Loyola's PhD in Philosophy is a premiere program for graduate study in continental philosophy, social and political philosophy, and the history of philosophy. It is also renowned for its strengths in feminism, ethics and value theory, critical philosophy of race, and bioethics. Our department values philosophical pluralism and faculty are informed by a variety of traditions and methodologies, so students are exposed to a range of approaches, both analytic and continental, through their coursework. Loyola thus offers doctoral students a uniquely well-rounded education as well as a diversity of research paths that they can pursue.
Program Highlights
- Outstanding Mentorship and Professional Development: In addition to outstanding individual mentorship and advising, our faculty collaboratively designs and conducts programming to support student success. This includes a first year proseminar to prepare students for graduate coursework and professional development workshops throughout the year to prepare students to present and publish original research.
- Developing Research Skills: Doctoral students can take on research assistantships that cultivate relevant research and professional skills, for instance, by serving as editorial assistants for academic journals, directing our MAP chapter, and engaging in faculty directed research. Doctoral students are also encouraged to participate in at least one of our research groups to expand their scholarly networks and present their research.
- Teaching Excellence: Loyola will prepare you to be an agile teacher who can design and deliver courses across the core areas of philosophy and adapt to the needs of students in an increasingly complex world. Our teaching assistantships prioritize pedagogical development, and we offer teacher training through pedagogy seminars and one-on-one mentorship as well as the opportunity to teach courses as instructors of record.
- Academic Careers: In addition to individual advising, Loyola’s placement committee offers workshops and seminars to prepare doctoral students for success on the academic job market. This committee provides feedback on application materials, schedules mock-interviews, and coaches students through the process of campus visits and job offers. Our alumni enjoy great success in their chosen career paths, and many secure full-time positions at respected colleges and universities.
- Career Diversity: Loyola also recognizes the importance of supporting students interested in pursuing non-traditional career paths, offering internships and training in such fields as education administration, academic publishing, public policy, social work, and computer programing.
Curriculum
The PhD in Philosophy requires 48 hours of coursework, a foreign language requirement, qualifying examination, and dissertation. All requirements for the Master of Arts in Philosophy must be satisfied as the first stage of doctoral work. Entering PhD students must have a Bachelor of Arts degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution. They should have a solid background in philosophy, ordinarily an undergraduate major, including coursework in the history of ancient and early modern European philosophy as well as in metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics, and social-political philosophy.
Coursework Requirements
Specific courses may not be offered every semester and course offerings are subject to change.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Plato | |
| Aristotle | |
| Ancient Philosophy | |
| Augustine | |
| Aquinas | |
| Medieval Philosophy | |
| Late Medieval Philosophy | |
| Descartes | |
| Classical Rationalism | |
| Classical Empiricism | |
| Husserl | |
| Heidegger | |
| Phenomenology/Existentialism | |
| Hermeneutics & Critical Theory | |
| Contemporary French Philosophy | |
| Contemporary German Philosophy | |
| Topics in Continental Philosophy | |
| Anglo-American Philosophy | |
| Anglo-American Epistemology | |
| Studies in Logic | |
| Issues in Cognitive Science | |
| Epistemology | |
| Metaphysics | |
| Philosophy of Science | |
| Virtue Ethics | |
| Utilitarianism | |
| Major Authors in Moral Philosophy | |
| Contemporary Ethical Theories | |
| Topics in Ethics | |
| Ethics and Rationality | |
| Ethics & Economic Justice | |
| Principles of Business Ethics | |
| Philosophy of Nursing: Nursing as a Moral Practice | |
| Social Health Care Ethics | |
| Issues in Applied Ethics | |
| Social & Political Philosophy | |
| PHIL 505 | Teaching Internship I | 3 |
| PHIL 590 | Dissertation Proposal Seminar | 0 |
| Total Hours | 48 |
Note: Courses may fulfill different distribution requirements on an ad hoc basis, depending on course content. To confirm, please consult Graduate Program Director.
