PhD in Philosophy

The doctoral program in philosophy at Wayne State builds wide familiarity with the field and then asks students to go deep on particular problems that interest them. It is aimed at those who hope to build a scholarly life of research and instruction in philosophy. Funding is available through graduate teaching assistantships, which carry a stipend, tuition assistance for part of each term's graduate credits, and subsidized health insurance. Assistants usually spend around twenty hours a week on teaching duties, beginning with introductory courses in logic, critical thinking, and medical ethics, and advanced assistants are often given their own course. Teaching assistants are represented by a union affiliated with the Michigan Federation of Teachers. The department publishes a Ph.D. handbook, and the program also refers students to the general graduate programs page for rules that apply across philosophy graduate study.