Comprehensive Examinations
Students must comply with college and departmental eligibility requirements for registration for the comprehensive examinations (PHIL 5960 ) and may take all three examinations during one semester or spread them over successive semesters.
Students are permitted two attempts to pass each comprehensive examination. Students who fail a comprehensive examination in the same area a second time will be disqualified from the program.
Comprehensive exams will be offered only in the fall and spring terms.
Students are required to pass comprehensive examinations in three of the four areas in which exams are given; in each area, students take one exam.
Area A: Metaphysics or Theory of Knowledge
Area B: Ethics or Social/Political Philosophy
Area C: History of Ancient Philosophy or History of Modern Philosophy
Area D: Aesthetics, Asian Philosophy, Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Latin American Philosophy, Logic, Nineteenth-Century Philosophy, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Religion, or Philosophy of Science.
Thesis
Completion of the first 24 units of the master’s degree program with a minimum 3.5 grade point average, approval of the thesis proposal by the department, enrollment in 3 units of PHIL 5990 , and an oral examination on the thesis are required for the thesis option. Students who have at any time attempted the comprehensive examination (PHIL 5960 ) are ineligible for this option.
Students completing a thesis must complete seminars in at least three of the four major subject areas in their master’s degree program. The four subject areas and the courses that fulfill each are:
