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Graduate Student Handbook for Philosophy

The Graduate School sets minimum requirements, applicable to students in all departments, for admission to and continuation in graduate programs and for the awarding of advanced degrees. These regulations may be found in the publication titled Graduate School Handbook which all students are advised to consult carefully. The additional requirements of the Department of Philosophy are described in this brochure.

Specific questions about the graduate program in philosophy should be addressed to the Chair or Assistant to the Chair, Department of Philosophy, 600 North Park treet, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1475. (Telephone: 608-263-3700)

  1. The Master's Degree

    While the Department offers the degree of Master's of Arts in Philosophy, the Department does not admit students who do not intend at the outset to pursue the Ph.D. in Philosophy. There is no separate Master's Degree Program.

    The requirements for the degree of Master of Arts are set in part by the Graduate School, and in part by the Department of Philosophy. The Department requires the satisfactory completion of at least 18 credit hours of course and seminar work. At least nine credits must be earned in philosophy courses numbered between 800 and 989. The remaining credits may be earned in philosophy courses numbered 800-989 or in philosophy courses numbered above 400 which are designated "advanced level courses" (these two sets of courses are those listed in the Graduate School Handbook). First year graduate students may not register for philosophy 599, 699, or 990-998. Philosophy 599, 699, 799 and 990-999 do not count toward satisfying the above course requirements.

    A Master's Degree may be obtained in one of the following two ways: Option A or Option B. Option A, normally for individuals who do not wish to continue work toward the Ph.D., involves writing a Master's Paper. The Master's Paper demonstrates the student's ability to deal effectively with a philosophical problem or topic. Option B, which individuals working towards the Ph.D. typically will pursue, involves passing the Preliminary Examination; this is described below. Both options require completion of the course work mentioned above.

    It is possible for a well-prepared student to attain the M.A. via Option A in as little as two semesters of full-time work. However, if you want to work toward the Ph.D., your work toward the M.A. will be done concurrently with the work you do for the Ph.D. This may mean that you do not receive the M.A. (an Option B) until the fifth or sixth semester.

  2. The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

    The Ph.D. in philosophy is awarded in recognition of a successfully completed program of advanced studies in philosophy, culminating in a doctoral dissertation which represents a contribution to philosophy.

    There are a number of requirements for the Ph.D., some set by the Graduate School and some set by the Department of Philosophy. For the Graduate School requirements see the current Graduate School Handbook. You are advised to pay special attention to the Graduate School's minimum credit and continuous registration requirements for the Ph.D. The Department's requirements and the general organization of the program are set out here.

    The Ph.D. program falls into two major stages. The first prepares a student for a step called "Admission to Candidacy for the Ph.D.". For Admission to Candacy you must satisfy the conditions below. Upon admission to candidacy, the student begins the final stage of the Ph.D. program, the writing of the doctoral dissertation (or thesis). The degree is awarded only upon a successful final oral examination and acceptance of the dissertation.

    Studies during the first stage of the program are devoted to acquiring the philosophical skill and learning needed to do philosophy well, and, in particular, to write a successful doctoral dissertation. The main component of the program work at this stage are the graduate seminars (800 and 900 level courses). You will plan your program of study -- of seminars, courses, and other work -- with the advice of your major professor, and in consultation with such other graduate faculty as your major professor judges appropriate. The program of study that you work out will be designed for completion, normally, by the end of the seventh semester of full-time graduate studies. It will be the responsibility of the major professor. to oversee the progress of your work. This work will include seminars in the area in which you believe you will write your Ph.D.

    1. Prerequisites for Admission to Candacy

      The Philosophy Department requires that you meet the following six requirements for Admission to Candidacy: the seminar requirement, the history of philosophy requirement, the Logic requirement, the minor field requirement, the First Year Colloquium Requirement and the preliminary examination requirement. These six requirements are described below.

      1. Seminar Requirement

        You must have taken and passed with a grade of B or better at least 9 graduate seminars (800 or 900 level courses) in philosophy. Independent reading or research courses do not count toward this requirement.

