unc chapel hill philosophy phd

Program Statistics

Last updated: August 8, 2024

The following information describes statistically the progress of some recent classes of Chapel Hill graduate students as they have pursued their degrees. Of course, this information inevitably groups together students whose cases may be quite different. Many of the students who are admitted in a given year ultimately complete their Ph.D.s at Chapel Hill, of course. Others leave our program before completing their M.A. degrees or after receiving their M.A.s but before completing their Ph.D.s. Reasons for leaving the program vary widely. Some students may decide that they no longer wish to pursue philosophy. Some may leave for academic or medical reasons. Some may simply receive opportunities to pursue other activities that they find more attractive. Even students from the same cohort who are currently enrolled in our program may vary widely in their progress: students may be nearly completed with their dissertations or be on extended personal leave. Despite the coarse-grained character of the following information, we hope that you find it useful.

Cohort of 2001: Nine (four men, five women) entered the program. Two (men) left after completing an M.A. The other seven (two men, five women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2002: Seven (four men, three women) entered the program. Three (one man, two women) left after completing an M.A. The other four (three men, one woman) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2003: Eight (five men, three women) entered the program. One (woman) left before completing an M.A. The other seven (five men, two women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2004: Seven (three men, four women) entered the program. Three (two men, one woman) left after completing an M.A. The other four (one man, three women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2005: Eight (four men, four women) entered the program. Three (one man, two women) left after completing an M.A. The other five (three men, two women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2006: Ten (six men, four women) entered the program. One (man) left before completing an M.A. One (woman) left after completing an M.A. The other eight (five men, three women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2007: Eight (four men, four women) entered the program. One (man) left before completing an M.A. Two (women) left after completing an M.A. The other five (three men, two women) have completed the program. One (man) later joined the cohort and has completed the program.

Cohort of 2008: Seven (four men, three women) entered the program. One (man) left after completing an M.A. The other six (three men, three women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2009: Five (three men, two women) entered the program. One (woman) left before completing an M.A. One (man) left after completing an M.A. The other three (two men, one woman) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2010: Seven (three men, four women) entered the program. One (woman) left before completing an M.A. One (woman) left after completing an M.A. The other five (three men, two women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2011: Six (three men, three women) entered the program. One (man) left before completing an M.A. The other five (two men, three women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2012: Seven (four men, three women) entered the program. Three (one man, two women) left after completing an M.A. The other four (three men, one woman) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2013: Six (three men, three women) entered the program. One (man) left before completing an M.A. One (man) left after completing an M.A. The other four (one man, three women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2014: Eight (four men, four women) entered the program. One (man) left before completing an M.A. The other seven (three men, four women) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2015: Twelve (six men, five women, one genderqueer person) entered the program. One (woman) left after completing an M.A. One (woman) transferred (while in good standing) to another philosophy Ph.D. program. Nine (five men, three women, one genderqueer person) have completed the program. One (man) remains in the program.

Cohort of 2016: Five (four men, one woman) entered the program. All five have completed the program.

Cohort of 2017: Five (three men, two women) entered the program. One (woman) left after completing an M.A. The other four (three men, one woman) have completed the program.

Cohort of 2018: Eight (four men, four women) entered the program. One (woman) transferred (while in good standing) to another philosophy Ph.D. program before completing an M.A. One (woman) left before completing an M.A. Two (women) left after completing an M.A. Two (men) have completed the program. Two (men) remain in the program.

Cohort of 2019: Five (three men, two women) entered the program. One (man) left before completing an M.A. One (woman) has completed the program. The rest remain in the program.

Cohort of 2020: Nine (five men, three women, one genderqueer person) entered the program. One (woman) left before completing an M.A. One (man) left after completing an M.A. The rest remain in the program.

Cohort of 2021: Seven (four men, two women, one genderqueer person) entered the program.

Cohort of 2022: Seven (four men, three women) entered the program.

Cohort of 2023: Five (four men, one woman) entered the program.

Cohort of 2024: Five (two men, three women) entered the program.

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Applications are now open!

November 12 – Application Deadline

All application materials must be submitted by the deadline!

As part of a cutting-edge, research-intensive university with top-ranked schools of nursing, medicine, public health, pharmacy, dentistry and social work located within steps of each other and adjacent to the renowned UNC Hospitals, the School of Nursing provides a diverse, energetic and collegial environment for participating in world-class interprofessional education, scientific inquiry and practice opportunities.

PhD Financial Support

Most full-time UNC School of Nursing PhD students receive full tuition coverage and stipend for the first three years of the program. Additionally, our students have a strong track record of securing external funding to support their education and research in subsequent years. Notably, over the past 5 years, 67% of students who applied for NIH F31 grants were awarded funding.

There are numerous options available for financing your education including grants, scholarships, graduate research/teaching assistantships, and employment opportunities offered through the School of Nursing and the Graduate School . Many students benefit from our T32 Predoctoral Fellowship in Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness training program . Additionally, eligible students planning careers as nurse faculty can apply for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) for further assistance.

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[email protected] 919.966.4260

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Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships at Carolina Nursing: Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness

At Carolina Nursing, our pre- and postdoctoral T32 funding will support research aimed at preventing and managing chronic illness using multilevel, theory-based interventions that target behaviors, environmental factors, and personal determinants that increase the risk of illness onset, greater burden, and poorer outcomes.

Interested in learning more? The article linked below summarizes how our T32 grant will prepare nurse scientists using community-engaged intervention mapping.

Interested in learning more about our new PhD curriculum? Please check out the new  PhD curriculum map here .

Our vision is to prepare a diverse group of graduates who are highly capable and driven to engage in a career devoted to research and scholarly scientific activities that enhance the health of individuals, families and communities; using biobehavioral, psychosocial and ecological approaches; that increase the effectiveness of health care systems; and further the translation of research into practice.

The PhD program in Nursing at UNC is one of the best in the country.  We:

• Prepare nursing scholars to conduct scientific studies consistent with the program vision: to enhance the health of individuals, families and communities; increase the effectiveness of health care systems; and further the translation of research into practice.
• Have consistently been identified as one of the top Schools of Nursing in the country. A variety of faculty research grants provides multiple opportunities for research training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional development. These opportunities provide an outstanding training context to ensure that our graduates are prepared to assume scientific leadership roles early in their research careers.

• Are part of a cutting-edge research-intensive university, with a wonderfully rich and diverse environment within which to conduct research.

• Are part of an extraordinarily strong health science division that includes public health, pharmacy, medicine, social work and dentistry – all of which are located on the main campus of the University.
• Are part of a University that is home to 121 interdisciplinary research centers, institutes, and initiatives that bring faculty together across campus to collaborative research-focused areas. SON faculty, doctoral students, and postdoctoral fellows are highly active members of many of these centers.

Among the many outstanding resources that are available to our PhD students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the following are housed within, and managed by the School of Nursing:

• The  Biobehavioral Laboratory (BBL)  assists with the development of biological and behavioral measuring techniques for the study of chronic illness and nursing intervention outcomes.
• The T32 research training grant on Prevention and Management of Chronic Illness provides extensive opportunities for doctoral and postdoctoral trainees to be involved in funded studies. Continued funding has been sought for the T32 research training grant in Health Care Quality and Patient Outcomes, which is also designed to support doctoral and postdoctoral trainees.
• The  Office of Research and Scholarship (ORS)  assists in grant development, preparation and submission.

To provide adequate mentoring, we want to assure that your planned research aligns well with the scientific expertise of one or more faculty members. This is what we refer to as a faculty-student “match”.  This match may take a number of different forms. One type of match occurs when you are studying the same problem as is the  faculty member  – say, cardiovascular disease, or cancer, or increasing access to care for diverse populations. Another type of match occurs when you are using the same methodological approach as the faculty member – this might be qualitative or quantitative, cross-sectional or longitudinal, or observational or experimental. Another kind of match occurs when you are studying similar populations, say, children or the elderly. 

We provide an opportunity for you to communicate your research interests to selected faculty before you decide to apply, so please take some time to explore our Research Areas of Excellence to learn about the current research taking place at Carolina Nursing.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to  email the Office of Student Affairs .

Assistant Dean, PhD Division & Program

Jessica Williams, PhD, MPH, PHNA-BC, FAAN

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Ph.D. Program

Curriculum requirements.

Completion of the Ph.D. degree requires fulfillment of the following coursework. Examples of courses that meet these requirements can be found here .

Core Engineering Courses Students are required to satisfactorily complete (grade B or better) six credit hours (typically two courses) of engineering-centric courses.

