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G-PHIL-PHD - Philosophy - PhD

Degree designation.

Our doctoral program offers considerable flexiblity; individual programs of study are developed for each student. Students may also take advantage of cooperative program to work in the Philosophy Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Students may, after taking a balanced program, specialize in any of the following fields: the history of philosophy (from ancient to twentieth century analytic), epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, the philosophical foundations of cognitive science, moral psychology, normative ethics, metaethics, political philosophy, Chinese philosophy, philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, philosophy of social science, philosophy of law, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophical logic.

Individual programs of study are developed for each student. Prior to being admitted to candidacy for the PhD, the student must successfully complete fifteen courses distributed among five subject areas and pass an exam on a future research statement as well as a preliminary examination on the dissertation proposal. In satisfying these requirements, students are expected to demonstrate both factual knowledge and critical understanding. Work in a minor or related field, not necessarily confined to any one department, is encouraged but not required.

If a student’s dissertation is devoted to any considerable extent to an author, that student must be able to read the author’s works in the original language/s. Reading knowledge is demonstrated by either (1) receiving at least a grade of B in French 2, German 2, Greek 2, Latin 2, or other language course that the director of graduate studies has approved in advance, or (2) passing a departmentally administered translation exam.

The JD/PhD is offered by the department in cooperation with the Duke Law School. JD/PhD students must apply for admission to both the Duke Law School and The Graduate School. Students must combine relevant coursework in philosophy with full-time work toward a law degree.

A terminal degree of master of arts may be earned by a PhD student who decides not to continue with doctoral studies and who meets the requirements of The Graduate School for the MA. Such a student must pass an oral master’s examination, which may be the defense of a master’s thesis or an alternative academic exercise approved by the department.

For more information, visit philosophy.duke.edu . To inquire about the JD/PhD program, applicants should contact the Duke Law School directly.

Duke University PhD in Philosophy

How much does a doctorate in philosophy from duke cost, duke graduate tuition and fees.

Does Duke Offer an Online PhD in Philosophy?

Duke doctorate student diversity for philosophy, male-to-female ratio.

Of the students who received their doctor’s degree in philosophy in 2019-2020, 25.0% of them were women. This is about the same as the countrywide number of 26.0%.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

Around 50.0% of philosophy doctor’s degree recipients at Duke in 2019-2020 were awarded to racial-ethnic minorities*. This is higher than the nationwide number of 15%.

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Compare your school options.

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The Divinity School offers the  Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) program , which provides students with academically rigorous training that is comparable to the demands of the Ph.D.

Qualified applicants who desire to pursue studies leading to the  Ph.D. in religion , under the administration of the  Graduate School , are advised to apply to the  Duke Graduate Program in Religion .

Inquiries concerning fellowships or specific requirements of the Graduate Program in Religion may be addressed to:

Director, Graduate Program in Religion Duke University 209 Gray Bldg. Box 90964 Durham, NC 27708-0964 (919) 660-3512

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Ph.D. in Classical Studies

General info.

• Faculty working with students: 12 primary, 4 affiliated
• Students: 16
• Students receiving Financial Aid: 100%
• Part time study available: No
• Application Terms: Fall
• Application Deadline: December 20

Joshua Sosin Director of Graduate Studies Department of Classical Studies Duke University Box 90103 Durham, NC 27708-0103

Phone: (919) 681-4292

Email:  [email protected]

Website:  http://classicalstudies.duke.edu/graduate

Program Description

The department sponsors work across many aspects of the study of the ancient Mediterranean, including Greek and Latin literature,  history, philosophy, art, and archeology. Successful applicants to the Ph.D. track in Literature or in History must have at least three years of one ancient language (Greek and Latin), and at least two of the other; successful applicants to the Ph.D. track in Archaeology must have at least three years of one ancient language (Latin or Greek). We have a strong, balanced program in literary, historical, cultural, and archaeological studies, including special expertise in documentary studies-- papyrology, palaeography, and epigraphy. Our department is an integral part of both Duke's Center for Late Ancient Studies and Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Resources for Classical Studies include large collections of ancient Greek papyri and medieval Greek and Latin manuscripts, the Rostovtzeff-Welles library, and the Duke Immersive Environment and other virtual reality labs, and the Classical Collection of Greek and Roman Art in the Nasher Museum of Art. We participate in the programs of the American Academy in Rome and the American School in Athens; many students spend a year or a summer at one or the other. Students in our program are able, through course work, directed research, and their own teaching, to prepare for careers within the academy as broadly trained classical scholars and also to prepare for equally valued careers outside the academy through Duke’s robust programming for humanities Ph.Ds and through departmental programming and alumni networks.

