Ethics and Legal Studies, PhD

The Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Program at Wharton focuses on the study of ethics and law in business. It is designed to prepare graduates for careers in university teaching and research at leading business schools, law schools, and other programs. Faculty and student interests range over topics including international business ethics and human rights, corporate governance, ethical conduct in business, social impact, environmental law and policy, securities, equality in law and ethics, normative political theory, negotiations, corporate constitutional rights, and corporate criminal law.

For more information: https://lgst.wharton.upenn.edu/programs/phd/

Required Courses

The course of study for the Ph.D. requires the completion of sixteen graduate course units, including courses in statistics. Some graduate-level credit from courses at other universities may transfer to Wharton.

University PhD Benchmarks

In addition to Program requirements, the following milestones must be completed:

For more information view the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2025 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

Ethics & Legal Studies and Philosophy, PhD

The joint PhD in Ethics & Legal Studies (ETLS) and Philosophy (PHIL) at Wharton and in SAS focuses on the study of ethics and law in business. The joint PhD provides a fruitfully complementary program of study as business ethics has its genesis in moral philosophy, and a significant strand of business ethics scholarship draws on moral philosophy. At the same time, Philosophy programs are increasingly keen to provide their students with training in applied ethics as applied ethics—and especially business ethics—is increasingly in demand as an area of competence for hires in Philosophy. We expect that the joint PhD will thus offer business ethics students a more thorough grounding in the subject’s key foundational discipline; it will also give philosophy students a specialization in an area of applied ethics that will benefit them on the job market.  Faculty and student interests for those pursuing the joint PhD range over topics including international business ethics and human rights, corporate governance, ethical conduct in business, social impact, environmental law and policy, securities, equality in law and ethics, normative political theory, negotiations, corporate constitutional rights, and corporate criminal law.

For more information regarding the Ethics and Legal Studies, PhD: https://lgst.wharton.upenn.edu/programs/phd/

For more information regarding the Philosophy, PhD: http://philosophy.sas.upenn.edu/graduate

Curriculum

The course of study for the Ph.D. requires the completion of sixteen graduate course units for ETLS students and twenty graduate course units for PHIL students. Some graduate-level credit from courses at other universities may transfer to Wharton.

Joint Ethics & Legal Studies & Philosophy Requirements

Philosophy Requirements