Master's Exam:

• The Master's Exam is identical to 2 PAPERS ON ANY TOPIC IN PHILOSOPHY.
• The primary function of the ‘Masters Exam’ is to determine whether students in our PhD program have completed work that merits an MA in Philosophy.
• Tip: consider choosing high quality papers you have written for seminars that could be submitted for the General Exam.
• Typically due in April of the second year (but can be done sooner).
• While passing the Master's Exam is required for the PhD Program, students who already have a Master's degree should not submit the Report on the MA Exam for Plan B Master's unless they want to earn a UConn Master's degree.

Proposal:

• The primary function is to determine whether students in our PhD program can motivate and explain an idea or problem that could be fruitfully explored with further research. Proposals should:
  • Motivate and explain an idea or problem that it would be fruitful to develop with further research.
  • Demonstrate that the author is capable of conducting research.
  • Make some suggestions about how the author would go about exploring the idea or problem.
• Typically due in April of the second year (but can be done sooner).

General Exam:

• The General Exam is identical to 3 PAPERS. TOPICS ARE IN SPECIFIC AREAS:
  • 1 PAPER IN METAPHYSICS & EPISTEMOLOGY (BROADLY CONSTRUED);
  • 1 PAPER IN ETHICS/SOCIAL/POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY (BROADLY CONSTRUED);
  • 1 PAPER IN HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY (BROADLY CONSTRUED).
• Tip: 2 of these papers can be papers you submitted for the Masters Exam.
• Typically due in April of the third year (but can be done sooner).

Dissertation Prospectus:

• SNYOPSIS OF YOUR DISSERTATION THAT MOTIVATES A PROBLEM, INCLUDES A CHAPTER OUTLINE AND SUMMARY.
• Typically due in April of the third year (but can be done sooner).

Dissertation and Oral Defense:

• The dissertation has both a written and oral component.
• The Dissertation is usually submitted at the end of Year 5 (but can be done sooner).