Core Bio/Medicine Courses Students are required to satisfactorily complete (grade B or better) six credit hours to meet the physiology requirement.

• BIOL 451: Comparative Physiology (offered at UNC), or PHY 503: General Physiology I (offered at NC State), or PHY 504: General Physiology II (offered at NC State)
• BMME890/BME790: Biochemistry

Mathematics Students are required to satisfactorily complete (grade B or better) three credit hours (typically one course) of graduate-level mathematics or applied mathematics.

Statistics Students are required to satisfactorily complete (grade B or better) three credit hours (typically one course) of a graduate-level statistics course.

Technical Electives Students must satisfactorily complete (grade B or better) nine credit hours (typically three courses) of graduate-level science or engineering. Courses pertinent to the student’s areas of interest are selected with the approval of the research adviser.

BME Graduate Seminar Students are required to enroll every semester in BME 802/BMME 890: BME Graduate Seminar . M.D./Ph.D. students are exempt during the clinical portion of their training. A list of upcoming seminars can be found here .

Ethics Students must pass a course in research ethics. This may be satisfied by completion of one credit hour courses PHI 816: Introduction to Research Ethics (NC State), GRAD 721: Research Ethics (UNC), or the online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Good Clinical Practices for Clinical Trials with Investigational Drugs, Biologics and Devices course module.

Professional Development Seminar Students must enroll in the professional development seminar (BME 802/BMME 890) in the spring of the second year.

Mentored Teaching Experience Students will participate in a required mentored teaching experience in the third year of graduate study.

Ph.D. Timeline

1. pass the written qualifying exams by the end of the first year, 2. select a primary adviser and laboratory by the end of the second semester, 3. develop a plan of work by the end of the first year, 4. form an advisory committee by the end of the second year, 5. write a research proposal and pass the oral preliminary exam by the end of the third year, 6. write doctoral dissertation and pass dissertation defense, how to apply through unc or nc state.

Because our department is truly joint and BME Graduate degrees are from both universities, applications to the doctoral program submitted through UNC and NC State graduate schools are processed identically. All applications, regardless of submission origin, are evaluated equally by the Joint graduate admissions committee and the Joint Department’s graduate faculty . Therefore, students submitting applications to the doctoral program may do so through either campus equivalently.

APPLY NOW NC State APPLY NOW UNC

Applicants must submit the following:

• Transcript(s) documenting an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering or a quantitative science.
• GRE scores are not required.  However, if applicants choose to send in their scores, they may do so. Please note that scores from the GRE general exam must be taken within the last five years. UNC institution code: #5816. NC State institution code: #5496 
• Three recommendation letters that discuss your potential for graduate study.
• TOEFL scores (international applicants only).
• A 1–2 page personal statement discussing research interests and relevant background experience. The statement should identify professors within the department with whom you are interested in working.

ADMISSIONS DEADLINE : All materials must be received by Tuesday, December 10th, 2024 for the Fall 2025 admissions cycle.

Director of Graduate Studies Matt Fisher, Ph.D. (919) 515-5242 [email protected]

Graduate Program Coordinator Vilma Berg (919) 445-6051 [email protected]

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Graduate Degree Programs

Below we have listed information about our graduate programs at UNC-Chapel Hill, including degrees offered, contact information, and specific admissions application requirements.

Important information about admissions application deadlines

Admissions information - alphabetical

Admissions information - by department/school.

• Africana Studies
• American Studies
• Anthropology
• Materials Science *
• Art History
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
• Biochemistry and Biophysics – Direct Admit MS
• Applied Physical Sciences
• Biochemistry and Biophysics
• Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
• Cell Biology and Physiology
• Chemistry *
• Genetics and Molecular Biology
• Microbiology and Immunology
• Neuroscience
• Nutrition *
• Oral and Craniofacial Biomedicine *
• Pharmaceutical Sciences *
• Pharmacology
• Biomedical and Health Informatics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Business Administration
• Cell Biology and Physiology – Direct Admit MS and PhD
• City and Regional Planning
• Clinical Mental Health Counseling
• Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling
• Communication Studies
• Computer Science
• Data Science
• Dental Hygiene Education
• Endodontics
• Operative Dentistry and Biomaterials
• Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
• Orthodontics
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Periodontology
• Prosthodontics
• Dramatic Art
• Earth and Marine Sciences
• Educational Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship
• Educational Leadership
• Master of Arts in Teaching
• School Counseling
• School Psychology
• English and Comparative Literature
• Exercise and Sport Science
• Geography and Environment
• German Studies
• Global Studies
• Human Movement Science
• Digital Curation and Management
• Information Science
• Library Science
• Digital Communication
• Media and Communication
• Linguistics
• Master of Applied Professional Studies (MAPS)
• Mathematics
• Microbiology and Immunology – Direct Admit MS
• Occupational Therapy
• Occupational Science
• Physics and Astronomy
• Political Science
• Trans Atlantic Masters
• Public Administration
• Biostatistics
• Environmental Sciences and Engineering
• Epidemiology
• Clinical Research
• Health Behavior
• Health Policy and Management
• Master of Public Health
• Maternal and Child Health
• Public Health Executive Leadership
• Public Policy
• Regulatory Science
• Religious Studies
• Romance Languages and Literatures
• Social Work
• Speech and Hearing Sciences
• Statistics and Operations Research
• Toxicology – Professional Science Masters

**There are two application paths available for certain doctoral programs. Depending on your objectives, you may apply directly to the specific program or you may apply via the Biological and Biomedical Sciences application umbrella. Please visit program websites to determine the best fit for your objectives.

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Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

"One of the most innovative and student-focused programs on campus"

Ph.D. in Information and Library Science

This doctoral program provides an environment that enables creative and energetic students to become innovative thinkers and leaders. Through coordination of student and faculty interests and activities, the program offers opportunities for research, teaching, and leadership in a variety of settings.

Information and library science research leaders must be able to identify problems that are significant for our future as an information society, carry out rigorous studies and draw valid conclusions from them, and communicate those findings to stakeholders who can act on them. The SILS doctoral program provides intensive, but highly flexible and customizable, preparation for careers in academia and research.

The Ph.D. in Information and Library Science is designated as a STEM program, which allows eligible international graduates to apply for a 24-month OPT extension.

After successfully defending their dissertations, SILS’ graduates have accepted positions as tenure-track faculty in information schools, research scientists in corporate and government labs, and chief information officers in a myriad of organizations and businesses. With a degree from our doctoral program, our graduates are making a difference.

• Kimberly Hirsh, 2021, Consulting Scholar-Librarian
• Sandeep Avula, 2020, Research Scientist, Amazon
• Eliot Hauser, 2020, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin
• Colin Post, 2020, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• Jonathan Crabtree, 2020, Assistant Director of Research Data Information Systems, Odum Institute, UNC-CH
• Emily Roscoe, 2020, Adjunct Instructor, School of Government, UNC-CH
• Megan Threats, 2020, Assistant Professor, Rutgers University
• Heather Barnes, 2020, Digital Curation Librarian, Wake Forest University
• Yinglong Zhang, 2020, Research Scientist, Google
• Shenmeng Xu, 2020, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Vanderbilt University
• Sarah Beth Nelson, 2019, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
• Anita Crescenzi, 2019, Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, UNC-CH
• Kathleen Brennan, 2018, Senior Researcher, Google
• Samantha Kaplan, 2018, Research and Education Librarian, Duke University
• Ericka Patillo, 2018, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Grace Shin, 2018, Sookmyung Women’s University, Korea, Adjunct Professor at SILS.
• Leslie Thomson, 2018, Postdoctoral Fellow, UNC-CH

Other notable graduates in recent years:

• Jay Dominick, 2005 , Vice President and CIO at Princeton University
• Meredith Evans, Ph.D.  2006 , Director, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum & 74th President of the Society of American Archivists
• Meredith Weiss, 2010 , Vice President for Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University
• Fred Stutzman, 2011 , CEO, Freedom

Financial Support

SILS typically provides support for full-time doctoral students during their first five years of study. Prospective doctoral students must apply by December 10 to receive full consideration for financial aid.

Learn more from our Financial Information page.

SILS seeks PhD students who:

• Aim to be information leaders in the 21 st century.
• Are attracted to information and library science as a field that incorporates diverse theoretical perspectives and a wide range of research methods.
• Possess the discipline and will to be independent investigators, and the vision and communication skills to be influential leaders in the field.
• Are committed to a life of research and scholarly inquiry addressing critical questions.
• Enjoy intellectual challenges and demonstrate analytical and critical thinking.