        Ordinarily, you will take at least three graduate seminars (900 level courses) in your major area, two history seminars (see below), and three seminars in other areas of philosophy. You should consult with your major professor in selecting these courses.

        Graduate students in ethics, aesthetics, and social and political philosophy are required to do at least one graduate seminar in metaphysics, epistemology, logic, philosophy of language, or philosophy of science; and students not in ethics, aesthetics, or social and political philosophy are required to do at least one graduate seminar in those areas.

      2. History of Philosophy Requirement

        Two of the nine required seminars must be Advanced History of Philosophy courses.

        You are free to take your two history seminars in any period; however, only seminars that include substantial work on Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Russell, Frege, or Wittgenstein will count toward fulfilling the history requirement.


        Students who intend to write a dissertation in the history of philosophy are required to take at least one seminar in the metaphysics etc. group of subjects, and at least one seminar in the ethics etc. group.
      3. Logic Requirement

        By the end of their second year in residence, all graduate students must pass with a grade of A (i.e. at least 92.5 %) a three-hour examination in first-order logic (up to and including identity), or else they will fail to be making satisfactory progress. The examination will be made up and will be graded (anonymously) by a three-member logic committee, and will be offered once every semester. Students are encouraged to take the examination in their first year. Students who do not pass may retake the exam in future semesters. To help students prepare for the examination, the logic committee will make available a sample examination and a list of proposed readings.

      4. Minor Field Requirement

        This requirement must be completed in order to register as a dissertator.

        Minor Option A: With the approval of your major professor you apply to a single department other than the Philosophy Department for acceptance as a minor candidate. If the application is approved, that department will then set the requirements (generally, 10 credit hours of upper-level undergraduate or graduate course work) and pass on the satisfactory completion of them.

        Minor Option B (Distributed, as opposed to External): The credit requirement is 10 credits. The student's major advisor will be responsible for approving the program, monitoring it, and reporting upon it as required by the Graduate School. It requires (a) approval of one's minor proposal by the major professor, (b) completion of the courses approved by the major professor as the content of one's minor, and (c) completion of the administrative paperwork involved in satisfying (a-b). This last condition is met by, at the beginning of the process, turning in a Minor Proposal on the Department Minor Proposal Form, and at the end of the process, by the completion of the courses on that form, and its being signed by the Major Professor and the Department Chair. A minor composed only of Philosophy courses is possible; completion of such a minor requires that a student takes at least three courses, numbered 500 or above, including two graduate seminars, all of which fall outside his/her major area of specialization. These seminars are in addition to the seminar requirement already in place for all philosophy graduate students. Exceptions may be made, upon petition, for approved minor areas in which seminar offerings are few.

      5. First Year Colloquium Requirement

        Students must receive a grade of S in the First Year Colloquium in each of their first two semesters. The department will offer a colloquium for all and only first-year students that will meet at least twelve times during the academic year. Each meeting will be led by a different faculty member who will discuss a recent paper that he or she has written or will talk on work in progress, reading materials having been distributed at least two weeks in advance of the meeting. The course will be graded U or S for 1 credit/semester. More than two absences may result in a grade of U.

      6. Preliminary Examination

        The preliminary examination is designed to enable the faculty to ascertain that the student has developed the necessary skills for conducting sustained research and the abilities required to write a dissertation. The preliminary exam will consist of one substantial, well-written paper of near-publishable quality to be submitted within a student's third year in the program and no later than the end of a student’s 6th term. (Students may not undertake the preliminary exam prior to the third year except by petition.) While working on this paper, the student will enroll in a 3-credit independent study course with a faculty member who agrees to supervise the student’s prelim work. The paper will be due two weeks prior to the last day of classes for the term in which it is being submitted. Once completed, the student’s paper will be reviewed by a three-person committee to be selected, in a timely fashion, by the department chair. The outcome of this review is either a pass or a fail, to be determined by a majority of the committee. The grade for the independent study is independent of the grade for the prelim, and vice versa – i.e. the student can pass (fail) the independent study, while the prelim paper fails (passes). There can be no incompletes for the independent study. If the prelim paper fails, then the student will have one additional semester to submit a passing prelim paper, with an optional additional independent study. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the program.

