Prepare to make a contribution to ongoing dialogues in important philosophical topics and across multiple philosophical traditions with the doctorate in philosophy.
The doctorate program will provide you with the training and preparation needed to become:
- Excellent scholars
- Effective teachers
- Good citizens of the profession of academic philosophy (or related disciplines)
Philosophy deals with the central questions of what there is, how we know about it and why it matters. This training and preparation can also enable you to serve society in a number of high-level capacities outside of academia, involving planning, understanding or other skills of abstract reasoning.
Ph.D. in Philosophy Program Requirements
Interdisciplinary Research
The unique features of the doctorate in philosophy at Texas A&M are its pluralism within the discipline of philosophy and its commitment to cross-disciplinary research.
Through this program, you will be required to complete coursework in several different methodological traditions within philosophy.
You'll also be required to engage in truly interdisciplinary academic research. You will write a dissertation synthesizing this work and developing novel research of their own.
There are two ways to meed the interdisciplinary research requirement:
- Earn a master’s or higher-level supporting degree in a field other than philosophy while earning your doctorate
- Complete an interdisciplinary track developed by the philosophy and humanities department in conjunction with several other departments
Approved interdisciplinary tracks are described in the philosophy and humanities department's graduate handbook. Supporting degrees may come from any academic field in any college, provided that it supports the student's philosophical research interests. Supporting degrees must be approved by the department’s graduate program advisory committee.
Applicants who already hold a master’s or higher-level degree may petition to have it counted as the supporting degree. Such petitions are approved only if the department judges the prior work to fit the overall needs of the student’s course of study.
Other applicants are expected to choose a track or secure admission to an approved master’s program in another department during their second year of study.