Admission to the doctoral program is competitive and based upon the strength of the applicant’s educational background and standardized test scores, work experience, statement of research, and personal interview. In reviewing applicants for admission, the school will consider past academic record and scholarly potential of an applicant, as well as the match of the candidate’s research interests with those of the school’s faculty. One or more faculty must be willing to assume the advisory role for the student.

Doctoral and Special Programs Coordinator

[email protected] or 919-962-0182

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program details.

Minimum Credit Hours 47 (varies)

Designation The PhD in Epidemiology is a STEM-designated degree under the approved categories from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (CIP Code 26.1309).

Application Cycle Fall

  Consultation with the Director of Graduate Admissions will be required in order to be considered for admission in any semester other than Fall.

Application Deadline December 10, 2024

Expected Duration 4-5 Years

Learning Environment Residential

Admissions Information

Who Should Apply

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in epidemiology prepares students for careers in research and teaching, often at a university, federal or state agency, or a private research institution. Students develop research and teaching skills in epidemiology through coursework and practice.  The department welcomes applications from students with bachelor degrees as well as those with prior graduate degrees.

Prior Degree Required Previous masters degree beneficial but not required.

Required Prerequisites None

Undergraduate G.P.A. An average grade of B (cumulative GPA 3.0) or better is recommended. Incoming students had a mean undergraduate GPA of 3.6.

Letters of Recommendation Required 3 (academic and/or professional)

Interviews Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend Open House events. See Visit Opportunities below.

If you are unable to attend the Open House and would like to schedule a visit, follow the instructions at http://sph.unc.edu/epid/epid-applicant-central/ . Interviews are not required by the program.

Visit Opportunities Learn about opportunities to connect with faculty, staff, and current students virtually and in person.

How To Apply

I. Complete UNC Graduate School application The Graduate School Application is a common application system for UNC Chapel Hill programs.

More Information

1. Application Fee

The UNC Graduate School application fee is $95. Information on UNC Graduate School Fee Waiver Requests

2. Faculty Interest(s)/mentor(s)

Applicants to the PhD degree programs must indicate on the UNC Graduate School application at least 1 (up to 5 possible) faculty member(s) with whom you would like to work.

3. Applicant information,  including North Carolina residency information.

4. Area(s) of interest

Select all applicable areas of interest from the dropdown.

5. Educational history

Please upload a copy of your most recent transcript(s), including your current term grades, if applicable. (If grades are not yet available, send them to the UNC Gillings program contact as soon as they become available.) Be sure the transcript reflects the name of the institution and any degrees you received.

Applicants currently enrolled in degree programs are required to upload an unofficial transcript that includes fall semester/quarter grades. If the application is submitted before fall grades have posted, applicants are responsible for uploading an updated transcript through the application status portal once the grades have posted.

We advise that you order two copies of your transcript(s) to be sent to you. If you are admitted and choose to enroll, UNC will require official transcript(s) showing degree(s) awarded.

6. Community standards

You will be asked about honor code, crime, academic sanction, military discharge, etc.

7. Upload your Statement of Purpose.

The essay is a critical piece of the admissions process. We will evaluate both the content of the essay and your writing skills in considering your application.

All applicants should write an essay of 1000 words or less. In this essay, please address the following questions:

• Describe why you are interested in predoctoral training in epidemiologic methods and substantive research.
• Describe previous lived experience, academic courses and degrees, and work experience that have prepared you for advanced research in public health.
• Describe your career goals, short and longer-term research questions, and the populations you hope to serve with your epidemiologic training.
• Indicate which departmental program area(s) and/or faculty interests align with your goals. You may indicate multiple program areas and faculty.

Applicants should also include any additional information about their interests, prior background or special circumstances which may be helpful to the Admissions Committee in evaluation of the application.

8. Upload your resume or CV.

9. Enter names of recommenders. UNC will then send them an email with instructions for submitting a letter on your behalf.

3 Letters of Recommendations are required. We encourage references from professors or teachers (or teaching assistants) or work/research supervisors who have worked directly and closely with you and who can speak about you with specificity.

10. Report test scores, if applicable.

GRE scores are not required for application.

International applicants must submit official TOEFL or IELTS standardized test scores. Code 5816 routes to UNC. TOEFL/IELTS scores must be no more than two years old.

11. Document submission (check legibility of uploads)

Applicants should preview all documents uploaded into the application system to ensure that all documents are legible for committee review. Applications to the PhD program that are incomplete as of January 31 st will NOT be reviewed for admission.

12. Track your progress.

You will be able to track status through the Graduate School application. Once a decision is made, you will receive an email instructing login to the Graduate School application portal to see the decision letter.

II. Application Review Process

1. Department reviews application and recommends a decision.

Time-to-decision varies. Departments make recommendations to the UNC Graduate School for admitting and denying applicants. Final decisions are rendered by the UNC Graduate School.

2. UNC Graduate School reviews department recommendation and renders a final decision:

The UNC Graduate School reviews all admissions recommendations made by programs. Once final decisions have been made, the UNC Graduate School will send the applicant an email instructing them to login to their application portal to see the decision letter.

III. Costs and Funding

When estimating costs, please visit the UNC Cashier’s Office and use the Graduate and Professional Program Tuition and Fees link. Please note that the tuition and fees of graduate programs at Gillings vary from other graduate programs at UNC.

Gillings departments and concentrations consider both domestic and international applicants for funding. Please see below for helpful tips and resources:

1. Applicants are encouraged to apply by the priority deadline to be considered for UNC Graduate School scholarships and fellowships. Departments and concentrations will decide which applicants to nominate. No additional application is required.

2. Please refer to our School’s Costs and Funding page and/or UNC-Chapel Hill’s Office of Scholarships and Student Aid (OSSA) website.

3. Apply for FEDERAL financial aid by March 1 (please verify this date via FAFSA ). If you have been admitted and completed the FAFSA form by their deadline, the UNC Office of Scholarship and Student Aid will create a financial aid package for you.

4. Funding offers through the department, such as research assistantships, are possible but not guaranteed.

5. Students positions at Gillings are posted here . The UNC Graduate School also provides resources for funding, including a listserv for incoming and current students, here .

During and After The Program

For more information on our curriculum and graduate school/career outcomes, please see our Student Handbook .

Gillings Admissions [email protected]

Mirlesna Azor Academic Coordinator [email protected]

Daniel Westreich Director of Graduate Admissions [email protected]

The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is a cancer research and treatment center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Serving patients at the N.C. Basnight Cancer Hospital, UNC Lineberger is the only public comprehensive cancer center in the state of North Carolina.

The Carolina Population Center brings together a remarkable group of faculty fellows who address pressing research questions about population dynamics, fertility, health, mortality, migration, and the environment.

The UNC Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility (CEHS) facilitates collaborations by funding university infrastructure to support scientific equipment, facilities, and other resources that can be shared among environmental health researchers.

The Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases is a research engine for global health innovation and pan-university collaboration, transforming health in North Carolina and around the world through research, training and service.

For more than 30 years, the Injury Prevention Research Center has been combining innovative science in injury and violence prevention with collaborative evidence-based action in the form of programs, practices, and policies.

The Center for Pharmacoepidemiology provides a unique forum to generate innovative, evidence-based solutions to challenges related to comparative effectiveness research and evaluation of the safety of drugs and devices in real-world clinical settings.

Gillings School remembers environmental scientist James T. Staley

Information for:.

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science

last edited: December 2020

This document lists the combined requirements of the Graduate School and of the Department of Computer Science (COMP) and supersedes all previous issues. Reference is occasionally made for further details to the  Graduate School Handbook (GSH). Apparent errors in the present document should be called to the attention of the Director of Graduate Studies.

Please note: Computer Science Graduate students cannot apply for both MS and PhD degrees in the same semester. An MS student (or a PhD student ‘pursuing MS degree along the way’) must take COMP 992 in the same semester as applying for the MS degree. Students admitted as an MS student that need to switch to PhD at the end of year 2, can do so by either applying for the MS degree or foregoing the MS degree. The MS program has a 5-year clock.

Please also refer to the Graduate Program Policies document for explanation of several issues not discussed in detail in this document.

Table Of Contents

• Admission to Doctoral Program

Administration

Course requirements.

• Program Product Requirements

Doctoral Written Examination

Research plan discussion, doctoral oral examination, dissertation, final oral examination, residency & time limit, other requirements, milestones (by semester) and required forms.

