Thank you for your interest in the PhD program in Philosophy at Rice University. Please visit our How to Apply page for application information.
Questions about the graduate program in Philosophy may be directed to Samuel Reis-Dennis, Director of Graduate Studies, samuel.reis-dennis@rice.edu or Humanities Graduate Admissions: humagradadmissions@rice.edu.
Strengths of the Ph.D. Program
The graduate program educates students to pursue research and teach in the main areas of department concentration: Moral Philosophy, and Philosophy of Mind and Related Areas.
A general overview of the program and a list of faculty who specialize in individual areas of Philosophy can be found here.
Degree requirements for the Ph.D.:
- Candidate must complete with high standing 36 hours of course work approved by the department. Students with an MA in Philosophy must complete 33 hours of coursework.
- Demonstrate competence in logic
- Pass a qualifying examination
- Perform satisfactorily on an oral defense of their thesis proposal
- Complete a written thesis on a subject approved by the department (at least one year of thesis research must be spent in residence)
- Perform satisfactorily on a final oral examination
Rice University aspires to excellence in research and teaching, and to making the world a better place. To accomplish these goals, we believe that we must cultivate a diverse community of learning and discovery. The Philosophy Department strongly encourages applications from women and members of other groups underrepresented in philosophy. Information on Rice University's commitment to diversity can be found here: https://diversity.rice.edu/.