      7. A note on Foreign Languages

        There is no foreign language requirement as such for the Ph.D. However, study in certain areas of philosophy cannot be adequately performed without extensive knowledge of one or more foreign languages. For this reason, a student's major professor may require that the student acquire reading knowledge of any foreign language necessary for work in the student's area of specialization.

      8. Students with previous graduate work

        After a semester of work in our program, students with previous graduate work may, with the support of their major professor, petition the department to count some or all of their previous work toward meeting various departmental requirements (such as the seminar requirement).

    2. Thesis Committee, Dissertation Prospectus and Feasibility Examination

      In order to receive a Ph.D. in philosophy, you must write a dissertation.

      By the end of the semester following that in which you complete your preliminary examination, the Chair will appoint a three-member thesis advising committee, one member of which will be your thesis advisor. In appointing your advisor and the committee, the Chair will consult your preferences, which will be respected, unless specific graduate faculty members are unable or unwilling to serve, or in case the graduate faculty members you suggest are not experts in the area of your dissertation. The role of the committee will be to advise you throughout the preparation of your dissertation and to judge whether the thesis is ready to be defended. Your thesis advisor has the primary responsibility for directing and supervising your thesis.

      Although you will probably work with a single committee throughout the research and writing of your dissertation, the constitution of your committee may change. Faculty may become unavailable, or your interests and the focus of your dissertation may evolve, so that you want to work with other faculty. Requests to change your thesis advising committee should be made to the Chair, who will consult with your committee. Changes of advisor or committee must be made with the consent of a majority of your committee; changes should be avoided when students are nearing the completion of their dissertations. Any changes in the thesis advising committee that are requested during the semester of the dissertation defense, or the semester before, must be approved by the department.

      Within a year of the time a student is admitted to candidacy (that is, after all requirements, including preliminary exams are completed) the student will take a prospectus exam in his or her intended dissertation area. The exam will be oral and will be administered by your thesis advising committee. This exam has two purposes: to determine that the dissertation topic is viable and to ensure that you have sufficient command of the field to pursue the topic effectively. The exam will be based on a written submission (the prospectus) but will not be limited to it. The prospectus should represent a clear statement of what you intend to do in your dissertation. It is not a dissertation chapter, but rather a substantive description of the problem you will be addressing and of your approach to that problem, along with a justification of the importance of your thesis. Such justification should demonstrate familiarity with the literature in the field, sufficient to indicate that your proposed work represents an original contribution. The prospectus is intended to demonstrate that you are ready to write a dissertation in a particular field of philosophy, and thus should provide evidence of both the breadth of your familiarity with that field and the depth of your knowledge of the specific topic. As a result of the exam, you will be told (a) to go ahead, or (b) to go ahead after doing something (such as reading more extensively in the relevant literature, or taking certain courses), or (c) to drop the project and take up something else altogether. It will be up to the committee to decide when the requirements stipulated in (b) are satisfied, and to decide whether you should take the exam again. A second prospectus exam will be required for those students told (c). After two exams, the examining committee may (d) fail the candidate.

    3. Thesis and Final Oral Examination

      Detailed information concerning the formal requirements for the preparation of the thesis and abstract should be obtained from the Graduate School office. The candidate must pass an oral examination defending the completed thesis. Readers must be given the dissertation at least three weeks before the final day on which a request for a warrant for a defense can be made. Requests for warrants must typically be made in late November for fall defenses or late April for spring defenses. Therefore, the candidate is required to distribute copies of the dissertation to readers on a date in early November for fall defenses or early April for spring defenses. The oral examination will be held only when all the members of your thesis advising committee conclude that it is possible that the dissertation could be successfully defended. The examining committee will consist of at least five faculty members, four from the Philosophy Department and at least one from another department. The committee is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation made by the Department Chair after conferring with the student's thesis advisor. Three members of the examining committee will be designated as readers; these will be the individuals who the chair initially assigned to the advising committee. Any request to have the examining committee contain different readers from the thesis advising committee must be voted on by the department, but in any case the examining committee must be formed early enough to receive copies of the dissertation by the date mentioned above. All examining committee members must receive an abstract of the dissertation at least one week before the exam. See the Departmental Graduate Secretary for the necessary paperwork.