• Teaching as a Doctoral Student & COMP 915
• Composition of Dissertation Committee

Admission To Doctoral Program

Admission to the doctoral program is by a vote of the Department faculty and is determined by performance on the Preliminary Research Presentation and Exam (PRP), course grades (we expect a positive Calingaert score computed over all courses taken as a graduate student at UNC), admissions information, accomplishment on assistantships, and other testimony from the faculty. Admission is normally considered following the PRP.  Students who have been major contributors to a paper submitted to a well-known, refereed conference or journal may apply for a waiver of the PRP exam.

Financial support from the department will normally not be provided beyond the fourth semester for students who have not been admitted to the doctoral program.

When a student enrolls, a faculty member is appointed to serve as the student’s academic adviser. As the student’s research interests become defined, the student should change to a research adviser as appropriate. Changes in adviser should be reported to the Student Services Manager. Additional details can be found in the Graduate Program Policies document.

The Graduate Studies Committee (a standing committee of the Department faculty, chaired by the  Director of Graduate Studies ) interprets degree requirements, approves plans of study, and acts on petitions from students to the Department and to the Graduate School.

A full-time Graduate Student Services Manager maintains student records, answers student queries, and directs student requests to the Graduate Studies Committee and to the Graduate School. All student requests should be made through the Student Services Manager, usually on CS forms or Graduate School forms . The Student Services Manager ( [email protected] ) office is in Room 142 of the Fred Brooks Building. The Manager will handle the forms or forward them to the appropriate office.

The following are  minimum  requirements. The student’s committee may impose further requirements as it judges appropriate. Unless otherwise specified, “course” means a 3-hour graduate-level course. Two 1.5-hour courses may be accepted as equivalent to one 3-hour course. Taken “as a graduate student” does not necessarily mean at UNC-CH, and it permits the course to have been taken as a UNC-CH post-baccalaureate Continuing Education student.

Primary concentration.   Three or four courses of which at least two support in depth the specific dissertation topic and at least one supports more generally the area of computer science in which the dissertation topic falls. The courses do not need to be related to each other, except in that they support the dissertation. These courses may have been taken as an undergraduate and may have been counted towards an undergraduate degree.

Breadth requirement.  Each student must take an additional 6 courses to fulfill a breadth requirement.  Courses are classified into the following 4 categories.

• Theory & Formal Thinking
• Systems & Hardware
• Applications
• Outside of CS

The set of six breadth courses must meet the following criteria.

• At least one course in each of the 3 CS categories, and at the 600 level or above.
• Normally no more than 2 courses in any category but students may petition to apply 3 in a category outside of their thesis research area(s).
• All 6 courses must have been taken as a graduate student. Courses taken at UNC that satisfy the guidelines for the set of breadth courses will be accepted automatically. The Graduate Studies Committee will consider courses taken at another graduate program, or equivalent professional experience, and/or graduate courses taken during undergraduate study, on a case by case basis (course waiver forms must be submitted for consideration).
• PhD Computer Science graduate students that have a non-CS background can petition  GSC  (with justification) in order to consider exceptions for the breadth requirement.
• At most 1 CS course in the set of 6 courses can be at the 500 level or COMP 455. (We may consider 2, by petition to the Grad Studies Committee, for students with non-CS backgrounds doing interdisciplinary research.) COMP 550 is not allowed to be in the set.
• The non-CS courses must support either the dissertation research or the field of computer science, and be at the 400 level or above. If the course is not on the standard list, it must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.

The student’s mastery of content will be determined by the course grade in the six courses satisfying the breadth requirement: a P- or better must be obtained in each course, and a Calingaert score of 0 or higher must be obtained on the six courses combined.

The Calingaert Score is a weighted average of course grades, where the weights are chosen so that a score of 0 reflects an average letter grade between a P+ and an H-. The weights for the letter grades are as follows:

For example, the Calingaert Score for three courses with letter grades P+, H-, and H would be (-1 + 1 + 3)/3 = +1.0 (assuming the three courses carry the same number of credit hours). The name recognizes Dr. Peter Calingaert, professor emeritus, who devised the measure when he was Director of Graduate Studies.

Background Preparation.  In addition, each student must demonstrate mastery of the subjects considered to be essential or required preparation for our graduate program. The following UNC courses define the required preparation for our program (for a more detailed description of course contents, consult the UNC course catalog).

Computer Science

• COMP 311 Computer Organization (offered as COMP 411 prior to Fall 2020)
• COMP 210 Data Structures (offered as COMP 410 prior to Fall 2020)
• COMP 550 Algorithms and Analysis
• COMP 421 Files and Databases
• COMP 520 Compilers
• COMP 530 Operating Systems
• COMP 524 Programming Language Concepts
• COMP 541 Digital Logic and Computer Design
• COMP 455 Models of Languages and Computation

Mathematics, Statistics, and Physics

• MATH 233 Calculus of Functions of Several Variables
• COMP 283 Discrete Structures or MATH 381 Discrete Mathematics
• MATH 347 Linear Algebra for Applications
• MATH 661 Scientific Computing I (Introduction to Numerical Analsis)
• STOR 435 Introduction to Probability

Typically most of this material will have been part of the student’s undergraduate education, but it is entirely normal to include one or more courses in the M.S. Program of Study to satisfy this requirement. Each student must detail their Background Preparation ( Form CS-01 ) showing when and where the material above was mastered. In case of uncertainty about the material required in a particular course, consult an instructor of the course or the instructor(s) of courses that include the material as a prerequisite.

The program advisor and the Graduate Studies Committee review background preparation. However, the advisor takes the primary responsibility for signing off on CS-01. For each required background, advisor will do one of the following:

Minor in Other Fields. The election of a minor field is optional and infrequent. Interested students can find more details under Graduate Program Policies .

Program Product Requirement

Each student is required to have programmed and documented a product-quality program product. A program product is a piece of software that is developed for the use of people other than the developer and for which there is evidence that it can be maintained by other developers after the initial developer is no longer working on it. This means that the student must demonstrate experience in the design, development, and documentation of a software product of significant size and complexity, preferably as part of a team. This requirement can be satisfied in one of the following ways.

• An undergraduate software engineering course, such as COMP 523 ,
• Graduate course programming assignments or projects at UNC,
• RA programming assignments at UNC, or
• the organization that you worked for has a software development process (this precludes, for example, a single person who asked you to build something)
• the requirements were given to you
• the software will be used by other people
• the code will be maintained by someone else after you completed it

The project options must be approved by two faculty members.  The student must file Form CS-13 to document completion of the requirement.

Preliminary Research Presentation And Exam

In the Department of Computer Science, the Comprehensive Paper Option of the Writing Requirement serves as the Doctoral Written Examination. It is identical to the written form of the M.S. Comprehensive Examination. If failed, the examination may be retaken, once only (except by petition).

The Department of Computer Science requires each PhD student to discuss their planned dissertation research with at least 3 potential members of their dissertation committee. This discussion is meant to precede the proposal-formulating phase and can be used to get preliminary feedback from the committee members on the planned research (as well as get the faculty member’s consent to serve on the dissertation committee).

After consulting with their advisors, students could choose to set up either individual meetings with the prospective committee members, or could schedule a group meeting with their advisors and committee members. In these meetings, students may want to briefly summarize their research to date and provide a brief overview of the planned future directions. Slides may be used to guide the discussion but are not required. This discussion is not expected to go into as much detail as a proposal meeting would. The CS-12 form is submitted after the discussion.

The Doctoral Oral examination may be taken by any student who has passed the Doctoral Written examination, and whose program of study has been approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.

The examination, normally two to three hours in length, will be administered by the student’s doctoral committee. The scope of the examination will be selected by the committee, which will inform the student in writing of its selection well in advance. The scope will be limited to testing areas of weakness identified on the Doctoral Written Examination, preparation for research, and subjects judged by the committee to be relevant to the area of the student’s dissertation. If, after passing the Doctoral Oral examination, the student undertakes dissertation research in a different area, the doctoral committee appointed for the new dissertation may require the student to take a further Doctoral Oral examination on the new area.

If failed, the examination may be retaken, once only (except by petition), after a lapse of at least three months ( GSH: Doctoral Degree Requirements ).

The candidate must present a dissertation constituting a worthwhile contribution to knowledge developed by the independent research of the candidate, meeting scholarly standards of organization, presentation, and literary merit, and prescribed standards of form ( GSH: Doctoral Degree Requirements  and the Graduate School document  Guide to Theses and Dissertations ). The advisor and at least two other members of the student’s committee will read carefully the entire dissertation.

