Graduate Programs

Should Philosophy Grad Programs Interview Applicants?

Recent updates posted at the Grad Cafe by prospective graduate students in philosophy have mentioned the scheduling of admissions interviews at certain departments. Not many departments, it seems, conduct interviews as part of the application practice, but some do. What’s the extent of this practice, and what are its advantages and disadvantages? (more…)

Reputational Ranking of Philosophy PhD Programs Updated

The Philosophical Gourmet Report (PGR), a ranking of philosophy PhD programs in the “English-speaking world,” has been updated. (more…)

Summer 2022 Programs in Philosophy for Graduate Students and/or PhDs

Please use the comments section on this post to share information about 2022 Summer Programs in Philosophy for graduate students and/or philosophy PhDs.

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Top 30 Philosophy PhD Programs According to APDA

Academic Placement Data and Analysis (APDA), which collects data about and produces a ranking of PhD programs in philosophy, has recently posted details about the top 30 programs on its ranking, including comments about the programs from the students. (more…)

Advice for Applying to PhD Programs in Philosophy (guest post)

In the following guest post *, Alex Guerrero, professor and director of graduate admissions in the Department of Philosophy at Rutgers University, offers some advice to those considering applying to philosophy PhD programs. (more…)

Enough Ranking (guest post)

“The project of ranking one place against another completely distorts the sorts of aspirations we should have for the field.” (more…)

Guide to Graduate Programs in Philosophy Based on Job Placement and Student Experience (guest post)

Academic Placement Data and Analysis (APDA) is a resource for prospective philosophy graduate students and others to learn about how well particular graduate programs do with getting their graduates jobs, and what it is like to be a student in those programs. (more…)

CUNY Grad Students Penalized for Not Moving to NY During Pandemic

Some graduate students in their 2nd year of study at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY) are being charged out-of-state tuition rates because, owing to the pandemic pushing courses online last year, they had not yet established residency in New York. (more…)

Writing Letters for Applicants to Philosophy Graduate Programs

One of your undergraduate students tells you they’re applying to graduate programs in philosophy. They ask you to write a letter of recommendation. So you have the talk with them. Afterwards, they still want to apply, and they’re good, so you agree. What should go in that letter? (more…)

Philosophy Grad Programs and the GRE, 2021-22 Application Cycle

Several philosophy graduate programs had previously announced that they were either permanently, or temporarily owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, no longer requiring applicants to submit Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores. What about for this coming application cycle, for admission in 2022?

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Grad Students: What Would You Tell Your Professors, But Can’t? (Volume 2)

Philosophy graduate students, what would you like to tell your professor(s) right now, but can’t? (more…)

Grad Students: What Do You Wish You Knew? (Volume 2)

The academic year is soon upon us (don’t shoot the messenger). Philosophy departments are getting ready for a new class of graduate students and those new graduate students getting ready for graduate school. What should those new graduate students know? (more…)

Philosophy Grad Program Applicants’ Thoughts about the Application Process (guest post)

An informal survey of applicants to philosophy graduate programs, conducted in the Philosophy Graduate Applicants Facebook, Grad Cafe, and elsewhere online, provides some information about the choices of applicants and their thoughts about the application process. (more…)

Have Philosophy PhD Programs Received More Applications for 2021?

Recently, an undergraduate applying to Ph.D. programs in philosophy wrote with an anxious query about a possible increase in the number of people doing so this year, in comparison to previous years. (more…)

New Joint Philosophy Phd & Classics MA Program

The University of Notre Dame has launched a new joint program that will allow students to jointly pursue a Ph.D. in philosophy and an M.A. in classics. (more…)

APDA Adds Board of Advisors

Academic Placement Data and Analysis (APDA), a project led by Carolyn Dicey Jennings (UC Merced) to gather, analyze, and present data about philosophy departments, including information about job placement, student experiences, departmental strengths, and diversity, has established a Board of Advisors. (more…)

Philosophy MA Programs: Funding Details

If you’re interested in learning more about which master’s programs in philosophy offer funding, you can check out the “Funded MA Programs in Philosophy” page. (more…)

Douglas Portmore’s Six Commandments for Getting the Most Out of Graduate School

How can you get the most out of graduate school? Douglas Portmore, professor of philosophy at Arizona State University, has some advice for you. (more…)

Philosophy Graduate Admissions Spreadsheet

There’s an open-access spreadsheet all about philosophy graduate program admissions, including relevant links and information about application deadlines, fees, requirements, funding packages, and which departments have suspended admissions for the next academic year. (more…)

Dianoia Institute Starts New Philosophy Graduate Program

The Dianoia Institute of Philosophy, a philosophical research institute at Australian Catholic University (ACU) created in 2019, is launching a new graduate program in philosophy. (more…)

U. Chicago Philosophy Suspends PhD Admissions This Year

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago has made an announcement concerning applications to its PhD program this year. (more…)

Philosophy Programs and the GRE (updated)

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be joining the ranks of those who are no longer requiring applicants to submit GRE (Graduate Record Exam) scores, says Nir Ben-Moshe in a recent email. (more…)

Best PhD Programs in Philosophy (guest post by Carolyn Dicey Jennings)

The following is a guest post * by Carolyn Dicey Jennings, associate professor of philosophy and cognitive science at University of California, Merced, and the principal investigator for the project, Academic Placement Data and Analysis (APDA) (more…)

U. Arizona Retracts Ph.D. Funding Offers to New Students Because of Pandemic (several updates)

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Arizona wrote last night to prospective students who were admitted to its Ph.D. program this season, but who had yet to accept,* to inform them that their offers of funding have been retracted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)

APA Grad Council: How to Support Grad Students During the Pandemic

The Graduate Student Council (GSC) of the American Philosophical Association (APA) has issued a set of recommendations for how departments of philosophy and universities can and should support graduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)