      Oral examinations will not be held during the summer unless there are exceptional circumstances. Exceptions must be approved by the Departmental Committee during the regular academic year or in the case of circumstances not foreseen during the regular academic year, by the Chair during the summer.

  3. Other Departmental Policies, Rules, and Regulations

    1. Courses and Seminars

      To ensure all students a fair opportunity for admission to graduate seminars, instructors are asked not to admit any students to these before the scheduled student advising week, though priorities and conditions for admission other than merely "first come, first served" may be established by instructors.

    2. Independent Reading

      You may not register for independent reading or research (other than one credit of 799 each semester of the first year for the 1st Year Colloquium) until after the first year of graduate study, and then only with the approval of the major professor, who will first consult with the instructor concerned.

    3. Green Sheets

      In addition to submitting a formal grade on a graduate student's academic performance in a given course or seminar, an instructor submits a document to the Departmental Office that is known as "Green Sheet". Green sheets contain information about books and articles read, kinds of papers written and, most importantly, the instructor's general assessment of the performance of the student. Upon request, a student will be given a copy of the green sheet. A student's major professor will prepare a green sheet each semester on the student's progress on the dissertation.

    4. Academic Progress

      Students should discuss their performance in seminars with instructors and their overall performance in the program with their advisors. The Department does not provide any unified evaluation of student's performance apart from providing Green Sheets and enforcing minimum standards of satisfactory progress and ranking advanced students in the event that there are openings for employment as T.A.'s.

      1. Incompletes.

        Students who have four or more grades of "Incomplete" may not register for further work until these Incompletes have been removed. It is the policy of the Philosophy Department not to give Incompletes, except when illness or events beyond the student's control prevent the completion of course work.

      2. Criteria for Satisfactory Progress.

        In addition to the Graduate School requirements for minimum credit and minimal GPA, the Philosophy Department has criteria for satisfactory progress. A student who is normally enrolled and in residence in the Ph.D. program is making satisfactory progress unless that student:

        1. has at any time after the completion of the second semester a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or below in philosophy graduate seminars (those numbered 800 and above) or is in the opinion of the major professor and the department Chair not taking a sufficient course load in philosophy to indicate serious pursuit of a Ph.D. in Philosophy or
        2. has at any one time after the completion of the second semester half or fewer of her/his green sheets marked with "Meets the standard expected of students to which the philosophy department should guarantee support" or
        3. has at any one time two or more incompletes that have been on the student's record for one semester or more or
        4. has not satisfied the history of philosophy requirement by the end of the third year of residency or
        5. has not become a dissertator by the end of the fourth year of residence
        6. has not passed the examination on the dissertation prospectus (see III C above) by the end of the second semester after passing prelims.

          Moreover, failure to submit a passing prelim by the end of the seventh semester will result in dismissal from the program (see section 1.6 above).

      3. Consequences of Failing to Meet the Criteria for Satisfactory Progress:
        1. Students who are failing to make satisfactory progress will not be eligible for financial support and will not be nominated for any fellowships.
        2. If a student who is not making satisfactory progress (a) has at any one time three or more incompletes that have been on the student's record for one semester or more or (b) has not passed the dissertation prospectus examination by the end of the ninth semester of residency, or (c) has at any time a cumulative GPA of less than 3.3 in philosophy graduate seminars (those numbered 800 and above), then the student will be placed on probation; and if after two semesters there is still a deficiency, the student will be removed from the program.
        3. No student while on probation is eligible for appointment as a TA, PA or RA nor will that student be recommended by the department for a fellowship.

