Online doctoral programs in philosophy

The credit curriculum features a core of biblical and theological foundation courses, the Spiritual Formation Core, an area of academic specialization, and additional elective courses. Completed as an MA in Liberal Studies degree, you will create your own graduate program and final project with the help of your advisor. As far as the curriculum goes, students will take core classes, and then choose electives for the rest of the credits. The degree will utilize humanities-related subjects like arts, ethics, history, language and literature, philosophy, religion to help us understand ourselves, as well as the world around us, better.

After taking core courses, students will choose interdisciplinary electives to customize their degree. Next, students can pursue areas of concentration like humanitarian assistance, public humanities or religion, peace, and justice.

For a real-world component, an internship or fieldwork experience is required, culminating with a problem-solving written thesis. The curriculum will include:. A thesis is required. The program is designed to usher graduates into a PhD program in philosophy, but those desiring the workforce can pursue careers in missionary work, teaching positions, travel-related jobs, and more. Students interested in this program will choose the Individual Option, which enables students to customize their curriculum to meet their interests and goals.

Full-time, students can complete this degree in just two years. Among the 33 required credits are classes in subjects like humanities, social sciences, arts, and physical and natural sciences.

The curriculum will draw from multidisciplinary subjects like including history, philosophy, ethics, law, and religion. This fully online program can be completed in just 20 months with no residency requirements.

Students can expect to complete assignments on their own time, but while adhering to a structured schedule. Full-time students can complete this credit hour program within two years. The curriculum is broken down into 3 parts: credit hours of required major classes, credit hours of required core, and a 3-credit hour humanities capstone portfolio. Through this broad, yet deep perspective, students will learn more about the world and themselves.

The course program will be completed in a fall, spring, and summer sessions, and does not require a residency on-campus during the program. Full-time students can complete the program in one calendar year, or part-time students can complete it in just 2 years. The degree will be a good fit for students in ministry, teaching philosophy, religion or theology—or who plan to continue to a doctoral program in philosophy.

Students can choose their culminating final project: thesis or a comprehensive exam. The degree can be completed in just two years, or students have up to 6 years to complete the program. With multiple start dates per year, students will take 10 classes, 3 of which make up the core requirement and 6 which fulfill the elective requirement.

Classes only last 7. All work will culminate into a final applied project. Philosophy is an integral part of all human life.

Make a gift. Academics Why Philosophy? Doctoral Program. Proficiency Requirements First-year Ph. At least one of the courses satisfying this distribution requirement must be in ethics or political philosophy. Two courses in language, mind, and action.

One course satisfying this requirement must be drawn from the language related courses, and one from mind and action related courses. At least one of the courses satisfying this requirement must be drawn from either metaphysics or epistemology.

Instructors indicate which courses may satisfy particular requirements. If a course potentially satisfies more than one requirement the student may use it for only one of those area requirements; no units may be double-counted. Students must develop broad competencies in all these areas. Those without strong backgrounds in these areas would normally satisfy these distribution requirements by taking more basic courses rather than highly specialized and focused courses. Students should consult with their advisor in making these course decisions, and be prepared to explain these decisions when reviewed for candidacy; see requirement 6 below.

One approved course each in ancient and modern philosophy, plus either another approved history of philosophy course or PHIL Metalogic.

Students should normally take at least 64 graduate level units at Stanford during their first six quarters in many cases students would take more units than that and of those total units, at least 49 units of course work are to be in the Philosophy department. Units of Individual Directed Reading are normally not to be counted toward this unit requirement unless there is special permission from the student's advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Prior to candidacy, at least 3 units of work must be taken with each of four Stanford faculty members. Writing Requirement: Second Year Paper The second year paper should demonstrate good scholarship and argumentative rigor, and be a polished piece of writing approximately words in length.

Teaching Assistancy A minimum of five quarters of teaching assistancy are required for the Ph. It is expected that students not teach in their first year and that they teach no more than two quarters in their second year. Candidacy To continue in the Ph. Students may be approved for or denied candidacy by the end of that quarter by the department. In some cases, where there are only one or two outstanding deficiencies, the department may defer the candidacy decision and require the student to re-apply for candidacy in a subsequent quarter.

In such cases, definite conditions for the candidacy re-application must be specified, and the student must work with the advisor and the DGS to meet those conditions in a timely fashion.

