normally conducted as seminars, combining informal lecturing, reports presented by students, and discussion.

Graduate students may also attend advanced undergraduate courses, and may by arrangement with the instructor work for a graduate level unit in such courses. Independent research under the guidance of an appropriate member of the faculty may be substituted for normal course work in a given area.

Each fall, the department offers small (3-6 students) seminars that are open to first year students only. These special seminars, which normally meet two hours each week, are intended to help introduce students to work in the department and to provide each entering student a good opportunity for extensive contact with a member of the faculty during the first term.

Language and Alternative Requirements

Every student must either demonstrate a reading knowledge of French or German, or else satisfy an alternative requirement before taking the General Examination. Reading knowledge is demonstrated by passing an examination on the translation of philosophical prose administered by two members of the Department of Philosophy.

A student electing to satisfy the alternative requirement must either (1) complete a tenth distribution unit in any area of philosophy (see below); or (2) complete a unit of advanced work in another department, in accordance with a plan previously approved by the department's Graduate Committee. (This may not be work also used to satisfy any other requirement.)

In many areas of philosophy, including but not limited to the history of philosophy and recent European philosophy, satisfactory scholarship is not possible without a good reading knowledge of certain foreign languages. The languages most often needed are French, German, Greek, and Latin. A student having none of these languages will therefore be significantly limited in choosing areas of research, and in the choice of a dissertation topic. If a student's dissertation is devoted to any considerable extent to an author, the student must be able to read the author's works in their original language.

Distribution Requirements and the General Examination

Permission to take the General Examination is granted on the basis of a review of the student's record by the department. It is normally necessary (grounds for exception are explained below) and always sufficient that the student satisfy the department that he or she has an adequate basic knowledge of each of the following fields:

1. history of philosophy, both ancient and modern,
2. metaphysics and epistemology,
3. ethics,
4. logic.

Students demonstrate such knowledge by completing ten units of work distributed as follows: at least two in history of philosophy, at least two in metaphysics and epistemology, at least two in ethics, and at least one in logic, and two further philosophy units, plus the language requirement or an alternative to it. Completion of a unit can be accomplished by seminars or course work, by examination, or by submission of independent work as prearranged with a faculty member. Up to three units may be satisfied by submission of papers written before the student's arrival at Princeton.

Regarding the four fields of study, the following rules apply:

• At least one unit must include an oral examination administered by at least two members of the faculty. Oral examinations shall be preceded by a written examination on the same topic.
• Students must do at least two units in area (3), in ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of law, social philosophy, philosophy of religion, or aesthetics. At least one unit must be from among the first four options.
• Area (2), metaphysics and epistemology, is to be considered broadly, as including philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, parts of philosophy of language, and parts of philosophy of mathematics. Area (4), logic, is to be considered as including formal work as well as philosophy of logic, and parts of philosophy of language and philosophy of mathematics.
• For the one unit in logic, students must successfully complete one of the undergraduate courses PHI 312 (Intermediate Logic) or PHI 323 (Advanced Logic) or PHI 340 (Philosophical Logic) or the graduate course PHI 520 (Logic), or pass an examination equivalent to the final examination in a course that has been or could appropriately be offered under one of these numbers.
• At least one unit in the history of philosophy must be in ancient philosophy and at least one in modern philosophy.

In all cases, satisfaction of a particular distribution unit through a course, paper, or examination depends on the recommendation of the appropriate faculty members.

Students are minimally expected to complete these units on the following schedule: three units after one semester, five after a year, seven after three semesters, and nine after two years. (Neither of the first two units, and only one of the first five, may be satisfied by papers written before arrival. At least one of the first three units must be for new substantive work in philosophy, beyond the minimal logic requirement and language units.)

Students who wish to do especially intensive work in one area of philosophy through extra work either in the Department of Philosophy or in related areas in other departments may be granted variances permitting them to do less than the norm in some other areas of philosophy, if this is required to allow them to pursue their special interests. Such variances will require approval of the department. There are, in addition, three specific alternative tracks that lead to the Ph.D. degree in philosophy, all of which provide special opportunities for combining the study of philosophy with other disciplines: the philosophy of science track, and the interdepartmental programs in Classical Philosophy and in Political Philosophy. These are described in the next section.

The Master of Arts degree in Philosophy is earned by obtaining at a sufficient level of achievement the units required before taking the General Examination. This degree is granted at Princeton only as an incidental degree, offered after completion of part of the requirements for the doctorate; the University offers no program designed for students aiming at the Master of Arts in philosophy as a final degree, and, except for Visiting Students from other universities, only Ph.D. candidates are admitted to graduate work in philosophy.

