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Department of Philosophy
Degree Programs:
Full-Time: M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. Full-Time/Part-Time: Free-Standing M.A.
Chair:
Achille
Varzi, Ph.D.
713 Philosophy
Tel:
212.854.3531
Director of Graduate Studies:
Christopher
Peacocke,
D.Phil.
704 Philosphy
Tel:
212.854.3384
Degree Requirements
The requirements below should be read in
conjunction with the general requirements of the Graduate School.
For the M.A. Degree
Residence: Two Residence Units at 4000 level or above.
Points of credit: 30 points at the 4000 level or above, at least 18 of which are for a letter grade and the remainder of which may be R credit; two of the six of the courses taken for a letter grade must be from G9000-level seminars.
Distribution: One three-point course for a letter grade in each of the following fields of philosophy: Group I: ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy; Group II: theory of knowledge, metaphysics, philosophy of logic and language, philosophy of science; Group III: history of philosophy (a major philosopher or philosophical movement).
For the M.Phil. Degree (Offered only to Ph.D. Candidates)Residence: Six Residence units at 4000 level or above.
Points of credit: A total of 60 points of coursework are required for the Ph.D. Of these, 36 points must be taken for a letter grade, including at least 12 points from G9000-level seminars. A given seminar may be taken for three or six credits, depending on the student's interest and energy. Quodlibetal (independent study) courses may be substituted for regular seminars, with the approval of the DGS.
The least six points (of the 36 points taken for a letter grade) must come from Research in Philosophy I and II (G9901 + G9902), which is taken in the third year in preparation for the Ph.D. dissertation.
The remaining 18 points may be taken for R credit. These must include six points from the Proseminar (G6881 + G6882), which must be taken during the first year.
Note: Courses offered by other departments do not count toward the Ph.D. in Philosophy unless they are cross-listed. In some cases, the DGS may grant an exception to this restriction if it is justified by a student’s philosophical project.
Distribution: At leat 6 points must be taken for a letter grade in each of the following fields of philosophy: Group I: ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy; Group II: theory of knowledge, metaphysics, philosophy of logic and language, philosophy of science; Group III: history of philosophy (a major philosopher or philosophical movement). Since the first half of this requirement (i.e., one 3-point course in each of the three areas) must be completed in order to receive the M.A., it is only necessary to take one additional three-point course in each of the distribution areas in order to fulfill the requirements for the M.Phil. The DGS should be consulted for details.
Logic requirement: A proficiency examination in Logic is offered during the week before fall semester begins. Students who pass the exam are exempt from course work in Logic; all others must successfully complete a minimum of three points of letter grade credit in a Logic course at the G4000-level or above. The proficiency exam cannot be retaken. Exemption from coursework in Logic does not reduce the total number of credit points required; students who are exempt from coursework in Logic take elective credit to replace the logic course.
Teaching requirement: Participation in the instructional activities of the department for three years. As a rule, in the second, third, and fourth years of study, students gain exposure to teaching as assistants to professors or as section leaders in undergraduate courses. Students who are interested in broadening their teaching apprenticeships are eligible to teach as Preceptors in the Core Curriculum Program. Students may only apply to be a Core Preceptor if they have or expect to have the M.Phil. by the May prior to being appointed as a preceptor, and if they are not past their sixth year of registration during the first year of the Preceptorship. Students may not hold instructional appointments after year seven.
Language requirement: Before advancing to candidacy, students must
demonstrate competence in one of the following: French, German, Greek, or Latin. This
requirement can be satisfied by:
1. ‑Having taken, within the last five years, two years of one of the
designated languages (either in college or as part of post-collegiate education)
and having received grades of B or higher in those courses.
2. ‑Taking one of the relevant Columbia Q-courses (i.e., French S1204Q;
German S1115Q; Greek S1221Q; or Latin S1121Q) or taking an equivalent course at
another institution and receiving a grade of B or higher in that course. These “Q” courses normally have as
prerequisites two college-level courses in the relevant language or an
equivalent level of proficiency.
Students should check with the appropriate language department about the
level of preparation needed for the course they are interested in taking.
3. ‑Passing a translation exam administered by
the department. The exam consists of a single passage of approximately
three-quarters of a printed page in length; passing the exam requires
translating the given passage accurately into grammatically correct and
idiomatic English. The total time allotted for the exam is 90 minutes. Use of a
dictionary is permitted.
Students may be exempted from this requirement only when both the following
conditions are met:
1. ‑English is not their native language.
2. ‑The DGS (often in consultation with the
department) approves an alternative requirement.
For the Ph.D. Degree
In addition to all requirements for the M.Phil.
degree, students must pass a proposal defense and successfully complete and
defend their doctoral dissertations.
Financial Aid
A comprehensive program of financial aid, including
fellowships and appointments in teaching, is available to Ph.D. students. After
the first year, all Ph.D. students admitted to the program receive annually the
prevailing stipend and appropriate tuition and health fees through the fifth
year, provided that they remain in good academic standing. If students receive
a year of advanced standing, they are entitled to only four years of fellowship
funding.
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