A failure to maintain timely progress in satisfying the specified conditions constitutes grounds for withholding travel and discretionary funds and for a denial of advancement to candidacy. The Writing Seminar is intended to help students complete their second year papers. Upon completion of the summer writing seminar, students must sign up for independent study credit, PHIL Individual Work for Graduate Students, with their respective advisors each quarter.

A plan at the beginning, and a report at the end, of each quarter must be signed by both student and advisor and submitted to the graduate administrator for inclusion in the student's file. This is the process every quarter until the completion of the departmental oral. Students meet to present their work in progress and discuss their thesis project.

Participation in these seminars is required. Courses required for candidacy are not counted toward satisfaction of this requirement. This light load of courses allows students to deepen their philosophical training while keeping time free for thesis research.

Dissertation Work and Defense The third and following years are devoted to dissertation work. The few requirements in this segment of the program are milestones to encourage students and advisors to ensure that the project is on track. Dissertation Proposal— By Spring Quarter of the third year, students should have selected a dissertation topic and committee. A proposal sketching the topic, status, and plan for the thesis project, as well as an annotated bibliography or literature review indicating familiarity with the relevant literature, must be received by the committee one week before the meeting on graduate student progress late in Spring Quarter.

The dissertation proposal and the reading committee's report on it will constitute a substantial portion of the third year review. Departmental Oral— During Autumn Quarter of the fourth year, students take an oral examination based on at least 30 pages of written work, in addition to the proposal.

The aim of the exam is to help the student arrive at an acceptable plan for the dissertation and to make sure that student, thesis topic, and advisors make a reasonable fit. It is an important chance for the student to clarify their goals and intentions with the entire committee present.

Fourth-Year Colloquium— No later than Spring Quarter of the fourth year, students present a research paper in a minute seminar open to the entire department. This paper should be on an aspect of the student's dissertation research. This is an opportunity for the student to make their work known to the wider department, and to explain their ideas to a general philosophical audience. University Oral Exam— Ph. If the student is given consent to go forward, the University oral can take place approximately two weeks later.

A portion of the exam consists of a student presentation based on the dissertation and is open to the public. A closed question period follows. If the draft is ready by Autumn Quarter of the fourth year, the student may request that the University oral count as the department oral.

Courses fulfilling Distribution Requirements. Minor in Philosophy To obtain a Ph. Give to the graduate administrator a signed copy of the program of study designed with the advisor which offers: 30 units of courses in the Department of Philosophy with a letter grade of 'B-' or better in each course. Political scientists with a Ph. This ranking lists 15 of the best and most affordable Ph. To qualify for our ranking of the best and most affordable Ph.

From there, we considered tuition, student-to-faculty ratio, ROI according to Payscale. In cases of a tie, the more affordable program was awarded the higher ranking. Purdue University offers an affordable Ph. Students complete 12 courses during the first two years of the five-year program. The courses cover four areas: the history of philosophy; value theory; formal methods; and metaphysics, epistemology, and science.

Students engage in specialized dissertation research beginning in the third year. They also must pass a written and oral exam on their dissertation topic. This program offers funding to incoming Ph. Arizona State University offers a newly redesigned Ph. Students complete the degree on the Tempe campus. The credit program focuses on applied philosophy and offers an interdisciplinary curriculum. Students complete core coursework in areas such as applied philosophy, epistemology, formal methods, and the history of philosophy.

They learn how to apply philosophy theories to address everyday challenges and phenomena. Students also use research findings to address philosophical questions. Students design dissertation projects in philosophy subfields, and culminate the program with a dissertation. At the University of Florida , students complete a credit Ph.

The program offers a unique concentration in the ethics of technology. The MA constitutes the first two years of the year Ph. Once students pass a final MA exam, they proceed to the Ph. They explore epistemology, ethical theory, and the foundations of analytic philosophy.

Students complete 12 hours of research for the doctoral dissertation. All participants complete two semesters of teaching that helps pay for their education. The year program requires 48 credits of graduate coursework. Students complete required courses in four main areas: ethics, the history of philosophy, metaphysics, and the theory of knowledge.

Students must pass both comprehensive and dissertation prospectus exams. They must also pass an oral dissertation defense. The department provides financial support through teaching assistantships and other financial aid. The department enjoys renown for its continental philosophy concentration, which emphasizes French and German thought.

The curriculum includes required seminars in three categories: the history of philosophy, contemporary philosophy, and interface studies. Students spend their fourth year on dissertation research and writing. A unique fellowship opportunity funds one year of dissertation work at a college in Germany.