      4. Failure to Register and Leaves of Absence.

        Any graduate student who has not yet been admitted to candidacy for the doctorate and who does not register for a semester or more must reapply for admission to the Graduate School. In order to be assured of departmental approval of the readmission application, a student should obtain a leave of absence in advance. A leave of absence may be granted for various reasons such as illness, pregnancy, childbirth and early months of child care, and financial difficulties. An application for a leave of absence should be submitted to the Chair in writing. Students who are absent from the program for more than two years will not be guaranteed readmission and will have to compete with others applying for admission. Only students who are making satisfactory progress can expect to be granted leaves of absence for more than one semester.

    6. Teaching, Research, and Project Assistantships

      Teaching Assistants constitute the major portion of the department's financial support of graduate students.

      Philosophy TAs lead discussion sections of around 20 students that are part of our large lecture courses. They assist in Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Social & Political Philosophy, Elementary Logic, Philosophy of the Arts, Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, Introductory Ethics, Contemporary Moral Issues, History of Ancient Philosophy, History of Modern Philosophy and others. The number of TAs in any given semester is determined by enrollments and our budget.

      Some graduate students may also be employed as Project Assistants or Research Assistants by individual faculty.

    7. Colloquium on the Teaching of Philosophy

      Each semester the Department schedules a graduate colloquium to discuss problems involved in the teaching of philosophy and encourages its graduate students to attend. All TAs in their first semester of teaching are required to attend the colloquium. All Ph.D. students are expected to attend at least four meetings of the colloquium during their residence in Graduate School. Colloquia are conducted by different faculty members and senior graduate students, and are normally held twice each semester.

    8. Financial Aid
      1. Fellowships and Scholarships.

        Applications for fellowships and scholarships must be submitted to the departmental office by January 15 for the following academic year.

        There are University Fellowships for both beginning and advanced graduate students. Departmental nominees are put into competition with graduate students throughout the University for these fellowships.

        International Students may be eligible for the University fellowship competition depending on the current requirements of the Graduate School.

        Students already in residence are considered for fellowships principally if not exclusively on the basis of their academic records at Wisconsin.

    9. Readerships

      Graduate students appointed to assist professors in courses by grading examinations, quizzes and papers, but who do not formally instruct students or lead classroom discussions, are called "readers". Readers are paid on an hourly basis, with a maximum number of hours being allotted for a given course, depending on the type and number of assignments and the number of students in the course. Appointments are made only for one semester at a time. Each semester toward the end of registration the Department publicly posts or otherwise provides graduate students in residence with a list of courses for which readers might be required. Graduate students who wish to be sure that they are among those considered for these readership appointments should submit applications to the Assistant to the Chair (not to the instructor of the course) by the announced due date. Applications are available from the Departmental Office.

    10. Major Professors

      The selection of a major professor to serve as a general advisor is of considerable importance. The initial assignment of an advisor is provisional only, and is made for the purpose of providing guidance while getting acquainted with various members of the faculty. You should try to determine as soon as possible the research area in which you are likely to do your doctoral dissertation and the faculty member who is most likely to supervise this work. After the initial assignment of a major professor, all student-advisor arrangements are by mutual agreement. Anyone whose major professor is on leave or scheduled to go on leave should make suitable arrangements to obtain another one. Every graduate student must have a major professor, and the office must be notified of all changes of major professors.

      The Role of the Major Professor

      Obligations: It is the responsibility of the adviser, at least once a year, upon the advisee's request, to confer with the advisee concerning issues of the following general sort, as seem appropriate to the advisee's situation. Students are advised to seek such a meeting.

      1. Read and interpret green sheets
      2. Discuss academic progress
      3. Recommend courses to take
      4. Set up a dissertation proposal exam when the advisee is ready
      5. Check that the advisee's job dossier is complete and accurate

      Other Roles: Although the following items are not obligations, some major professors also help their advisees by:

      1. Reading advance drafts of prelim papers.
      2. Passing on information about recent research
      3. Introducing students to other researchers in their field
      4. Recommending conferences and assisting students in preparing papers for publications
      5. Meeting with advisees periodically to discuss work in the field
      6. Providing general advice and guidance on teaching

    11. Director of Graduate Studies

      The Chair serves as the Director of Graduate Studies, assisted by the Assistant Chair. Though not preempting the role of advisors, they can sometimes provide further assistance and direction.

