Philosophy

Philosophy (PL75)

Since its founding in 1963, the UCSD Philosophy Department has grown to become a nationally ranked department, offering excellent instruction and supervision at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Faculty have a broad range of research interests, with special concentrations in the philosophy of science, ethics and political philosophy, history of philosophy, and epistemology and metaphysics.
The department is strongly committed to interdisciplinary work in philosophy, which graduate students can pursue through joint doctoral studies in the Science Studies Program and in the Department of Cognitive Science. The department has close ties to many other departments and programs on campus including History, Classical Studies, Psychology, Political Science, and the Division of Biological Sciences. Graduates of our Ph.D. program have been successfully placed in top departments across the country and abroad.

Program Info

Area of Study Division of Arts and Humanities
Specializations

Science Studies
The Science Studies Program at UCSD is committed to interdisciplinary investigations. Understanding, interpreting, and explaining the scientific enterprise demand a systematic integration of the perspectives developed within the history, sociology, and philosophy of science. The program offers students an opportunity to work towards such integration, while receiving a thorough training at the professional level in one of the component disciplines.

Students enrolled in the program choose one of the component disciplines for their major field of specialist studies, and are required to complete minor field requirements in the others. The core of the program, however, is a year-long seminar in Science Studies, led by faculty from all participating departments.


Cognitive Science
The interdisciplinary program in Cognitive Science has eight participating departments: Anthropology, Communication, Computer Science and Engineering, Linguistics, Neurosciences, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology. Students enroll in one of these departments as their "home department" and also enroll in the Interdisciplinary Program. The degree lists both the home department and Cognitive Science: for example, if the home department is Philosophy, the degree title is "Ph.d. in Philosophy and Cognitive Science." Some additional coursework is required. Please view the web page at https://cogsci.ucsd.edu/graduates/interdisciplinary-program/index.html.

Department Philosophy
Major Philosophy
Degree Doctor of Philosophy
Admissions Terms Fall
Application Deadlines January 5, 2022 (Fall 2022)
 

Basic Requirement

Admissions Tests
 Please note the GRE is not required for the 2022 Admissions cycle.
English Proficiency Exams

(international applicants only)

A test of English language proficiency is required for international applicants whose native language is not English and who have not studied full-time for one uninterrupted academic year at a university-level institution in which English is the language of instruction and in a country where English is a dominant language.

The following test(s) are accepted by this department:

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
Letters of Recommendation

Minimum of 3 recommendations required.
Statement of Purpose

Required
Resume/CV

Not required
Additional Requirements

Writing sample (recommended length of 20 pages)

Contact Info

Website http://philosophy.ucsd.edu/
Email rburrola@ucsd.edu
Campus Office Ridge Walk Academic Complex-Bldg 1-Arts & Humanities - Rm O478
Phone (858) 534-3076
Fax (858) 534-8566
Mailing Address
University of California, San Diego
Department of Philosophy
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0119
La Jolla, CA, 92093-0119

Departments