Philosophy, Ph.D.

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College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Philosophy

Major Contacts, Deadlines, and Delivery Information

Concentration:

Philosophy and Religion

The Philosophy program at University of South Florida aims to produce teachers and scholars with a deep understanding of philosophy and a broad knowledge of its history. We welcome a diversity of approaches to the study of philosophy, including analytic, continental, historical, literary, and multicultural. Above all, we seek to prepare our students to make contributions in their areas of expertise and to become responsible members of the philosophical community.

Major Research Areas:

Aesthetics
Analytic Philosophy
Ancient Greek Philosophy
Buddhist Philosophy
Confucian Thought
Continental Philosophy
Epistemology
Ethics and Contemporary Moral Philosophy
Feminist Philosophy
Medieval Philosophy
Modern Philosophy
Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy and Religion
Philosophy of Science
Social & Political Philosophy
19th and 20th Century Philosophy

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below.

three (3) letters of recommendation
a ten (10) page philosophy writing sample
GRE Scores
A brief statement of the applicant’s philosophical interests

Curriculum Requirements

Total Minimum hours: 82 Credit Hours post-bachelors

Core Requirements– 6 Credit Hours
General Course or Concentration Option – 30 Credit Hours
Additional Electives – 34 Credit Hours
Dissertation Credit Hours – 12 Credit hours

Core Requirements (6 Credit Hours)

PHH 6105 Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Credit Hours: 3 (3 Credit Hours)
PHH 6310 Seminar in 17th and 18th Century Philosophy Credit Hours: 3 (3 Credit Hours)

General Course or Concentration Option (30 Credit Hours)

Student must select either the General Course Option or the Philosophy and Religion Concentration Option.

General Course Requirements Option

Students must complete a minimum of ten (10) additional courses or graduate seminars subject to the following requirements:
PHI 5135 Symbolic Logic Credit Hours: 3
Or an approved substitute
At least one course or graduate seminar in each of the following areas:
- 19th and 20th Century Philosophy
- Epistemology and Philosophy of Science
- Value Theory and Social & Political Philosophy
- Metaphyics, Mind, and Language
Courses are selected from the following list, or other course as approved by the Graduate Director:
PHH 6645 Contemporary Continental Philosophy Credit Hours: 4 (3 Credit Hours)
PHH 6677 Seminar in German Idealism Credit Hours: 3 (3 Credit Hours)
PHH 6938 Seminar in the History of Philosophy Credit Hours: 3
PHI 5225 Philosophy of Language Credit Hours: 3
PHI 6305 Seminar in Epistemology Credit Hours: 3
PHI 6405 Seminar in the Philosophy of Natural Science Credit Hours: 3
PHI 6506 Seminar in Metaphysics Credit Hours: 3
PHI 6605 Seminar in Ethics Credit Hours: 3
PHI 6686 Climate Change and Societal Evolution Credit Hours: 3
PHI 6808 Seminar in Aesthetics Credit Hours: 3
PHI 6934 Selected Topics Credit Hours: 1-3
PHM 6265 Continental Philosophy I: Phenomenology of Hermeneutics Credit Hours: 3
PHM 6266 Continental Philosophy II: Political and Social Theory Credit Hours: 3
PHM 6305 Seminar in Political Philosophy Credit Hours: 3
PHP 6005 Plato Credit Hours: 3
PHP 6405 Seminar in Descartes’ Philosophy Credit Hours: 4
PHP 6415 Kant Credit Hours: 3
PHP 6420 Seminar in Leibniz’s Philosophy Credit Hours: 4 (3 Credit Hours)
PHP 6505 Seminar on Hegel’s Philosophy Credit Hours: 3 (3 Credit Hours)
PHP 6525 Nietzsche and the Nietzscheans Credit Hours: 4 (3 Credit Hours)
PHP 6624 Adorno Credit Hours: 4 (3 Credit Hours)
PHP 6645 Foucault Credit Hours: 4 (3 Credit Hours)
PHH 6825 Seminar on Chinese Philosophy Credit Hours: 3 (proposed as PHH 6825)
PHI 6945 Graduate Instruction Methods Credit Hours: 1-3 (may be repeated up to three times for credit)
PHI 6908 Directed Research Credit Hours: 1-19

Philosophy and Religion Concentration

Students must complete a minimum of 10 additional courses or graduate seminars subject to the following requirements:
RLG 6035 Theory and Methods in Religious Studies Credit Hours: 3
Or an approved substitute
One Course or Graduate Seminar in Religious Studies from each of the following areas:
•   Religion in History
•   Religion: Ethics, Politics, and Culture

One course or graduate seminar in Philosophy from the following area:
•   Value Theory and Social & Political Philosophy

When possible, a course in Non-Western Philosophy or World Religions is recommended.
Courses as selected from the list provided in the General Course Requirements, or from the following list, or as approved by the Graduate Director:
RLG 6143 Religion, Culture, and Society Credit Hours: 3
RLG 6196 Religion and Modernization Credit Hours: 3
RLG 6285 Studies in Biblical Archaeology Credit Hours: 3
RLG 6189 Comparative Religious Ethics Credit Hours: 3
RLG 6438 Modern Christian Thought Credit Hours: 3
RLG 6906 Independent Study Credit Hours: 1-3 (when appropriate to area)
RLG 6938 Special Topics in Religious Studies Credit Hours: 2-4 (when appropriate to area)
PHH 6825 Seminar on Chinese Philosophy Credit Hours: 3 (proposed as PHH 6825)
PHI 6945 Graduate Instruction Methods Credit Hours: 1-3 (may be repeated up to three times for credit)
PHI 6908 Directed Research Credit Hours: 1-19

Electives (34 Credit Hours Minimum)

Graduate courses selected in consultation with the Graduate Director.

Language Competency

Students should develop reading knowledge of at least one language other than English relevant to their philosophical work. The language(s) and level of competence required is to be determined by consultation with their prospective major professor and the graduate director. Prior to the beginning of the third semester of matriculation, each student must submit a plan of study indicating the language or languages the student will be applying toward the language competency requirement, the level of competency expected, and a timetable for achieving that level of competency. This plan must be approved by the graduate director and the student’s prospective major professor.

Comprehensive Exam

A comprehensive examination on a required list of readings constructed by the candidate and a committee of examiners.

Dissertation (12 Credit Hours Minimum)

PHI 7980 Dissertation: Doctoral Credit Hours: 2-19
• A written prospectus for the dissertation and an oral defense of the prospectus.
• A written dissertation and an oral defense of this dissertation.

If the student has selected the Philosophy and Religion Concentration, the dissertation committee must be composed as follows:
1. Either a Major Professor appointed in both Philosophy and Religious Studies, or co-Major Professors, one of whom is appointed in Philosophy and the other of whom is appointed in Religious Studies.
2. At least one other member from Philosophy and one from Religious Studies.