Philosophy, PhD
The Penn Philosophy Department has a long and distinguished history. Philosophy has been taught at the University since 1755, and Penn was among the first universities in the country to offer the PhD degree in Philosophy, in 1882. The Department has always prized breadth, and its members are prepared to supervise advanced research in metaphysics and epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, logic, philosophy of language, ethics, social and political philosophy, philosophy of law, and the history of philosophy.
The Ph.D. program includes course work, a teaching requirement, a preliminary examination, and the preparation and defense of a dissertation. Required coursework includes two courses in contemporary epistemology and metaphysics (including philosophy of science, mind, language, and mathematics); two courses in value theory (ethics, political or legal philosophy, aesthetics); three courses in history of philosophy, and a logic requirement.
For more information: http://philosophy.sas.upenn.edu/graduate
University PhD Benchmarks
In addition to Program requirements, the following milestones must be completed:
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Evaluation | ||
| Candidacy Examination | ||
| Dissertation Defense/Oral Exam | ||
| Dissertation Deposit | ||
For more information view the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy Proseminar | ||
| PHIL 6000 | Proseminar | 1 |
| Logic Requirement | ||
| PHIL 5710 | Introduction to Logic (or satisfied by examination) | 1 |
| or PHIL 6723 | Introduction to Mathematical Logic | |
| History of Philosophy Requirement | ||
| Select three courses 1 | 3 | |
| Value Theory | ||
| Select two courses | 2 | |
| Contemporary Metaphysics & Epistemology | ||
| Select two courses | 2 | |
| Other Philosophy or Approved Courses | ||
| Select eight courses 2 | 8 | |
| Dissertation Workshop | ||
| PHIL 7000 | Dissertation Workshop | 1 |
| Preliminary Examination | ||
| PHIL 9999 | Independent Study (Fall and Spring, for 2CU over the year) | 2 |
| Teaching Practicum | ||
| 4 semesters of teaching are required | ||
| Total Course Units | 20 | |
University PhD Benchmarks
In addition to Program requirements, the following milestones must be completed:
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Evaluation | ||
| Candidacy Examination | ||
| Dissertation Defense/Oral Exam | ||
| Dissertation Deposit | ||
For more information view the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs.
- 1
Must include one course in ancient and one course in early modern through Kant.
- 2
One course unit must be a regularly offered Philosophy course.
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
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Ethics & Legal Studies Core Requirements | ||
| Legal Studies Requirements | 4 | |
| LGST 9200 | Ethics in Business and Economics | |
| LGST 9210 | Foundations of Business Law | |
| Select two additional Legal Studies courses | ||
| Statistics Requirements | 2 | |
| Applied Regression and Analysis of Variance | ||
| Introduction to Nonparametric Methods and Log-linear Models | ||
| Economics Course | 1 | |
| Ethical Theory Course | 1 | |
| Philosophy Core Requirements | ||
| PHIL 6000 | Proseminar (Value Theory) | 1 |
| Value Theory (Attribute HDPV) | 1 | |
| Theoretical Philosophy (Attribute APLT) | 1 | |
| History of Philosophy (Attribute HDPH) | 1 | |
| Logic Course | 1 | |
| Introduction to Logic | ||
or PHIL 6723 | Introduction to Mathematical Logic | |
| Select three additional Philosophy courses with approval | 3 | |
| Total Course Units | 16 | |
Philosophy Requirements
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Primary PHL students take the above 16 credits plus must satisfy the following (part of which may be accomplished within their 3 CU PHIL elective requirement) | ||
| Teaching Practicum | ||
| Four semesters | 4 | |
| Dissertation Workshop | ||
| PHIL 7000 | Dissertation Workshop | 1 |
| Preliminary Examination | ||
| PHIL 9999 | Independent Study | 2 |
| Total Course Units | 7 | |