Due to the fundamentally interdisciplinary nature of the university’s Committee on Social Thought, the Joint Degree Program in Social Thought & Philosophy a true joint degree program. Students are required to fulfill the complete set of program requirements in both Philosophy and Social Thought. The Joint Degree Program is designed for students who are willing to take the time and trouble to satisfy both sets of standards within their allotted term as graduate students at the University of Chicago. Upon completion of this Joint Degree program, the student shall be awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Philosophy and Social Thought.
Requirements for the Joint Program in Social Thought and Philosophy for Students Enrolling in the Program in or after 2023-24
Contact the chair of the Department of Philosophy, Matt Boyle, or the Chair of the Committee on Social Thought, Gabriel Richardson Lear, with any questions or if you are considering the joint program in Social Thought and Philosophy. The requirements for the joint program will be specified on an individual basis in consultation with the Directors of Graduate Studies for the Department of Philosophy and the Committee on Social Thought.
Requirements for the Joint Program in Social Thought and Philosophy for Students Enrolling in the Program Prior to 2023-24
Philosophy students must satisfy the normal requirements for the degree in Social Thought, including successfully passing the Fundamentals Examination and a High Pass in a foreign language examination.
Social Thought students must satisfy the normal requirements for the degree in Philosophy, but those requirements do not include Philosophy's First-Year Seminar or teaching requirements.
For all Joint Program students, expectations that coursework, including various distribution requirements for classes, should be completed within the first two years shall be amended to allow a schedule consistent with the obvious demands made on the students’ time. Each student’s dissertation committee shall consist of at least three faculty, including at least two members of the Department of Philosophy and at least one member of the Committee on Social Thought.
Applying to the Joint Degree Program in Social Thought and Philosophy
The information above highlights the basic requirements for the Joint Degree Program in Social Thought and Philosophy. Usually, PhD students in Philosophy take at least a year's worth of graduate courses before they can petition to get into the Joint Program. At that point, they should discuss all the specific requirements and administrative procedures for the Joint Program with their faculty advisors.