Other Philosophy graduate level courses may be used in the above requirements. Students should consult with the Graduate Program Director if a course of interest is not shown in the above curriculum grid. For a full list of Philosophy graduate level courses, click here.
For further information, please refer to the Philosophy Graduate Student Handbook, or contact the Graduate Program Director.
Foreign Language Requirement
A reading knowledge of one foreign language, e.g., German, French, Greek or Latin, is normally required for the doctorate, normally one that the student will use as a research tool for the dissertation. The requirement must be met at two levels:
- basic language competence and
- facility with the language in doing philosophy research.
The dissertation topic may also require knowledge of additional foreign languages. In exceptional cases students may petition that the research tool requirement be fulfilled in another way than by knowledge of a foreign language, e.g., by a knowledge of statistics.
PhD Qualifying Examination
PhD students will be required to complete a Foundational Paper and oral defense. This paper will test their knowledge in their general dissertation research area and should be completed during the Fall of Year 3. Upon completing and defending the Foundational Paper, students will take the Dissertation Proposal Seminar in Spring of their third year in preparation for their candidacy exam. The candidacy exam focuses on a dissertation proposal and a draft of the first chapter or an extended review of the literature relevant to the dissertation. It also includes an oral defense designed to assess whether the proposal is well formed and a project which the student is prepared to carry out successfully. This examination may be taken after a student has completed all course distribution requirements and the first level of the language or other research tool requirement for the degree.
Dissertation and Oral Defense
The last stage of the PhD is the writing and defense of a dissertation. The dissertation is written under the direction of a member of the department's graduate faculty, and must be read and approved by at least two other readers who are ordinarily members of the department's graduate faculty. Formally, the dissertation begins with the submission of a "Thesis Outline." Upon approval of this outline the student is formally advanced to candidacy. The dissertation is completed with the passing of the public oral defense of the work and its acceptance by the Graduate School.
The MA Degree as Part of the PhD
The Master of Arts in Philosophy is ordinarily earned as the first part of a student's PhD work. Thirty hours of graduate coursework (10 courses) are required for students in the MA program. These courses must include five of the seven PhD distribution requirements, namely courses in contemporary Analytic Philosophy, Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, and Modern Philosophy.
An MA Examination is required for students in the BA/MA, MA in Social Philosophy, and MA in Philosophy programs. It is also required for students in the PhD program who have not completed an MA thesis prior to entering the PhD program at Loyola. There are three options for completing the MA Examination depending on the program of study: (1) Oral Defense of MA Thesis; (2) Oral Defense of MA Paper; and (3) Faculty Review of MA Portfolio comprised of Two Scholarly Research Papers (article-length).
Options 1 and 2 are designed for students in the BA/MA, MA in Social Philosophy, and MA in Philosophy. Option 3 is designed for students in the PhD program. While students may fulfill the MA examination in any one of these three ways, it is strongly recommended that students take the exam that has been designed for their program of study. Students will determine in consultation with their advisors which MA Examination option is best for them. Students should also consult the GPD if they wish to deviate from the recommended MA Examination option for their program.
Responsible Conduct of Research
All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the PhD in Philosophy, students will have:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the history of philosophy
- Demonstrate knowledge of perennial and contemporary issues in philosophy
- Demonstrate expertise in a particular area of philosophy
- Identify hidden presuppositions of everyday beliefs
- Articulate and evaluate philosophical arguments
- Consider alternative kinds of philosophical argumentation
- Apply philosophical categories, methods and insights to other areas of human interest, experience, or cognitive inquiry
- Frame, research, complete and defend the PhD dissertation
- Frame, complete and submit papers for scholarly conferences and publications
- Effectively present material
- Create syllabi and craft a statement of teaching philosophy
- Run an effective philosophy course
- Satisfy University and Department expectations of core courses and instructors
- Work with others for the sake of common purposes
- Foster Jesuit ideals, including truth and justice
- Enhance the pleasures of work in common