The General Examination consists in an oral examination of approximately one hour preceded by a 3-4 hour written examination in the field within which the candidate proposes to write a dissertation. The examinations are administered by a committee of the faculty, the composition of which will ensure that the student is questioned from a variety of points of view. The subject of the examinations will be broadly construed. The candidate will not be expected to defend a thesis plan in detail, but instead to present and defend some ideas in the area of the planned dissertation.

Advancement to continued candidacy for the Ph.D. is based on an assessment of a student's performance on the General Examination in the light of the student's level of achievement in gaining the required units.

The Dissertation

The dissertation is written under the guidance of one or two members of the department (the primary and secondary advisers). While working on the dissertation students may consult not only their advisers but also other members of the faculty. The dissertation is normally limited to 100,000 words; a length of 30,000--50,000 words is recommended.

The dissertation must be accepted by the department, having first been read and recommended for acceptance by two readers, neither of whom may be the student's primary adviser. After the dissertation has been accepted, the student takes a final public oral examination in which he or she must demonstrate a capacity for scholarly research in the area of the dissertation.

After passing the final examination, the student is awarded the Ph.D. degree in philosophy by the University.

Teaching Experience

During their years at Princeton all graduate students in philosophy, including those on outside fellowships, engage in some classroom teaching under the guidance of a faculty member: leading discussion groups, setting and marking examinations and tests, and criticizing written papers. This work will normally amount to three hours of classroom teaching plus attendant preparation, or the equivalent, for three terms; and will in no case total less than six hours. Assignments are made with regard for the student's aptitudes and interests. First year students normally are not assigned teaching responsibilities.

Each year students working on their dissertations present portions of their work-in-progress at departmental colloquia. These talks, held throughout the year, give students experience in presenting and defending their ideas before an audience with diverse philosophical interests.

Special Programs

Properly qualified graduate students in philosophy who wish to do intensive work in philosophy of science, classical philosophy, or political philosophy may undertake special graduate programs in these areas, two of which are administered by interdepartmental committees.

Applicants who wish to follow these special programs should indicate their program interest on page 4 of the application form, in the space provided for a statement of the applicant's prospective area of specialization. They should also provide a fuller account of their specialized interests, objectives, and previous training in the area concerned in their career statement.

Further information on these special programs is offered below.

The Philosophy of Science Track

The programs of students who specialize in philosophy of science are subject to an alternative set of distribution requirements: students in this track must complete the logic requirement and the language requirement (or an alternative to it), as in the regular program, and, in addition must

1. demonstrate proficiency at the graduate level in a field of science (mathematical or empirical), or in an area in the history of science. Normally this will involve doing satisfactory work in two graduate level courses (or their equivalents) in the science, or in the relevant area in the history of science
2. earn three units in the philosophy of science;
3. demonstrate an adequate basic knowledge of other areas of philosophy. This is done by earning four units in the areas of (i) history of philosophy, (ii) ethics, and (iii) epistemology and metaphysics. Of these four units, at most two may be in any one of the listed areas.

To help guard against overspecialization, the department asks students opting for the philosophy of science track to submit an overall plan of study for approval by the Graduate Committee. The plan should indicate the proposed field of science, or history of science, the manner in which proficiency in that field is to be demonstrated (e.g. by listing courses), and the general program of study in philosophy proposed to satisfy the remaining requirements. The proposed plan need not be fully specific, especially with respect to exactly how most of the philosophy requirements ("the other four units") are to be met, but enough information should be provided to allow the Graduate Committee to draw reasonable conclusions about the distribution of work by area and other relevant parameters of the student's program.

Although there is no fixed time at which the student must submit such a plan, late in the first year or early in the second would be reasonable choices: prudence would counsel securing approval before embarking too seriously on a program of work that might fail, upon review, to satisfy distribution requirements because it was too specialized. Subsequent modifications to an approved plan must be cleared with the Director of Graduate Studies. Students who elect to follow the philosophy of science track must take the General Examination in philosophy of science.

The Interdepartmental Program in Classical Philosophy

This program is a cooperative undertaking of the Departments of Classics and Philosophy. It is administered by an interdepartmental committee which is composed as follows:

• John M. Cooper, Department of Philosophy, Director
• Hendrik Lorenz, Department of Philosophy
• Alexander Nehamas, Department of Philosophy
• Christian Wildberg, Department of Classics

The program provides training, special skills, and knowledge not normally included in the education of professional classicists or philosophers, while equipping students for scholarly work and teaching in either classics or philosophy.

