Doctor's degree Philosophy - Boston University

Doctor's degree Philosophy from Boston University is a Campus Ph.D Philosophy degree that prepares you for a Liberal Arts career. The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires the completion of 16 courses, passing examinations for reading knowledge of a foreign language, passing the logic examination, passing the written Comprehensive Examinations, writing a doctoral dissertation, and passing a final oral examination on the dissertation. While there are no distribution requirements, students are expected to acquire a broad knowledge of the field of philosophy and to demonstrate such knowledge in a written Qualifying Examination at the completion of course work. Completion of at least 16 courses is required, 4 of which must be at the 600/800/900 level. At least 12 of the 16 courses must be in philosophy . Up to three Directed Studies and two language courses may count towards the degree contingent on the approval by the Director of Graduate Studies. Qualifying Examination Students who have completed their course work, and have met the language and logic requirements are required to take the Qualifying Examination. This should take place at the latest by the Spring of the student's third year. The Examination is based on the reading list (please contact the Department for further information regarding the reading list) and takes place over three days. Each day the student will have five hours to answer three questions, and will have several questions to choose from. On the first day, questions focus on a single philosopher. On the second day, comparative questions are given. On the third day, there will be thematic philosophical questions that may be answered by using any of the figures mentioned on the reading list. Students may schedule their examination any time during the academic year and may do so before they have completed their course work. Logic Exam Every graduate student must demonstrate competence in logic by either passing a designated upper level logic course with a B+ or higher, or by passing a logic examination. The student will not be permitted to submit a dissertation proposal until the the logic requirement is satisfied. The logic requirement is normally satisfied by the end of the third year at the latest. Language Exam Every graduate student must demonstrate a high level of reading competence in at least one language other than English by the end of the third year of graduate study and before a dissertation proposal is approved. This language will be French, German, Greek, or Latin. Competence may be established in several ways. Students may, for example, take a translation exam or may complete an intermediate language course administered by another department. Language courses offered at the graduate level will be given graduate credit. (Two such courses may count toward the course work requirement of 16 courses.) In addition, students must possess a good reading knowledge of any language that is important for their dissertation work. E.g., students writing a dissertation on Plato must at least satisfy the requirements of an intermediate Greek course, with the expectation that the study of the language will be an ongoing activity. A dissertation proposal will not be approved until the relevant mastery has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the dissertation Director. The Director will have the discretion of accepting a B+ or higher in a relevant language course as evidence of competence; or adequate performance on a translation examination; or any reasonable means of determining competence. The Dissertation The Dissertation Prospectus must be submitted and defended by post-B.A. students by the Fall of the fifth year at the very latest. The Prospectus is ordinarily 12 -15 pages long and is developed in consultation with the student's prospective first reader. The Prospectus should include a statement of the principal problems to be addressed and why it is of general scholarly importance that they be addressed. The student is also responsible for choosing a committee consisting of the first reader and two other faculty members to read the Prospectus prior to the oral presentation. The Dissertation Defense takes place when the Readers have approved the final draft of the Dissertation. Normally the committee for the examination consists of three faculty members chosen by the Director of Graduate Studies in addition to the first and second readers. For further details, please see the Graduate School Bulletin. Time Limits In the case of post-B.A. students, the expected completion time for the Ph.D. is four to five years, and is seven years at the maximum. In the case of post-M.A. students, the expected completion time for the Ph.D. is three to four years, and is five years at the maximum. View more details on Boston University . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Philosophy courses.