Welcome to Temple’s graduate program in Philosophy! We are a community of around 35 MA and PhD students and a cohesive group of faculty working across the traditions of Anglo-American and European philosophy, contemporary issues and historical scholarship. Granting its first PhD in 1971, Temple’s graduate program has a proud history, situated in the vibrant, urban environment of Philadelphia.
Our international faculty and student body reflect the diversity of Temple’s campus and we are especially proud to have earned a ranking amongst American philosophy programs with the most women graduates. There are Temple graduates teaching in Europe, the US, Asia, and the rest of the world. In spite of a difficult job market, our graduates keep being successful in securing academic and philosophy related non-academic positions (link).
Temple’s faculty members are internationally acclaimed in key philosophical areas such as epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, ethics, pragmatism, aesthetics, feminism, ancient philosophy, early modern, Kant, and post-Kantian European philosophy. Faculty members publish with leading journals and publishing houses, representing Temple nationally and abroad. In the past few years, we have welcomed international visitors from Norway, Sweden, Spain, France, and China, but also US scholars and academics wishing to work with Temple faculty and students.
The Department provides our students with a well-rounded education and familiarity with the discipline at large. In addition to a roster of mixed level classes, we offer 4 to 6 graduate seminars per year, covering the interests of graduate faculty and students. We have an active department colloquium series, organize conferences and campus events, and contribute regularly to the Greater Philadelphia Philosophy Consortium. Our students run a Work-in-Progress series and a newly established Women in Philosophy reading group.
In addition to two years of coursework (for incoming students with no credit transfers), PhD students submit two preliminary essays in their second and third years, designed so as to provide training in research, collegial cooperation, and publishing strategies. The best prelim essay is awarded the annual Nordev Prize, and many of our students present their research at conferences nationally and internationally and work with faculty mentors to publish their papers in relevant journals. Our graduate students write dissertations in many areas, ranging from epistemology to political philosophy and aesthetics, ancient philosophy, nineteenth-century philosophy, and contemporary European thought (link).
We actively encourage—and seek to facilitate—interdisciplinary work. This year, we are excited to offer new dual degree, MA and PhD, in Philosophy and Urban Bioethics. We have a strong and long-standing legacy in aesthetics and enthusiastically recommend Philadelphia’s thriving art and theater scene. Presently, we are strengthening our ties with Temple’s Department of Dance, hoping to add an MA/MA in philosophy and dance to our offerings by the end of the year. Temple’s philosophy graduates are well-represented at the Center for Humanities at Temple, which offers grants and associate positions to faculty and advanced graduate students pursuing interdisciplinary work. We also offer a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies.
About half of our incoming students receive funding either through the university’s Graduate Fellowships and Future Faculty Program or through the Department’s TA-lines. Unfunded students sometimes get support or TA-lines later on. Our students also have external and international funding sources, such as Fulbright Fellowships and sometimes research grants from their home countries. We are always happy to work with students seeking funding both nationally and internationally and encourage our graduate students to make use of our networks to integrate studies abroad into their graduate school experience.
Our graduate students typically assemble a solid teaching portfolio, working with faculty teaching mentors and the Teaching and Learning Center to build their skills as mentors and educators. We encourage our PhD students to pursue Temple’s Teaching in Higher Education Certificate. Our graduate students also run a mentor program for undergraduates with an interest in philosophy. Beginning in 2016/2017, we acknowledge the graduate student’s contribution to Department life with a graduate student prize for excellence in mentorship and teaching.