Philosophy, Ph.D.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core
PHIL 5813	Philosophy Proseminar	3
PHIL 5823	Philosophy Graduate Writing Seminar (two semesters required)	6
Distribution 1
9 hours of History of Philosophy, distributed across at least two different areas (e.g., Ancient Greek, Early Chinese, Modern European)		9
9 hours in Value, six of which must be in Ethics		9
9 hours in Metaphysics and Epistemology, with at least three hours in Metaphysics and at least three hours in Epistemology		9
Dissertation Research
PHYS 6980	Research for Doctoral Dissertation (2 hour minimum, 39 hour maximum)	2-39
Additional Coursework
Additional coursework as needed to complete 90 post-baccalaureate credit hours, with approval of student's committee		15-52
Total Credit Hours		90

¹

Distribution coursework may be chosen from the list of approved courses maintained by the academic unit.

 Notes:

• Students with an M.A. in philosophy from another institution may transfer up to 33 hours of "B" graded or better coursework toward the Ph.D. Normally at most 18 of those hours can apply outside of Research for Doctoral Dissertation.
• With approval of the committee, up to 12 hours of all coursework may be taken outside the department.
• A maximum of six hours of Independent Study (PHIL 5990) will be allowed in this program.
• The student's committee may require proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

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General Requirements for Doctoral Degrees

A student should expect to spend at least the equivalent of three full academic years beyond the bachelor’s degree to obtain the doctoral degree. During this period the student will take appropriate graduate coursework, successfully complete the general examination, and successfully defend and submit the final dissertation.

All coursework applied to the doctoral degree must carry graduate credit.

The doctoral degree requires at least 90 post-baccalaureate hours, including both formal coursework and hours of research.

The minimum hour requirement for a specific doctoral degree program cannot be waived.

No more than one-half of the credit hours, both OU and overall, excluding Research for Doctoral Dissertation (6980), may be S/U-graded coursework.

The student must be in residence at OU for at least two consecutive 16-week semesters during the pursuit of the doctoral degree while enrolled and engaged in coursework or research activities as prescribed by the major academic unit.

For more detailed regulations and requirements for Doctoral degrees, please consult the Graduate College Bulletin: http://www.ou.edu/gradcollege/forms/bulletin