General information
The department features a PhD program and also offers a joint MA/JD degree with the law school.
The PhD program is structured so that all degree requirements can be completed in five years, and the vast majority of our recent graduates have finished in 4.5 to 5.5 years. The entering class for the PhD program is four to six students every fall. Funding is either in the form of teaching assistantships ($16.5K per year + full tuition stipend) or fellowship packages. Students are offered five years of funding (so long as they are making satisfactory progress in the program).
Here is the department’s statement of normative progress to the completion of the PhD. The department has a very strong record of placing its graduates in tenure-track positions. More information about placement is here.
Research Emphases
Our faculty tend to have broad-ranging interests in ways that recognize the systematic interconnection of all of the different sub-areas of philosophy, but with the following specialized research interests.
Epistemology: Fales, Fumerton, Hasan
Ethics and Social/Political: Fumerton, Hasan, Jeske
History of Philosophy, Ancient: Duerlinger
History of Philosophy, Early Modern: Cunning, Hasan
History of Philosophy, 20th Century Analytic: Fumerton, Landini, Perovic, Stern
History of Philosophy, Ethics: Jeske
Logic and Philosophy of Science: Fales, Figdor, Landini, Stern
Metaphysics: Fales, Figdor, Fumerton, Jeske, Perovic
Philosophy of Language: Figdor, Landini, Perovic, Stern
Philosophy of Law: Fumerton, Jeske
Philosophy of Mind: Cunning, Figdor, Fumerton, Hasan, Landini, Stern
Philosophy of Religion: Fales
Community
We are an active but fairly informal group of 10 regular faculty and 25 graduate students. We also have three emeritus faculty who continue to be an important part of our teaching and research mission. The department hosts a number of colloquia every semester, along with a departmental picnic at the end of summer and a series of social events recognizing Graduate Student Appreciation Week at the end of spring. Our graduate students run the U. Iowa Graduate Philosophical Society, organizing a national conference every April and an in-house conference in December, along with informal philosophy “salon” papers and discussions throughout fall and spring. The graduate student community is collegial, and discussions tend to spill over and extend to other venues in downtown Iowa City.
Criteria for admission
The department considers the totality of a student’s application including GPA, the letters of recommendation, the writing sample, and GRE scores. We do not have a minimum GPA or GRE cutoff, though admitted students usually have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and GRE scores starting at 550V/650Q/4.5AW. We take very seriously the applicant’s writing sample, and indeed a strong writing sample can often outweigh a lower score in some other part of the application.
What to Send to the Department
In addition to the application to the Graduate College, the following materials need to be sent to the department.
1. at least three confidential letters of recommendation
2. unofficial copies of all academic transcripts
3. sample of philosophical writing – usually 15 to 20 pages
4. statement of purpose
5. application for graduate awards
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the department offer a terminal MA degree?
No. We offer admission to the PhD program or the MA/JD program, but students who are working toward the PhD often apply to receive the MA degree after passing the comprehensive exam early in the third year.
Do I need a B.A. in Philosophy to be admitted to either the PhD program or the MA/JD program?
No, but an applicant should have a background of coursework in philosophy. A number of our students developed their interest in philosophy late in their undergraduate careers, and not in time to complete the requirements for a major or minor.