Students may apply for admission to either of the cooperating departments, in accordance with their interests and qualifications. Those who are admitted to this program by the Department of Philosophy are considered graduate students in philosophy and receive their doctorate in philosophy. The program offers them the opportunity of taking seminars in classics as a substantial part of their regular course of study. They will thus be able to improve their knowledge of the classical languages, extend their acquaintance with classical literature, history, and culture, and do intensive work on classical philosophical texts.

Language Requirement

A knowledge of Greek and Latin is required of all students enrolled in the program, if not on entry then as soon as possible afterwards. Applicants to the philosophy department must possess a basic knowledge of Greek, up to the level of Plato's Socratic dialogues, and are recommended to have comparable abilities in Latin. Applicants to the classics department must fulfill that department's language requirements for entering students. Sight examinations are given at the beginning of the first year, to determine the student's level of competence in the classical languages. When advisable, the study of the classical languages is carried on as part of the first year graduate program of candidates in philosophy. Philosophy students in the program must demonstrate a reading knowledge of French or German, and classics students a knowledge of both these languages, before taking the general examination.

Examinations

Graduate students who are enrolled in the Program will take the sight-reading tests in Greek and Latin and, as soon thereafter as possible, examinations on reading lists on Greek and Latin authors. (Copies of these lists are available to applicants upon request.) The General Examination will be especially adapted to meet the student's interests and aptitudes.

Distribution Requirements

Philosophy students enrolled in the classical philosophy program must complete 14 units. These will include the 10 units of the regular philosophy program (except that no alternative unit may be substituted for French or German). One of these ten may be achieved by passing a non-philosophical course with graduate credit in the Classics Department. The additional four units must be obtained by satisfying the following:

1. passing a sight-reading test in Greek
2. passing a sight-reading test in Latin,
3. passing the Greek reading list exam,
4. passing the Latin reading list exam.

The schedule for completing units is the same for the first two years as in the regular program. Classical philosophy program students are further expected to have completed 11 units by the end of their fifth term, 13 by the end of their sixth term, and 14 before generals, which must be taken no later than October of the fourth year. It is advisable to take generals by May of the third year, with an accelerated rate of unit completion.

Dissertation

After passing the General Examination, the student writes a dissertation for submission to the department and takes a final examination as provided for in the general regulations of the University. The departmental length limit applies.

Work in Classical Philosophy for Students Not Enrolled in the Program

The seminars of the program are, of course, open to all departmental students who meet the relevant prerequisites, whether or not they are enrolled in the interdepartmental program. With the permission of the department, students who wish to concentrate in Greek philosophy but do not meet all the requirements of the interdepartmental program may pursue courses of study planned to suit their particular interests and qualifications.

Colloquium in Classical Philosophy

There is an annual two-day Classical Philosophy Colloquium in early December at which outside speakers and commentators present papers on a common theme, varying year by year. Additional meetings of the Colloquium are held from time to time during the academic year, providing an opportunity for listening to and discussing papers by visiting scholars.

The Interdepartmental Program in Political Philosophy

This program, offered under the joint auspices of the departments of Classics, History, Philosophy, Politics, and Religion, is administered by an interdepartmental committee, which is composed as follows:

• Kwame Anthony Appiah, Philosophy
• Charles R. Beitz, Politics
  
• Robert A. Kaster, Classics
  
• Stephen Macedo, Politics
• Philip Pettit, Politics
• Daniel T. Rodgers, History
• Michael Smith, Philosophy
• Jeffrey L. Stout, Religion
• Maurizio Viroli, Politics

with associated faculty from Philosophy, Romance Languages and Literatures, Politics, and Sociology.

The program enables students to supplement their philosophical training with specialized work in one or more of three general areas:

1. the history of political ideas,
2. the investigation of contemporary problems of political philosophy,
3. the study of the relations between institutional and social history on the one hand, and systems of political thought on the other.

Students participating in the program take at least one special seminar in political philosophy during their first two years of graduate study. The doctoral dissertation is written on a problem in political philosophy, generally within one of the three areas listed above.

Language Requirements

A student is expected to develop competence in any languages required by his or her specialized program.

Distribution Requirements

Graduate students who are enrolled in the program may, in consultation with their advisers and with the permission of the department, modify the list of four fields in which students in the standard program are required to demonstrate adequate basic knowledge. Thus, for example, a student might wish to substitute the fields of political or legal philosophy for either logic or metaphysics and epistemology. They will otherwise be subject to the same requirements as students following the standard program.