Proposal. A cooperative meeting of the student with his or her doctoral committee will be held to discuss the feasibility of the student’s proposed research. At least one week before meeting, the student shall submit to the committee a brief written dissertation proposal defining the scope of the proposed research and the planned method of attack on the research problem. The committee will either approve or reject the plan at this meeting. The student is responsible for arranging the time and place of the meeting. The meeting can either precede or follow the Doctoral Oral examination, by either a short or a long interval, at the discretion of the student and committee. The student is expected to call a committee meeting at least every six months to discuss the progress of the dissertation.

Committee Composition.  The student’s doctoral committee consists of at least five persons, a majority of whom must be regular members of the COMP Graduate Faculty. Other committee members may be faculty from other institutions, scholars from industry, or others whose expertise is relevant to the dissertation ( GSH: Doctoral Degree Requirements ). At least one committee member must hold the rank of Associate Professor or higher. The student names the committee by submitting the “Report of Doctoral Committee Composition” form. For each proposed committee member who is not on the Graduate Faculty, a curriculum vitae  should be submitted with the Report of Doctoral Committee Composition form to the Student Services Manager. The dissertation adviser serves as committee chair, unless the adviser is not a COMP faculty member, in which event a COMP faculty member serves as chair.

The student must register for at least six credit hours of dissertation, COMP 994 ( GSH: Registration ).

The Final Oral examination normally consists of a public dissertation defense confined to the subject area of the dissertation. The student presents his or her research for 50 minutes; questions follow from the committee and from the audience. If the committee feels it necessary, it may supplement the dissertation defense by a private examination on other material. Before the defense can take place, the adviser and at least two other members of the student’s committee must agree that the dissertation is in substantially finished form. The defense should be announced at least two weeks in advance. The student must apply by the deadline to the Graduate School for award of the degree ( GSH: Graduation ).

Residence Credit.   Four semesters of residence credit must be earned. At least two of these must be earned by continuous registration for no fewer than six semester hours per regular semester or summer session, although registration during the summer is not required for continuity ( GSH: Residence Credit ). The residence credit hour requirement requires UNC-CH registration (i.e., no transfer credit). Note that a semester in residence is not identical to a semester of residence  credit.

• Details of Residence Credit Computation

Time Limit.  All requirements for the Ph.D. must be completed within eight calendar years from the date of the student’s first classification as a doctoral student by the Graduate School, whether in Computer Science or in another graduate program.

If a student is admitted directly to doctoral study, as indicated in the letter offering admission, the eight years begin upon first registration. If a student is permitted by faculty vote to  bypass the M.S. degree , or to  continue beyond the M.S. degree , the eight years begin at the start of the regular term or summer session that immediately follows the faculty vote or that in which the M.S. is conferred.

Although the department tries to keep track of degree time limits, the Graduate School’s interpretation is controlling, and students are responsible for meeting the time limits.

As much as two years of time spent in active military service, the Peace Corps, or VISTA will not be counted against the time limit, provided that the Graduate School is informed. Also, a student may request a leave of absence for a definite, stated time, not to exceed one year. If the Department and Graduate School approve, the duration of the leave is not counted against the time limit ( GSH: Doctoral Degree Requirements ).

COMP 915: Each student must take COMP 915. For students interested in teaching a course in the department, they must have completed this course before they can be assigned for teaching.

Each student is strongly urged, but not required, to spend at least one summer in employment as a professional computer scientist.

A doctoral written examination, a doctoral oral examination, and a final oral examination covering the dissertation and other topics as required by the examining committee must be passed. Students must be registered the semester(s) in which exams are taken. Students must be registered for COMP 994 (minimum of three credit hours) in the semester in which the dissertation is defended ( GSH: Registration ).

If degree requirements change during a student’s stay in the Department, the student has the option of continuing under the old rules or switching and satisfying all the new rules. In other words, the student can elect any point in time during his or her stay in the Department and satisfy all the rules in effect at that point.

An exception to any rule may be requested for cause by petition. Decisions made by individual faculty members or by committees may be appealed to the Department faculty as a whole.

Doctoral students are expected to contribute to department outreach efforts by volunteering to demonstrate research projects or engage with visitors during community outreach events. Students are encouraged to contribute three to six hours of outreach per academic year.

The following schedule represents typical progress toward the Ph.D. degree. Failure to complete certain milestones may result in a student being deemed as making unsatisfactory progress and could impact funding.

By the end of semester 3

• Complete the Preliminary Research Presentation or apply for a PRP waiver.

By the end of semester 4

• Gain admission to PhD candidacy through PRP and faculty vote.

By the end of semester 5

• Discuss research plan with at least three (potential) committee members; submit Form CS-12 .

By the end of semester 6

• Name the remaining members of the doctoral committee (Graduate School form).
• Submit Plan of Study ( Form CS-06 ) with background preparation ( Form CS-01 ) approved by the committee.

By the end of semester 7

• Submit a dissertation proposal to the committee; hold meeting for approval of proposal  or
• Pass the Doctoral Oral examination.

By the end of semester 8

• Submit dissertation proposal  and  pass the Doctoral Oral examination.
• Apply for Admission to Candidacy for a Doctoral Degree (Graduate School form).

At any time

• Satisfy the program product requirement; submit Form CS-13 .
• Submit course waiver forms as appropriate.

Every six months after approval of the dissertation proposal

• Meet with the committee to discuss dissertation progress.

By the end of semester 10

• When dissertation is in substantially finished form, announce dissertation defense, giving two weeks’ notice.
• Pass Final Oral examination (dissertation defense).
• Submit completed and signed dissertation to the Graduate School.

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Department of Philosophy

Introduction

The principal goal of the study of philosophy is to enable students to think more clearly, deeply, and appreciatively about themselves and their world. Study of philosophy enhances analytical, critical, and interpretive capacities that are applicable to any subject matter in almost any context. It provides many opportunities for expressing oneself, for reflecting on questions that human beings have pondered for millennia, for exchanging reasoned beliefs and engaging in focused debate, and for learning how to come to terms with problems for which there are no easy answers. A good philosophical education also helps to prepare students for responsible and intelligent participation in political and community affairs.

The most important outcome of philosophical study is the ability to engage in thinking that is at once disciplined and imaginatively creative. While such thinking lies at the heart of the philosophical enterprise, it is also needed for success in any complex intellectual or practical endeavor. Philosophy’s attention to critical thought, rigorous argument, and articulate expression makes the philosophical curriculum absolutely central to a liberal education and valuable as a basis for further training in a variety of pursuits.

Examples of philosophical questions are:

• How should we understand truth, existence, validity, fact, value, and free will?
• What are the principles or presuppositions of science, language, political systems, and religious and moral views?
• What is the nature of a person, of space and time, of a work of art?
• What is the wisdom of the past on these enduring questions? How do Western traditions differ from Eastern ones on these questions? And how do these historical approaches relate to our own, contemporary ones?

Students are encouraged to view philosophy not as a specialized, esoteric discipline, but instead as an activity integral to a liberal arts education, helping students to think more cogently and appreciatively about themselves and their world.

PHIL 101 , PHIL 110 , or PHIL 112 is recommended as a first course for those interested in philosophical issues and their cultural significance and for those who wish to examine a broad range of philosophical topics, problems, or historical figures. Other good starting points are PHIL 155 , which deals with logic and the analysis of argument; PHIL 160 , which deals with moral thought and experience; and PHIL 150 , which deals with the concepts, methods, and foundations of the biological and physical sciences.

PHIL 155 is recommended for all students who major or minor in philosophy.

All majors and minors have a primary academic advisor from the Academic Advising Program . Students are strongly encouraged to meet regularly with their advisor and review their Tar Heel Tracker each semester. The department’s director of undergraduate studies works with current and prospective majors by appointment (see contact information above). Departmental academic advising is particularly important for those majors who are considering going on to graduate school. Further information on courses, undergraduate research opportunities, the honors program, careers, and graduate schools may be obtained from the department’s website . A brief video with information about the philosophy major is available here .

Graduate School and Career Opportunities

A major in philosophy offers excellent preparation for many careers in which clear thinking and analytical ability are valued. Some majors choose to pursue graduate work in philosophy in preparation for college or university teaching (Ph.D. normally required), but the philosophy major also provides the form of rigorous and systematic intellectual training that is of crucial importance in law, medicine, business, and other fields.

