Comprehensive Exam:

The student must pass a comprehensive examination of his or her main area of specialization.

Each PhD candidate is to take a comprehensive exam in an area of specialization, generally the area of dissertation research. The area should be determined in consultation with a faculty advisor, typically the dissertation advisor, and a reading list devised. Areas will be broad in scope and include: Ancient Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy, History of Analytic Philosophy; Aesthetics, Epistemology, Ethics, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science, Political Philosophy. Other areas may be undertaken with the approval of an advisor and the permission of the Graduate Committee.

Exams will be set by the faculty advisor and will be administered on a single date near the end of the spring semester and at other times only by special arrangement approved by the Graduate Committee. Full-time students must take the exam by the end of the second year. Part-time students are to take the exam by, at the latest, the end of the semester following their completion of the 24 credit hour course requirement. Each exam will be four hours long, and the advisor should notify the student in advance how many questions will need to be answered. Exams will be graded on a pass/fail basis by the advisor and the Graduate Committee and the student will be notified of the grade typically within two weeks. Failed comps may be retaken if the graduate committee approves.

Prospectus Exam:

The student must write a dissertation proposal and pass an oral preliminary dissertation examination covering the proposal and the topic of the dissertation.

Each Ph.D. candidate will write a prospectus. The prospectus will, first, discuss the specific topic of the dissertation, laying out particular issues to be addressed and theses potentially to be defended and setting the context for the project by relating these concerns to the relevant background and the existing literature on the topic; second, outline the contents of the dissertation by including a brief paragraph on each projected chapter; and third, provide a detailed bibliography of major works to be consulted in the course of writing. The prospectus will be handed in to the dissertation advisor and two other faculty members and a date will be determined for the preliminary exam. The preliminary exam will be an oral typically lasting from ninety minutes to two hours, covering the topic of the dissertation and focusing on helping the student to develop a plan for successful execution and completion of the project. The student should be prepared to explain the relevance of the items in the bibliography. One member of the committee may, with approval of the Graduate Committee, be from outside the department.

Failed prospectus exams may be retaken at the discretion of the examining committee.