PhD Philosophy at University of California, Berkeley

Programme overview

The Graduate Program in Philosophy at Berkeley offers a first-rate faculty, a stimulating and friendly community of graduate students, and the resources of one of the world's finest research universities. Two features distinguish our profile from that of other leading graduate programs in philosophy: The department has strengths in all the main areas of philosophy, including epistemology, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, philosophy of language, logic, ethics, the history of philosophy, and philosophy of science.

Faculty: Graduate Division | Department: Philosophy | Duration: 6 years | Study mode: full-time | Location: Berkeley, CA, United States

What you will study

Normative Time to Advancement Total normative time to advancement is two to three years. During the first stage of their graduate education, students meet the department's course distribution requirements and prepare to take the qualifying examination. This examination assesses the student's strengths in areas chosen by the student in consultation with supervising faculty.

Career pathways

Graduates enter career areas including Academia & Education, Arts & Entertainment, Business, Communications, Government, Nonprofit.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

In reviewing applications, the admissions and fellowships committee looks for evidence that applicants have the training and intellectual characteristics they will need for success in a rigorous graduate program such as ours. Candidates for admission are not required to have majored in philosophy, but applicants who have not taken a considerable number of courses in the subject are unlikely to be admitted. The intellectual characteristics that the committee looks for include the ability to write clear and well organized argumentative prose, the ability to discriminate between promising and unpromising lines of inquiry, the capacity to develop independent arguments and insights, and a nuanced appreciation of philosophical problems and issues. A complete online application would contain the following: Transcripts for all your undergraduate and graduate study Three letters of recommendation from those familiar with your philosophical work A representative sample of your best written work in philosophy (no more than 20 pages) Your results from the Graduate Record Examination (The

Duration: 6 years

Apply through the official page: https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/

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