• Philosophy Major, B.A.
• Philosophy Minor
• Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) Minor

Graduate Programs

• M.A. in Philosophy
• Ph.D. in Philosophy

Distinguished Professors

Marc Lange, C.D.C. Reeve, Geoffrey Sayre-McCord.

Luc Bovens, Thomas Dougherty, Thomas Hofweber, Markus Kohl, Matthew Kotzen, Mariska Leunissen, Ram Neta, James Pryor, John T. Roberts, Sarah Stroud, Rebecca Walker, Alexander Worsnip.

Assistant Professors

Rosalind Chaplin, Simone Gubler, Carla Merino-Rajme, Daniel Muñoz, Margaret Shea.

Teaching Assistant Professors

William Zev Berger, Samuel Dishaw, Samuel Fullhart, Rory Hanlon, Gerard Rothfus, Michael Vazquez.

Professors Emeriti

Bernard Boxill, Thomas E. Hill Jr., William G. Lycan, Douglas MacLean, Stanley Munsat, Alan Nelson, Gerald J. Postema, Michael D. Resnik, Robert D. Vance, Susan Wolf.

PHIL–Philosophy

Courses numbered below 199 have no prerequisites. These serve as suitable first courses in philosophy for many students, as do some courses below 299, in particular PHIL 210 , PHIL 213 ,  PHIL 230 , PHIL 266 , and PHIL 280 . Courses numbered 101 to 120 are general survey courses. (Non-majors, please note that PHIL 155  satisfies the quantitative reasoning General Education requirement.) Courses numbered 130 to 290 are oriented toward particular problems or topics. For instance, courses numbered 210 to 229 concern the history of philosophy. Courses numbered 300 to 399 are designed for advanced undergraduates and majors and carry a prerequisite of one course in philosophy. (Some may carry additional prerequisites.) Courses numbered between 400 and 699 are for advanced undergraduates as well as graduate students. Detailed information on upcoming courses is available on the department’s website .

Please note that not all courses are offered on a regular basis. For information on which courses are most likely to be offered in a given year or semester, please contact the department’s director of undergraduate studies.

Undergraduate-level Courses

Socrates is the quintessential philosopher--a man for all seasons, a foundational figure of the West.

Students will read some of the most important philosophical reflections of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Students will explore a variety of issues that arise when human beings begin to reflect on our own natures and will be introduced to main theories that have been developed. Honors version available.

What is time? Do the past and the future exist, or only the present? Is the "flow of time" an objective feature of reality?

Paradoxes have been a driving force in philosophy since the fourth century BCE. They force us to rethink old ideas and conceptions.

A general philosophical discussion of the value of life, the evil in death, and the wrongness of killing.

The goal of the course is to get a mature and correct understanding of race, racism, and affirmative action.

This course will explore the ethical dimensions of the responses to evil that we have developed over history. Revenge, retribution, reparation; hatred, resentment, forgiveness; punishment, pardon, mercy.

We will examine efforts in the history of philosophy to prove that God exists or that God does not exist. Our aim is to articulate and understand some of the underlying philosophical issues that are raised by these proofs and arguments. Honors version available.

This seminar examines Plato's philosophical and literary masterpiece, The Symposium, and its influence on later artists and writers: we explore the Symposium itself, the ways in which the Symposium influenced later European artists and writers, and the importance of the Platonic view of love and beauty for modern artists and writers. Honors version available.

Novels, memoirs, and aisles of self-help books attest to our desire to transform ourselves. Yet, the idea of self-transformation is puzzling. In this class, we will critically examine the idea of aspiration and transformation.

This seminar is designed to give students a unique, experiential perspective on philosophical inquiry by combining the philosophical study of ethics with virtual service in the community. We will examine philosophical questions about childhood and engage in philosophical interactions with children about a range of philosophical topics, with an emphasis on ethics and human values. Students perform 30 hours of service at a local K-5 school.

What are minds and how are they related to bodies?

This seminar introduces several of the central problems in philosophy through reflection on the nature of mathematics.

This seminar examines theoretical issues, relativism, utilitarianism, deontological ethics, and virtue ethics.

This seminar examines ethical issues in sports, including Title IX, gender equity, racism, sexism, cheating, violence, and drug use.

This course will explore the meaning of basic moral concepts as they are understood in philosophy, science, and art. Honors version available.

This course uses insights and techniques from philosophy, politics, and economics to answer questions like: What makes a modern civilization possible? How can our societies continue to improve? What role do property rights, markets, and political action play in creating flourishing civilizations? How do we address environmental degradation, distributive justice, and economic exploitation? Our answers will draw from rational choice theory, utility theory, game theory, public choice economics, etc. Course is limited to PPE minors.

What is evil? Who, if anyone, is responsible for it? How different are evil people from the rest of us? How should we respond to them? The course will explore the nature of evil through philosophy, nonfiction, fiction, and film.

This course will examine whether our belief in freedom of action is compatible with the modern picture of ourselves. Honors version available.

Is man's reason a powerful thing: if one had knowledge or belief about something that should be done, would that be enough to position one to do it?

This course explores both old and new questions regarding death. It will examine the presuppositions and cogency of the classical religious-philosophical conception of death.

In this seminar we will examine a number of constitutions and try to determine what makes a constitution better or worse, and when it makes sense to borrow constitutional principles from other countries. We will also try our hand at designing a constitution.

We will read short stories and social science articles that address social problems such as child-rearing; social mobility; mass incarceration and race; the opiate crisis; tradition versus science. Students will explore the different ways in which literature, the humanities and the social sciences construct issues of social relevance, the opportunities and limits of these constructions, and what might be gained by using each to understand and respond to these issues.

The arguments by which Galileo and his contemporaries defended the Copernican model of the solar system puzzle philosophers even today. Honors version available.

An introduction to the topic of personal identity, focused on epistemological, ethical, and metaphysical themes. The course examines what personal identity over time consists in, whether and how we can know such identity, under what conditions our personal identity is liable to change, and what this implies for our values and projects.

Special Topics Course. Content will vary each semester.

An introduction to philosophy focusing on a few central problems, for example: free will, the basis of morality, the nature and limits of knowledge, and the existence of God. Honors version available.

This course introduces students to the experience of thinking like philosophers and aims at developing students' capacity to think carefully and critically about philosophical arguments. The central skills to be practiced are those involved in productive philosophical discussion. The course emphasizes how philosophy is and has been done through dialogue, that philosophical claims must be tested against the objections of one's fellow thinkers, and how philosophical disagreement can lead to productive insights.

A course on how to identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments by other people and how to construct arguments. Topics include argument reconstruction, informal logic, fallacies, introductory formal logic, probabilistic reasoning.

An introduction to philosophy focusing on several great books from the history of Western philosophy. See course description at the department's website for which books will be covered each semester. Honors version available.

This course provides an introduction to world philosophies through close readings of philosophical texts attributed to or written by women in different time-periods from across the globe. We will practice the art of reading, understanding, and philosophically engaging with great historical works of philosophy while also examining the political inequalities, social structures, and contemporary practices from within which these women philosophers wrote and were trying to make their voices heard.

An examination of some of the most influential attempts to understand human beings, their lives, and their moral and political values. Authors may include Plato, Aristotle, and Nietzsche. Honors version available.

A philosophical inquiry into the problems of religious experience and belief, as expressed in philosophic, religious, and literary documents from traditional and contemporary sources. Honors version available.

An examination of questions about knowledge, evidence, and rational belief as they arise in areas of social life such as democratic politics, the law, science, religion, and education. Honors version available.

This course investigates philosophical issues arising from advanced forms of technology, in particular artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and biological augmentation. We will consider questions about the dangers and benefits of AI, survival in non-biological ways, moral constraints on AI, the relationship between human and machine morality, and others. Honors version available.

An examination of the differences between natural human languages and other communication systems. Includes a philosophical inquiry into how languages relate to the world and the mind. Honors version available.

What is distinctive about the kind of knowledge called "science"? What is scientific explanation? How are scientific theories related to empirical evidence? Honors version available.

How do social sciences explain human actions? Are there social facts over and above facts about various individuals? Do values enter into social science?

Introduces the theory of deductive reasoning, using a symbolic language to represent and evaluate patterns of reasoning. Covers sentential logic and first-order predicate logic. Honors version available.

A broader discussion of practical reasoning, including inductive and deductive logic, which provides a good introduction to decision and game theory that is important for the social sciences, especially economics. Honors version available.

