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PhD Program

The PhD Program offers a world class educational experience and foundational training in environmental philosophy, the history of Western philosophy, philosophy of science and technology and related fields. The program is designed to prepare students for careers both within academia and in non-academic sectors. In the initial year of study the departmental Director of Graduate Studies will primarily advise students. Student supervision and advisement following the first year will be the responsibility of the student's major professor and committee. Graduate students assume full responsibility for knowledge of all Toulouse School of Graduate Studies and University of North Texas rules, regulations, and deadlines published in the Graduate Catalog and of all departmental and program requirements concerning their degree program.

PhD OPTIONS AND COURSE SEQUENCES

Student categories determine the coursework required to earn a PhD in Philosophy at UNT. Categories for incoming students are determined according to the degree achieved upon admission to the program.

Category 1 students (72 hours)

Accepted to the PhD program with a BA degree in any discipline.

  • Required courses: 9 hours of philosophical topics, 9 hours of environmental philosophy
  • PHIL elective courses: 27 hours
  • Additional PHIL elective or non-PHIL elective courses: 15 hours
  • Doctoral Dissertation: 12 hours

Category 2 students (42 hours)

Accepted to the PhD program with a MA degree in a discipline other than philosophy.

  • Required courses: 9 hours of philosophical topics, 9 hours of environmental philosophy
  • PHIL elective courses: 12 hours
  • Doctoral Dissertation: 12 hours

Category 3 students (42 hours)

Accepted to the PhD program with an MA degree in philosophy.

  • Required courses: 6 hours of philosophical topics, 9 hours of environmental philosophy
  • Additional PHIL elective or non-PHIL elective courses: 15 hours
  • Doctoral Dissertation: 12 hours

Environmental philosophy courses, 9 hours

  • PHIL 5000 - Environmental Ethics
  • PHIL 5010 - Seminar in the Philosophy of Ecology
  • PHIL 5700 - Environmental Philosophy
  • PHIL 5800 - Philosophies of Climate Change
  • PHIL 6710 - Ecofeminism: Women's Studies and Environmental Ethics
  • PHIL 6720 - Religion and Ecology
  • PHIL 6730 - Christianity and the Environment
  • PHIL 6740 - Environmental Ethics, Science and Public Policy
  • PHIL 6750 - Environmental Justice
  • PHIL 6760 - Topics in Environmental Philosophy

Philosophical Topics courses, 9 hours (category 1 and 3) 6 hours (category 2)

  • PHIL 5100. Topics in Ancient Philosophy
  • PHIL 5150. Feminist Philosophy
  • PHIL 5200. Topics in Modern Philosophy
  • PHIL 5250. Topics in History of Philosophy
  • PHIL 5300. Social-Political Philosophy
  • PHIL 5400. Ethical Theory
  • PHIL 5500. Philosophy of Science and Technology
  • PHIL 5600. Philosophy of Religion
  • PHIL 6150. Metaphysics
  • PHIL 6200. Existentialism
  • PHIL 6250. Aesthetics
  • PHIL 6400. Philosophy of Technology
  • PHIL 6500. Cultural Criticism

Interdisciplinary study, 15 hours (max)

Students entering the PhD program with a BA (in any discipline) and those entering the program with an MA in philosophy may take up to five courses (15 credit hours) in other departments.

Students entering the PhD program with an MA degree in a field other than philosophy must take all courses in the philosophy department.

The Director of Graduate Studies can grant exceptions.

Dissertation hours, 12 hours

Required of all students. After completing all course requirements, students must enroll in 12 semester credit hours of PHIL 6950. ABD doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment in PHIL 6950 to remain matriculated

Upon completion of course work and Qualifying Exam, students are required to submit a Prospectus (dissertation proposal) to the dissertation director and committee members. The student defends the proposal to the director and committee; the proposal must be signed and approved before the student can begin the dissertation.

The dissertation should be a work of original scholarship. The dissertation defense takes place before the director and the committee and is open to the public.

Independent Studies / Special Problems

Graduate students in the Department of Philosophy and Religion will take no more than two special problems or independent studies throughout their graduate career unless approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the student's major professor. Students should note that a good use of a special problems or independent study course is to arrange one with their major professor in their last year of coursework, in order to assist in the development of a literature base, dissertation topic, and working relationship between the major professor and the student.

PhD QUALIFYING EXAMINATION

Satisfying the Toulouse Graduate School Requirement for Qualifying Examination and Admission to Candidacy.

The purpose of the Qualifying Exam is for the PhD student in philosophy to develop mastery of the philosophical materials (broadly construed) at the foundations of their research interests. The Qualifying Exam also serves the purpose of providing the student with mentorship and guidance in the development of their dissertation prospectus.

Consistent with the Toulouse Graduate School Requirement for Qualifying Examination and Admission to Candidacy, this Qualifying Exam will require the student to demonstrate competency in the areas of philosophy that they choose in consultation with their Exam Committee.

Students are eligible for the Qualifying Exam following the completion of course work. Their last 3 required credit hours will be used for a PHIL 6900 Special Problems: Qualifying Exam course, which serves as the mechanism through which study for the Exam will occur during that semester. The Exam will be administered at or near the end of the semester during a ten-day window. The Exam is graded independently from the 6900 course, so the Exam can extend past the semester grade deadline without necessitating an "I" (Incomplete) for the course. Keep in mind that funded students are not eligible for a pay raise until they have passed the Exam. Also, students are not eligible for PHIL 6950 Dissertation hours until they have passed the exam.

Students are required to assemble a willing Exam Committee (hereafter 'Committee' in this section). Committees shall consist of three faculty members of the department, all serving equally as co-chairs. Students will enroll in the 6950 course with one of the Committee members - to be determined by the Committee. Students are required to consult frequently with all members of the Committee as they prepare for the exams.

In consultation with the Committee, students will designate a set of texts (and other materials) over which they will be examined. The primary purpose of this list is to ensure mastery of materials deemed essential to situating and grounding their research interests. The set of texts (and other materials) shall be formed by the end of the semester prior to the exam.

The Qualifying Exam consists of three essays based on the designated texts and administered by the Committee. The Exam will be administered as take-home essays to be completed across a ten-day period. In consultation with the student, the Committee will formulate the three exam questions. Students may submit draft questions for the Committee's consideration, but the Committee has the final determination of the wording of the three questions. The student will answer each of the three exam questions with a 2,500 to 3,500-word essay. Individual Committees will determine the details of the exams and ensure that the student is well-informed about scheduling, content, and process.

The Committee as a whole is responsible for evaluating the exams. All members of the Committee will read the essays, marking them Pass or Fail. Should at least two members judge any of the essays to be failing, the Committee may permit the student to retake those essay(s) once. Such permission is at the discretion of the Committee; should the Committee not grant it, or should a student fail a second time, the student can utilize the appeals process detailed below. Students have one full long semester to re-write exam essays.