PhD in Philosophy

Overview

There are two Ph.D. programs in Philosophy at Western. Students entering with an MA (as most do) are enrolled in a four-year funded program. In their first year, students take courses; in their second, they take a comprehensive exam in their main research area and complete a course that will lead to the writing and defense of a thesis prospectus; their third and fourth years are spent writing their dissertations.

The courses and supervision available reflect the strengths and diversity of interests of the faculty, which collect along five principal fields: feminist philosophy; history of philosophy (ancient, medieval and modern); moral, political and legal philosophy; philosophy of mind and language; and philosophy of science (including mathematics and logic).

The direct-entry five-year program is for students entering without an MA in Philosophy. The program is as described above but with an extra year of coursework at the beginning. 

Summary of Four-Year PhD Degree Requirements

The degree requirements for the four-year PhD program are as follows:

  • Six 0.5 credit (one-term) courses, meeting distribution requirements
  • Logic compentency requirement
  • Comprehensive exam
  • Prospectus course and prospectus defence
  • Thesis and thesis defence

To remain in good standing, students should follow the following progression schedule (see Fig. 1): 

  • Year 1: Complete six 0.5 credit courses, fulfill logic requirement, select a supervisor, and create a comprehensive exam reading list
  • Year 2 fall term: Take comprehensive exam
  • Year 2 winter term: take prospectus course and defend prospectus
  • Years 3–4: write and defend dissertation

A graphical summary of MA degree requirements

Fig. 1: Four-year PhD progression schedule

 

Summary of Direct-Entry Five-Year PhD Degree Requirements

The degree requirements for the direct-entry five-year PhD program are as follows:

  • Eleven 0.5 credit (one-term) courses, meeting distribution requirements
  • Logic compentency requirement
  • Comprehensive exam
  • Prospectus course and prospectus defence
  • Thesis and thesis defence

To remain in good standing, students should follow the following progression schedule (see Fig. 2): 

  • Years 1–2: Complete 11 0.5 credit courses, fulfill logic requirement, select a supervisor, and create a comprehensive exam reading list
  • Year 3 fall term: Take comprehensive exam
  • Year 3 winter term: take prospectus course and defend prospectus
  • Years 4–5: write and defend dissertation

A graphical summary of MA degree requirements

Fig. 2: Five-year PhD progression schedule

 

To learn more about our PhD programs in Philosophy, please use the navigation bar to the left.