Exploration of different philosophical perspectives about right and wrong, personal character, justice, moral reasoning, and moral conflicts. Readings drawn from classic or contemporary sources. Critical discussion emphasized. Honors version available.

Topics may include war, medical ethics, media ethics, sexual ethics, business ethics, racism, sexism, capital punishment, and the environment. Honors version available.

An examination of business ethics and the types of ethical dilemmas people may face in business practices.

An examination of ethical issues in the life sciences and technologies, medicine, public health, and/or human interaction with nonhuman animals or the living environment. Honors version available.

An examination of major issues in political philosophy, e.g., liberty, individual rights, social responsibility, legal authority, civil authority, civil disobedience. Readings include classical and contemporary writings. Honors version available.

A course on philosophical issues related to laughter and humor. Historical and contemporary philosophical theories of humor; connections between traditional issues in aesthetics and humor; moral questions about humor, such as what is involved in a joke being racist/sexist/homophobic; and connections between jokes and various epistemological fallacies.

The nature of art and artworks and their aesthetic appraisal. Honors version available.

The emergence of philosophy in Greece during the sixth century BCE and its development during the classical period. The major figures studied are the Pre-Socratic philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Honors version available.

This course studies through the examination of several infamous, ignored, or otherwise uncharted Ancient Greek texts the views about gender and race as presented in ancient Greek philosophy, medicine, and science. Our aims are to generate a new understanding of how the male elite used such views to further promote or justify (or perhaps challenge) the existing marginalization and silencing of women, foreigners, and less privileged men.

An examination of some of the philosophical traditions of Asia. Possible topics include Advaita Vedanta, Nyaya-Vaisheshika, Madhyamaka Buddhism, neo-Confucianism, Mohism, and philosophical Taoism.

A survey of medieval philosophy from Augustine through Ockham. Topics: God and the world, faith and reason, knowledge and reality, the problem of universals. Additional main authors: Anselm, Aquinas, Duns Scotus.

A study of some major philosophical works from this period, including works by authors such as Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Leibniz, Hume, and/or Kant. Honors version available.

A survey of European philosophers in the phenomenological and existentialist traditions. Philosophers studied may include Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus. Honors version available.

An exploration of the distinctively American approaches to philosophy from Jonathan Edwards to the present.

An introductory survey of British and Continental philosophy in the 20th century.

Topics in metaphysics and/or epistemology, such as: Is your mind different from your brain? Is it possible for us to know anything about the external world? Do we have free will? What distinguishes reasonable from unreasonable belief? Honors version available.

This course examines the role that inductive logic plays in scientific reasoning. Questions to be considered include: Are scientific theories distinguished from pseudoscience by being testable against our observations? Can we prove our best scientific theories to be true? Are we justified in making predictions about the future on the basis of past observations? The course examines these and other questions about confirming scientific theories by using the apparatus provided by the probability calculus.

Ethics Bowl provides a unique experiential opportunity for students to apply theory to practical global issues. Students will prepare cases to present locally and at Ethics Bowl competition. Permission of the instructor.

In the near future, our taxis will be driver-less, our wars will be fought by autonomous drones, and our towns will be kept safe by algorithms foreseeing crimes. This course explores the ethical implications of this new technological revolution and invites students to debate the challenges it engenders. We will debate how new technologies ought to be governed and what limits should be imposed on their implementation.

An analysis of the moral significance of sports, the nature of sport and competition, and issues such as racism, gender equity, violence, and performance-enhancing drugs.

An analysis of ethical issues that arise in peace, war, and defense, e.g., the legitimacy of states, just war theory, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction.

This course will focus on justice and the common good, applying theoretical justifications to contemporary social and economic issues. Readings will include classical and contemporary literature on the nature of justice and rights. Honors version available.

Race, identity, discrimination, multiculturalism, affirmative action, and slave reparations in the writings of Walker, Delany, Douglass, Cooper, DuBois, King, and Malcolm X. Honors version available.

A survey of feminist perspectives on topics such as the meaning of oppression, sexism and racism, sex roles and stereotypes, ideals of female beauty, women in the workplace, pornography, rape. Honors version available.

This course studies how (oftentimes implicit) ideological commitments shape our culture and our social reality. We will explore the Marxist tradition and the Frankfurt School Critical Theory, as well as contemporary applications and critiques of ideology in thinkers such as Jaeggi, Fraser, Shelby, and Haslanger.

Explores issues in legal philosophy such as, What is law? Does it serve justice or undermine it? Can punishment be justified? When is a person responsible? Honors version available.

The philosophy of human rights addresses questions about the existence, content, nature, universality, justification, and legal status of human rights. The strong claims made on behalf of human rights frequently provoke skeptical doubts and countering philosophical defenses. These will be addressed through classical and contemporary history of philosophy.

A critical examination of the moral and philosophical issues in education: What does it mean to be well educated? What is a liberal education? Honors version available.

Permission of the instructor. This course combines on-campus structured learning with substantial on-site field work incorporating philosophy into the primary and/or secondary school curriculum. Philosophy subjects and school partners will vary by semester.

This is a high-impact service-learning course that aims to promote experiential learning in philosophy by combining traditional elements of classroom study with service in the community (HI-SERVICE). Students will have the unique opportunity to teach and learn philosophy alongside older adults in the Triangle area, thereby integrating the academic study of philosophy with community engagement.

An examination of general theories of the nature of reality. What kinds of things exist? What are space, time, and causation? Are abstract entities (such as numbers) real?

What is knowledge and how does it relate to belief, justification, and truth? What makes beliefs reasonable or irrational? Can skepticism be defeated?

The mind-body problem, the nature of thinking, the puzzles of consciousness, and the qualitative character of felt experience.

Survey of major topics in contemporary philosophy of language. Topics may include truth and meaning, speech acts, reference, descriptions, names, and demonstratives.

Topics may include the nature of space and time, the ontological status of fields and energy, or causation and locality in quantum physics. Honors version available.

Philosophical issues raised by biological theories, which may include the logical structure of evolutionary theory, fitness, taxonomy, the notion of a living thing, reductionism, evolutionary explanations, or teleology.

Philosophical questions raised by linguistics, computer science, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. Topics may include the innateness of language, artificial intelligence, and the neural correlates of consciousness. Honors version available.

An interdisciplinary course on the weirdness of quantum mechanics and the problem of interpreting it. Nonlocality, the measurement problem, superpositions, Bohm's theory, collapse theories, and the many-worlds interpretation.

Quantificational logic with identity; basic meta-theory; modal logic.

Current accounts of evidence and observation, the confirmation of scientific theories, the logic of inductive reasoning, and the metaphysics and epistemology of chance.

PHIL 160 recommended. Major developments in the history of moral philosophy, from Plato to Nietzsche. Honors version available.

Using 20th- and 21st-century texts, this course explores some general questions about morality in depth. For example, Is there moral truth? Are any moral rules absolute? Why be moral? Honors version available.

Recommended preparation, at least one course in ethics ( PHIL 160 , 163 , or 170 ) or one course in economics. Issues at the intersection of ethics and economics, including value; the relation between values and preferences; rationality; the relevance to economics of rights, justice, and the value of human life.

The meaning of environmental values and their relation to other values; the ethical status of animals, species, wilderness, and ecosystems; the built environment; environmental justice; ecofeminism; obligations to future generations.

Advanced discussion of competing philosophical approaches to questions of justice, authority, freedom, rights, and the like, including libertarianism, liberalism, communitarianism, Marxism, and feminism.

An examination of how philosophical issues are explored in the medium of film. Honors version available.

One course in economics strongly recommended. This interdisciplinary gateway course provides an introduction to subjects and quantitative techniques used to analyze problems in philosophy, political science, and economics. Honors version available.

Intensive exploration and discussion of selected topics in philosophy. Honors version available.

This is a capstone course in ethics designed for Parr Center Ethics Scholars completing the Mentored Research capstone project. The seminar will provide a collaborative learning space that will facilitate each student's independent research and writing. This course will begin with survey of major themes in practical ethics before transitioning to a thematically focused study of topics based on the research interests of the students in the course.

This is a philosophical research course for anyone with some background in philosophy and an interest in the topic. Special emphasis is placed on giving students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a research project that leads to an original final research paper.

Permission of the instructor. See the director of undergraduate studies of the department.

This course is designed to approximate the experience of a graduate seminar in philosophy. The course topic is different each year; class meetings are discussion-based and focused on developing professional writing and research skills. Recommended for all majors and minors.