Work in Neighboring Fields

All graduate students in philosophy may, of course, avail themselves of the other resources of the Graduate School. Courses in other departments are normally open to interested and qualified students by permission of the instructor. The student with special interests and qualifications in fields other than philosophy has the opportunity to pursue these interests by taking appropriate courses. Besides those courses mentioned in connection with the special programs discussed above, the University offers extensive and often unique opportunities for advanced work in fields cognate to philosophy (e.g., Linguistics, Psychology, Computer Science, Economics, Physics, Biology, Mathematics, Political Science, Comparative Literature, etc.). The interested applicant should consult the Graduate School Announcement under the appropriate department heading.

Occasionally, students may want to write their dissertations in consultation with an adviser in some other department. Where possible, this is arranged.

Philosophy students are eligible to participate in the interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience and receive a Certificate in that Program.  Information about that Program is available online at: http://neuroscience.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/neuro/site/graduate.pl . 

The Departmental Seminar and Visiting Scholars

An integral part of the graduate program at Princeton is the opportunity it affords for an exchange of ideas with scholars not on Princeton's faculty. This is effected in two ways: through the Philosophy Seminar and through an active program of visiting professorships.

The Philosophy Seminar

A faculty-student committee invites scholars from Princeton and other universities to read papers. The audience consists principally of faculty and graduate students of the department. The group is sufficiently small to offer those interested ample opportunity to participate in the discussion that follows the paper. These meetings, held frequently throughout the academic year, enable students to hear distinguished scholars present their current work. In recent years the department has been able to arrange for some eminent philosophers to offer several lectures and/or discussion meetings over the period of a week.

Visiting Professors

Normally at least one philosopher from another institution comes to Princeton each year for a term and offers a graduate seminar, usually on some topic on which he or she is currently doing research. Among others in recent years, the following visitors have been involved in graduate teaching: S. Brison, U. Coope, K. Fine, H. Friedman, J. Gilmore, A. Goldman, R-P Horstmann, R. Schumacher, M. Smith, T. Williamson.

Facilities for Study

The Firestone Library on the campus of the University is an open-stack library offering easy access to books and journals. Carrels, equipped with bookshelves and a desk, are available there for graduate students after their first year. (There are normally two students assigned to a carrel.) Besides the Library's central reserve area, where books relevant to current seminars are assembled, there is a departmental library and reading room for graduate students in philosophy in Marx Hall; it contains the current and recent issues of many major philosophical journals and a collection of frequently used works in philosophy. The university also subscribes to electronic editions of many philosophy journals, making these accessible from any university computer.

For students with special interest in logic, mathematics, and physics, the mathematics and physics library, located in Fine Hall, possesses one of the most extensive collections anywhere of books and journals in those fields.

Tuition and Fellowships

For the 2006-07 academic year the tuition for all graduate students at Princeton is $34,000. This fee covers not only tuition, but also the use of the library and gymnasium, access to the clinical service of the McCosh Health Center, and a health and accident insurance policy.  All students are eligible for fellowships covering tuition and living costs, including summer support.  Current annual support for graduate students in philosophy is $21,500 plus tuition.

Placement

The Department of Philosophy, through its Faculty Placement Committee, makes every effort to place its students in teaching positions, and we think our record to date compares well with those of other philosophy programs. But a Princeton Ph.D. does not guarantee a successful career in Philosophy: the market, both in the U.S. and in other English-speaking countries, continues to be quite difficult. Although, with some exceptions, we do succeed in placing those who complete the program, it must be borne in mind that (1) several of these first jobs are temporary; (2) even the tenure-track jobs often don't lead to tenure, and some people are forced to leave the profession after teaching for a few years.

The department's interest in its students does not cease when they have found their first position; it endeavors to stay in touch with them and to offer further assistance later in their careers.

Inquiries and Applications

Inquiries about graduate work in Philosophy should be addressed to the Director of Graduate Studies (Hans Halvorson), Department of Philosophy, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1006 (email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), though routine questions should be addressed to the graduate assistant, Jill Ray ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

For deadlines, to apply, or for information about applying, see the Graduate Admissions website. You may also write to the admissions office at Box 270, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-0270

Please note: All applicants are required to submit a sample of their written work IN ENGLISH with their completed application. Those applying for the Classical Philosophy Program must submit a paper in ancient philosophy, and should make clear in the first sentence of their personal statements that they are applying to the program.

Application for fellowship support is part of the application for admission.

Applicants who wish to be considered for admission to the classical philosophy or the political philosophy program should indicate this fact on the application forms.

Applicants for "visiting student" status must apply through the Office of Graduate Admission. See the admissions website for more information.