    12. Graduate Major Master Sheets

      In the Departmental Office the "vital statistics" of a student's academic life are recorded on a document called the "Graduate Major Master Sheet." This form is initially filled out when you first enter the graduate program, and you should review it each semester to insure that it is accurate.

    13. The Philosophy Department Library

      The Julius R. Weinberg Memorial Library is located in Room 5184 White Hall. It contains the bequests of the late Professors Weinberg and McCallum and is available only to graduate students and faculty in the Philosophy Department. The Departmental Library also contains reference works and philosophical periodicals.

    14. The W. Donald Oliver Prize Essay Contest

      As a result of a gracious gift to the University of Wisconsin Foundation by Anna C. Oliver, in honor of her late husband Professor W. Donald Oliver, the Philosophy Department makes a substantial annual award to a graduate major in Philosophy who, in the opinion of the Department, has written the best essay submitted to the faculty. The Department has agreed to help the award recipient prepare the essay for possible publication in an appropriate scholarly journal.

      The prize award is named for W. Donald Oliver, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in the late 1930's under the supervision of E.B. McGilvary. Professor Oliver spent most of his academic career as a Professor at the University of Missouri. He was the author of Theory of Order published by Antioch Press.

    15. The Dennis Henry Common Room

      Directly across the hall from the Departmental Office is the Dennis Henry Common Room, which serves as a lounge and a place for informal discussion.

    16. Graduate Philosophy Club

      The Department sponsors a Graduate Philosophy Club, which meets at regular intervals for discussion of philosophical topics as well as occasionally for social functions. All graduate students are urged to participate in the activities of this club. The officers of the club are elected by the graduate students.

    17. Philosophy Colloquium Series

      Each year the Department sponsors a series of lectures by members of its own faculty as well as by visiting philosophers. This series is organized by a student-faculty committee, consisting of at least one faculty members (elected by the faculty) and up to three graduate students (selected by a vote of graduate students or appointed by the President of the Graduate Philosophy Club). Lectures and discussion are scheduled on most Friday afternoons during the semester.

    18. Graduate Student-Faculty Conference Committee

      This committee has been established for the purpose of discussing and preparing recommendations for Departmental action on any and all matters relating to the graduate program in philosophy. Its three faculty members are elected by the faculty and its three student members are elected by graduate students, one of them being a teaching assistant elected only by teaching assistants. The Chair is elected by the six Committee members.

    19. Office Space and Mail Boxes for Graduate Students

      Lecturers, as well as teaching assistants are provided with office space. Graduate students who hold no appointments and Fellows may be assigned offices if available. The Department provides mail boxes for all graduate students.

    20. Appeals

      A student who thinks an exception to Departmental rules ought to be made can appeal by (1) submitting a letter to the Chair giving reasons why an exception should be made; or (2) having the major professor submit a letter to the Chair giving reasons why an exception should be made. The case shall then be presented to the Departmental Appeals Committee, which has the power to decide it, through decisions of the Appeals Committee will sometimes be ratified by votes at the Departmental Committee. The decision of that Committee can be appealed to the entire Departmental faculty.

    21. Lecturer Position Appointments

      Upcoming lecturer positions will be publicly announced by a memorandum distributed to graduate students. It will include a brief description of the application procedure.

    22. Joint Program in Law and Philosophy

      There exists a joint program in Law and Philosophy for a student who wishes to earn both a Ph.D. in Philosophy and a J.D. The aim of the program is to facilitate earning both degrees and cut down on the time required. One must apply for admission separately to both the Philosophy Department and the Law School, and should mention at the time the aim of enrolling in the Philosophy/Law program. It is entirely up to the student how the work between Law and Philosophy will be divided. The Law School strongly prefers a student in the first year Law program to take Law courses full time.

