- Graduates will be able to make a scholarly contribution to the field of philosophy.
- Graduates will be able to teach philosophy effectively (meeting expectations on all dimensions of the “Checklist for Review of Graduate Student Teachers”).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| History of Philosophy † | ||
| Select two courses with the "Ancient Philosophy" attribute | 6 | |
| Select two courses with the "Medieval Philosophy" attribute | 6 | |
| Select two courses with the "Modern Philosophy" attribute | 6 | |
| Topics Courses † | ||
| The 15 credits in the topics area must also be distributed over the three following areas: | 15 | |
Courses with the "Epistemology" attribute | ||
Courses with the "Metaphysics" attribute | ||
Courses with the "Value Theory" attribute | ||
| Advanced Symbolic Logic | ||
| PHIL 6220 | Advanced Logic * | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select 9 credits of Electives | 9 | |
| PHIL 6990 | Dissertation Research (taken over multiple semesters, 12hrs total) | 0-9 |
| Total Credits | 57 | |
- †
Professors will specify up to two attributes for each course. Courses that have attributes satisfying two requirements will count towards both requirements but will neither reduce the total number of hours of coursework required in the history component nor in the topics component. A student who takes a single course that satisfies both a history requirement and a topics requirement will choose an additional course as an elective. (E.g., if a single course bears both the Ancient and Medieval Philosophy attributes, that will count towards the Ancient Philosophy requirement and the Medieval Philosophy requirement, but will still count as only 3 hours towards the total history requirement of 18 hours. If a single course bears both the Ancient Philosophy and Metaphysics attributes, it will count towards the total number of history courses by satisfying an Ancient Philosophy requirement as well as the total number of topics courses by satisfying the Metaphysics requirement.)
Nine credits of topics courses must be relevant to an Area of Competence (AOC).
- *
This course, which examines the metatheory of propositional and predicate logic, must be passed with a grade of "B" or higher, and ordinarily is to be taken during the first year of graduate studies. Students who have taken a similar course prior to entering the program may have this requirement waived by the chair of the department, in consultation with the chairs of the department’s graduate admissions committee and graduate logic committee. Alternatively, students may take an exam covering the material of the Advanced Symbolic Logic course. The course requirement would then be waived if the student achieved a grade of "B" or higher on the exam. Students who have this requirement waived will then choose an additional course as an elective.
Non-Course Requirements
- The dissertation prospectus, to be completed by the end of the sixth semester of study.
- A two-hour oral examination on the dissertation prospectus during which any aspect of the written prospectus may be discussed and questioned.
- Proficiency in a foreign language, if required for research.
Continuation Standards
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses.
Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.
Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.
This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| PHIL 6400 | Ancient Philosophy (See Program Notes) | 3 |
| PHIL 6220 | Advanced Logic (See Program Notes) | 3 |
| PHIL 5300 | Problems in Ethical Theories (See Program Notes) | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHIL 6450 | Medieval Philosophy (Aquinas) | 3 |
| PHIL 6340 | Advanced Epistemology | 3 |
| PHIL 6300 | Advanced Ethics | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHIL 6500 | Modern Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 6260 | Problems in Philosophy of Religion | 3 |
| PHIL 6000 | Seminar in Major Philosopher in Ethics | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHIL 6200 | Philosophy of Science | 3 |
| PHIL 6340 | Advanced Epistemology | 3 |
| PHIL 6360 | Seminar in Political Philosophy | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHIL 6450 | Medieval Philosophy (Ockham) | 3 |
| PHIL 5100 | Problems in Epistemology | 3 |
| PHIL 5980 | Graduate Independent Study in Philosophy (Ethics) | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHIL 6990 | Dissertation Research (See Program Notes) | 1 |
| Credits | 1 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHIL 6990 | Dissertation Research | 2 |
| Credits | 2 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHIL 6990 | Dissertation Research (See Program Notes) | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Year Five | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHIL 6990 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHIL 6990 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 57 | |
Program Notes
By the end of the sixth semester of study, the student should have taken 45 credits of coursework.
By the end of the 10th semester of study, the student must have completed 12 credits in PHIL 6990 Dissertation Research.
For more information about graduate study in philosophy at SLU, please email sluphilosophy@slu.edu or call 314-977-3149 and ask to be directed to the philosophy graduate program coordinator.