3. The PhD Program
In order to satisfy the course requirement, a student must complete twelve courses, of which three must be 'core' courses and at least four others 800-level graduate seminars. Graduate seminars typically require a substantial research paper and may require a class presentation. The presumption is that the other five courses will be graduate or 400-level undergraduate courses as well, but substitutions, including courses from other departments, are allowed with permission of the Graduate Director. At most six credit hours of graduate work (two courses) may be transferred from another institution. See: http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/catalog/registration_Transfer.html
for more information.
The Department offers the following four graduate courses, known as 'core' courses, specifically designed for students beginning their graduate careers:
These core courses will: (i) be taught at a suitable level for first year graduate students; (ii) be broad, covering at least a handful of central topics (although not necessarily attempting a general survey); (iii) be aimed at preparing students for further graduate work in the area; and (iv) be evaluated by a final examination and other work (i.e., not on the basis of a long term paper alone).
The course requirement differs for the philosophy of science track and the cognitive studies track:
Philosophy of Science Track:
Each student must complete the following courses:
Cognitive Studies Track:
Each student must complete the following courses:
A student may satisfy the logic requirement in one of four ways: (i) by completing PHIL 470 (Logical Theory I); (ii) by completing the final exam for that course, even though the student did not enroll in the course; (iii) by completing a more advanced course in logic offered by the Department; or (iv) by demonstrating completion elsewhere of course work equivalent to or more advanced than PHIL 470.
3.2 Prospectus Requirement and Admission to Candidacy
In order to satisfy the prospectus requirement, a student must form a prospectus examining committee, write a dissertation prospectus, and have the prospectus approved by the prospectus examining committee at a formal prospectus meeting.
1. A Prospectus Examining Committee is an internal Departmental committee appointed by the Chairperson of CPaS for the sole purpose of evaluating a particular student's prospectus. The Committee must have a minimum of four members. The Chair of the Committee and at least two other members must be members of the Department.
2. A Dissertation Prospectus is a written document, prepared by the student, that describes the nature of the proposed dissertation project, and also demonstrates the student's competence to write such a dissertation. The Department requires that a Prospectus should contain at least the following four parts: (i) an overview of the proposed dissertation, running to approximately ten to fifteen pages of text; (ii) an extensive bibliography, demonstrating familiarity with the relevant literature; (iii) a tentative schedule for completion of the dissertation; and (iv) a writing sample demonstrating the student's competence to work in the area (the writing sample need not be part of the projected dissertation, but may be simply a relevant paper in a related field). Depending on the nature of the student's proposed dissertation project, the Examining Committee may impose other requirements on the Prospectus.
3. With the consent of the Chair of the Examining Committee, the Prospectus will be distributed to members of the Committee, and a Prospectus Meeting will be scheduled. At the meeting, the members of the Committee discuss the Prospectus with the student, to determine whether it is a viable dissertation project. The Committee may accept the Prospectus as it stands, or accept it conditional upon the satisfaction of certain specified requirements; alternatively, the Committee may reject the Prospectus, and either require revisions for reconsideration at another Prospectus meeting, or deem the entire project not viable.
After the student's dissertation prospectus has been accepted by the Examining Committee, the student may apply for Admission to Candidacy for the PhD degree, following the procedures outlined in the Graduate Catalog. The student must be admitted to candidacy within five years after entrance into the program, and must complete all remaining requirements within four years after admission to candidacy.
In order to satisfy the dissertation requirement, a student must write a dissertation, and have that dissertation approved by a Dissertation Examining Committee at a formal dissertation defense. Note that the Graduate School requires that every student seeking the PhD must register for a minimum of 12 semester hours of dissertation credits (PHIL 899).
1. A Dissertation Examining Committee is a University committee appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School for the purpose of evaluating the student's dissertation. The constitution and authority of this Committee is described in the Graduate Catalog. In the normal course of events, the Prospectus Examining Committee will form the core of the student's Dissertation Examining Committee, and Chair of the Prospectus Examining Committee will become the Chair of the Dissertation Examining Committee, known as the student's Dissertation Director. A student may request that a Dissertation Examining Committee be formed at any point after he or she has satisfied the prospectus requirement.
2. The University's policies concerning the style, form, and substance of doctoral dissertations are described in the Graduate Catalog, and also in the Thesis and Dissertation Manual, available from the Graduate Records Office.
3. Once the student's dissertation is complete, the student will be examined on the contents of the dissertation in a final dissertation defense, which will be conducted in accordance with the procedures set out in the Graduate Catalog.
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