      Law school work will satisfy the minor requirement for the Ph.D., but will otherwise not diminish the requirements that must be met for taking the Preliminary examination. The Law School allows a student pursuing a doctoral program to count up to 15 credits of work taken in that program towards the Law degree. During any period in which students are pursuing their law degree full time, they will not be guaranteed financial support from the philosophy department.

    23. Program in Philosophy and History of Science

      The Department of Philosophy and the Department of the History of Science at the University of Wisconsin jointly offer a program of study leading to the Ph.D. degree which emphasizes the interaction of historical and philosophical perspectives on the scientific enterprise. History of science and philosophy of science are evenly balanced in the program of course work, but the dissertation will in general have a definite emphasis, either historical or philosophical.

      Faculty research and teaching interests are diverse, and the Program welcomes students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Applications for admission and financial aid (fellowships as well as teaching and research assistantships are offered) should be directed to one or the other of the participating departments, depending on the student's background and interest; applications indicating interest in the joint program will be considered by an interdepartmental committee.

  4. Appendix

    Information About the Prelims

    Purpose: The preliminary examinations are designed to enable the faculty to ascertain that the student has developed the necessary skills for conducting sustained research and writing a dissertation that will make a contribution to the field. The Prelim Committee looks to see if the papers submitted for the Prelims satisfy most of the following desiderata:

    1. Each paper should clearly state a philosophical problem, explain its significance and its ramifications to other problems, and perhaps also discuss the different ways of formulating the problem.
    2. The papers should display familiarity with the literature devoted to the problem in a way that lives up to the canons of good scholarship.
    3. The papers should contain sustained arguments in favor of a conclusion that either take us further in understanding the nature of the problem or give us a novel solution to the problem, or the papers should formulate a thesis and offer an original argument for it. If none of these is realizable within the confines of the essay, then the essay should at least discuss the consequences of some proposed solutions and show why these consequences are unacceptable or desirable.

    The above may be too general to be of practical use. So here are some more specific do's and don'ts:

    1. If the paper was originally written for a seminar, change the presentation so that it does not presuppose the context, and make sure that it is not specific just to the discussion in the seminar. Thus an A paper in a seminar is not necessarily a passing prelim paper.
    2. Do not devote a large portion of the paper to a critique of secondary sources. A paper that indulges in extensive third order or even second order criticism does not make a good prelim paper.
    3. Make sure that the abstracts for your prelims are approved by your major professor in the semester before you take the prelims. (Some of you have been filing the abstracts in the office with Patty without showing them to your Major Professor.) This is one way of minimizing the odds that the Prelim Committee will find the topics of your papers too narrow, or not relevant to the area. For example, a paper that is mostly historical exegesis is not appropriate to M&E.
    4. Two of the three prelim papers must be in the area of your dissertation. You should show these papers to your major professor or at least discuss their content with your major professor. (Your major professor will usually be on the prelim committees that evaluate those papers.) Faculty members are not required to read and help students revise prospective prelim papers, but most do so if given sufficient time. There are, of course, no guarantees that if you respond to comments on a draft of your prelim paper, then the paper will pass.
    5. Do not assume that the Chair will assign the faculty members you request to your Prelim Committee. We try to honor such requests as much as possible. But distributing the load equitably among faculty takes priority. Also faculty on leave, unless it is unavoidable, are kept out of all committees.
    6. There are no fully articulated standards specifying what constitutes a passing prelim paper. The judgment of the members of your prelim committee will inevitably reflect both their own philosophical standards and their knowledge of the relevant literature. But prelim committee members do not judge arbitrarily, and they discuss their assessments with one another. Your experience in seminars should give you a pretty good idea of what constitutes high-quality philosophical argumentation.
    This edition of the graduate handbook for philosophy students reflects the regulations in force at the time of printing. Normally students are subject to regulations in force at the time of entrance to our graduate program.