Department of Philosophy

Graduate Program

Overview | For Applicants | Sending Applications | Contact

At left is a list of dissertations currently being pursued by our graduate students.

This Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Handbook supplement gives detailed information on the format, physical requirements, and submission deadlines for the Ph.D. dissertation.

The Harvard University Archives has further physical requirements to ensure preservation, which may be found here.

There are four prizes in philosophy for which graduate students may compete. Click on the link to the left to learn more.

Please click to the left to see our placement record for the last eleven years.

For information about becoming a special student or visiting fellow, please contact the Special Students/Visiting Fellows Office (information located in the lower right-hand corner of the page.)

Applicants to the graduate program in philosophy should keep the following items in mind when applying:

Complete information about the GSAS admissions process can be found here.

All questions in regards to the actual application process and to financial aid should be directed to the GSAS Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, not to the Department, Director of Graduate Studies, or to the Department Web master.

The Department requires that applicants have obtained a solid undergraduate background in philosophy, indicating that the student has a good grounding in the history of philosophy, as well as familiarity with contemporary work in ethics, epistemology and metaphysics, and logic.

Applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE); students need take only the general section.

The Department cannot grant personal interviews. However, applicants are encouraged to come to Emerson Hall any weekday (except during vacations) to talk with current students and faculty.

The Admissions Committee looks for evidence of outstanding potential in the field of philosophy as shown in the applicant's academic record, letters of recommendation, and Statement of Purpose on the application form.

Applicants whose native language is not English and whose undergraduate degree is not from an institution whose language of instruction is English must also take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Scope: The sample must address a substantial philosophical problem, whether it is an evaluation or presentation of an argument, or a serious attempt to interpret a difficult text.

Length: In general, the preferred format of the writing sample is:

• At least 12-15 pages long, but no more than 40 pages; a rough maximum length would be about 25 pages. The Admissions Committee generally does not have time to read papers longer than this.
• The writing sample should be printed on 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper, 1-inch margins, with double-spaced text in a common 12 pt. font, such as Times New Roman.

Office of Admissions
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences    
P.O. Box 9129    
Cambridge, MA 02238-9129

To request an application, please click here.

You may also apply online by clicking here.

All application materials for the graduate program should be sent to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), not directly to the Department or to the Director of Graduate Studies.