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

An examination of some representative works of Aristotle, with reference to common emphases and basic problems, together with an analysis of their philosophic content. The aim to provide students with a more thorough understanding of the key texts, doctrines, notions, and ideas in Aristotle's philosophy as a whole and with the capacities and confidence to conduct a short, independent, ancient philosophical research project on Aristotle's philosophy.

An examination of some representative works in the context of contemporary scholarship.

An intensive study of some medieval philosophical author (e.g., Aquinas, Scotus, or Ockham) or topic (e.g., arguments for the existence of God, universals, knowledge of individuals).

An in-depth study of such rationalist philosophers as Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz.

An in-depth study of such empiricist philosophers as Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.

An intensive introduction to Kant's accounts of space, time, concepts, perception, substance, causation, and the thinking self through a careful study of his masterwork, The Critique of Pure Reason.

This course studies closely Kant's practical philosophy, dedicated to understanding and assessing the answers that Kant gives to classic questions of practical philosophy, such as: What does morality demand from us? What is the morally right course of action? Is morality objective? Do moral norms depend on God?

This course examines the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, covering all three conventionally recognized periods of his philosophy in chronological sequence, tracing the historical and philosophical development of his views from the early Birth of Tragedy to the late Twilight of Idols. The main question we will face when studying all these different writings is how Nietzsche tries to solve the problem of nihilism. Completion of one previous PHIL course preferred.

In-depth study of Hegel's systematic philosophy emphasizing its roots in Kant's critical philosophy. Primary focus on Phenomenology of Spirit, supplemented by selections from the Encyclopedia and Philosophy of Right.

An in-depth study of American contributions to philosophy, including for example the transcendentalists, the pragmatists, Quine, Rorty, and others.

Frege, Russell, Moore, and Wittgenstein among others are considered.

Two courses in philosophy other than PHIL 155 strongly recommended. Recent work in epistemology and metaphysics.

At least two courses in philosophy other than PHIL 155 , including PHIL 340 , strongly recommended. An examination of dualism, behaviorism, the identity theory, and forms of functionalism with special focus on the problems of mental aboutness and the problems of consciousness.

This course focuses on advanced philosophical issues tied to artificial intelligence. We will discuss a number of topics concerning how to understand contemporary AI systems, their limits and advantages, as well as the risks and benefits of their application and deployment in real life situations.

At least two courses in philosophy other than PHIL 155 , including PHIL 345 , strongly recommended. A study of important contemporary contributions in philosophy of language. Topics include meaning, reference, and truth.

An in-depth survey of general issues in contemporary philosophy of natural science intended for advanced philosophy students. Topics include confirmation, explanation, theory-choice, realism, reduction.

Topics may include the nature of space and time, the ontological status of fields and energy, or causation and locality in quantum physics.

The logical structure of evolutionary theory, fitness, taxonomy, the notion of a living thing, reductionism, evolutionary explanations, teleology.

Topics may include reasoning, the relationship between language and thought, concepts, moral cognition, and emotions.

The nature of historical explanation, structural and functional explanation, the weighing of historical testimony, the concept of meaning, normative judgments and predictions in the social sciences.

Introduction for graduates and advanced undergraduates.

Presupposes propositional and quantificational logic as a basis of further deductive development with special attention to selected topics: alternative systems, modal and deontic logic, inductive logic, the grammar of formalized languages, paradoxes, and foundations of mathematics.

Natural and real numbers. Infinite cardinal and ordinal numbers. Alternative axiom systems and their consistency problems.

In a variety of subfields of philosophy, philosophers have found formal techniques to be useful tools for making progress on important philosophical questions. These subfields include, but are not limited to: metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, ethics, and political philosophy. This course is a general introduction to some of the formal tools that have been most influential in these fields.

Philosophical problems concerning logic and the foundation of mathematics.

Examination of classic texts of Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hobbes, Butler, Hume, Kant, and Mill. Selections may vary from year to year.

Advanced discussion of moral issues such as fact and value, reason and morality, the nature of morality.

Two courses in philosophy other than PHIL 155 strongly recommended. A detailed examination of one or more of the following contemporary issues: environmental ethics, animal rights, abortion, euthanasia, pornography, racism, sexism, public versus private morality.

An intensive study of classic and recent work on the nature of moral responsibility and its relationship to blame (and praise).

One course in philosophy strongly recommended. Medical students welcome. The course will focus on the question of how scarce health care resources ought to be distributed in order to meet the demands of justice.

One additional course in philosophy strongly recommended. The course examines attitudes toward risk and how they affect our preferences for different public policies in the areas of environmental protection, technology regulation, and workplace and product safety.

Two courses in philosophy other than PHIL 155 , including PHIL 170 or 370 , strongly recommended. Explores the foundations of justice and authority in the idea of contract or covenant, the nature of law, rights, liberty, and democracy in the work of Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Rousseau.

An examination of central issues in social and political philosophy as they figure in the work of 19th Century Philosophy.

One course in philosophy other than PHIL 155 strongly recommended. The issue of unity and diversity in America is analyzed through the writings of Jefferson, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, Calhoun, MacKinnon, DuBois, and Rawls.

This course traces the emergence and development of central themes of modern political philosophy from the 13th through the 17th century.

Examines in greater depth and complexity one or more of the issues addressed in PHIL 275 , investigating issues of gender, race, and class within the dominant theories of philosophy.

Two courses in philosophy other than PHIL 155 , including PHIL 370 , strongly recommended. Investigation of major contemporary contributors (Rawls, Nozick, Dworkin, Cohen, Waldron, Arrow) to philosophical debate concerning justice, equality, liberty, democracy, public reason, or rights versus community.

An exploration of whether and under what conditions the state has the right to control crime by punishment of past crimes and preventive detention to prevent future crimes.

Philosophical readings of literary texts, including novels, plays, and poems.

Competing theories of art and art criticism. The relationship between art and emotional expression, the formal character of art, and standards of taste.

Interdisciplinary course to develop critical thinking capacities through philosophical study of the nature of scientific presuppositions and concepts, including events, causality, and determinism, with specific application to health care issues.

A study of one or two major systematic works by Sartre, Heidegger, or Merleau-Ponty.

Permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Advanced independent work in philosophy.

Ethics explores obligations to act in the interest of others as well as ourselves. Justice explores the ways people should organize and govern themselves. Course addresses such questions as, What principles govern our relationships with other people? What do we owe others and ourselves? How should we treat other people?

Permission of the director of undergraduate studies. See the director of undergraduate studies of the department.

Permission of the department. This capstone course advances PHIL 384 , focusing on such theoretical and philosophical issues as the analysis of rights or distributive justice and the institutional implications of moral forms.

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• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Events Calendar
• Thursday, September 26

PPE Speaker Series: "What Voting Cannot Be" with Daniel Wodak (University of Pennsylvania)

Thursday, September 26, 2024 6:30pm to 7:45pm

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About this Event

240 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC

Abstract : In  Sovereign Virtue , Ronald Dworkin wrote “Almost everyone assumes that democracy means equal voting power”. If anything like that is true, much hangs on how we understand voting power. The standard account is that your voting power is the probability that your vote changes the outcome given that each possible combination of votes is equally probable. This account has dramatic implications. Most famously, it implies that the US Electoral College and EU Council of Ministers are significantly biased in favor of large states. But the standard account of voting power cannot be true. As an “a priori” account, it is known to rest on the principle of indifference. But as such, it faces the familiar problem of multiple partitions. We could give an equal probability to each possible  combination of votes  (I vote Red, you vote Blue…) or to each possible  vote share  (Red wins all votes, Red wins all votes but one…). This problem generates a dilemma: either any a priori account of voting power is arbitrary, or the only non-arbitrary account of voting power systematically departs from the standard view, and generates very different practical implications for systems like the Electoral College.

Please join us for this free lecture, open to the public, with Q&A to follow. Pizza will be provided after the event!

Speaker Bio: Daniel Wodak is an Associate Professor of Philosophy  at the University of Pennsylvania . He also has a secondary appointment from the  Penn Law School , and is an Associate Director of Penn’s  Institute for Law and Philosophy .

Wodak finished his PhD in  Philosophy at Princeton  in 2016. From 2016 to 2019 he was an Assistant Professor in  the Philosophy Department at Virginia Tech .

Daniel works broadly in moral, legal, social and political philosophy. He won the Marc Sanders Prize  for Political Philosophy in 2023 , and the Marc Sanders Prize  for Metaethics in 2019 .

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