• Classical Studies: PhD Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
• Classical Studies: PhD Completion Rate Statistics
• Classical Studies: PhD Time to Degree Statistics
• Classical Studies: PhD Career Outcomes Statistics

Application Information

Application Terms Available:  Fall

Application Deadline:  December 20

Graduate School Application Requirements See the Application Instructions page for important details about each Graduate School requirement.

• Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts required with application submission; official transcripts required upon admission
• Letters of Recommendation: 3 Required
• Statement of Purpose: Required
• Résumé: Required
• GRE Scores: GRE General (Optional)
• English Language Exam: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required* for applicants whose first language is not English *test waiver may apply for some applicants
• GPA: Undergraduate GPA calculated on 4.0 scale required

Department-Specific Application Requirements (submitted through online application)

Statement of Purpose Guidelines The Statement of Purpose is a fundamentally different genre than the kind of Personal Statement you wrote in applications for undergraduate programs. Successful Statements of Purpose for our program give the committee a snapshot of you as a scholar. This means describing (1) your intellectual interests, (2) the preparation behind those interests, and (3) potential future pursuits (although these need not be highly specific). The statement as a whole implicitly answers the following questions. What intersecting interests or questions about Classical Antiquity are motivating you to pursue a graduate degree in Classical Studies? What coursework, research, and work/opportunities outside of class have helped shape these questions? In what areas are you looking to grow in graduate school? And why are we, at Duke Classical Studies, a good place for you to achieve these goals?

The best Statements of Purpose are highly individual. This means you don’t want to say something that anyone could say, but rather keep the focus on you and your candidacy. It can help to include specific information, e.g., about research papers you have written of which you are proud, theories or methodologies or approaches or even a single secondary source that really grabbed your attention, programs you have attended, special skills you have acquired (inside or outside of your previous coursework), or aspects of your resume that you wish to explain which have special bearing on your future studies with us. You might also comment on anything you wish to explain about your profile.

Note that you need not outline for us a completely formed future research agenda; in fact, we prefer students open to exploring the wide breadth of what we study here. Rather, your statement tells us about what most sparks your interest in the ancient world (and you can have many sparks!) and about the intellectual trajectory that led you to approach those interests. We hope, of course, that answering those questions will help us see why you are interested in pursuing your education in Duke Classical Studies and what sort of research you will be interested in pursuing with us; if you know the names of specific faculty you would like to work with, feel free to name them, but more important for us is that you took the time to get to know our program as outlined on our website and that your wider intellectual snapshot speaks to why we would be a good intellectual home for you.

Note: applicants must also include directly in the first paragraph of your Statement of Purpose to which of our two tracks you are applying: Archaeology or Literature/History.

Greek and Latin Works Read A list of the Greek and Latin authors/texts you have read in the original languages.

Writing Sample A writing sample (20-25 pages) is required. Successful writing samples showcase research and analysis of primary sources within a subfield field of Classical Studies or within a related discipline.

These two documents can be uploaded as one file directly with your online application in the Departmental Requirements section. 

We strongly encourage you to review additional department-specific application guidance from the program to which you are applying: Departmental Application Guidance

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• Certificate in History & Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine

The Certificate in History & Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine is administered by the departments of History and Philosophy and is open to all doctoral students at Duke. This interdisciplinary graduate certificate program is designed to complement and enrich the curricula of graduate students studying English, history, philosophy, science, engineering, medicine, or other disciplines.

History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) uses the tools and methods of the humanities (especially history and philosophy) to study the sciences understood as human endeavors. This includes historical evolution and context; conceptual foundations and puzzles; theories, methods, and claims to knowledge; institutions, material practices, and social structures, past and present.

Duke HPS incorporates science, technology, engineering, medicine, and mathematics. We promote universal ownership of the sciences as shared cultural inheritance through encouragement and support of HPS in research and in teaching across the academy.

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Doctoral degree requirements, general philosophy of the ph.d.  program.

Biology is the most diverse of all the disciplines in the natural sciences. Consequently, the allied fields to which the various subdisciplines in Biology share natural affinities differ. For example, molecular biology makes connections with physical chemistry, biomechanics with engineering and physics, and ecology and evolutionary biology with statistics, mathematics, geology, and atmospheric sciences. The goal of the Biology Doctoral Program is to train young scientists who:

• excel at research and teaching in their own subdisciplines;
• demonstrate competence in fields allied to their subdisciplines; and
• display a breadth of knowledge in Biology as a whole. 

Trajectory through the program

• At the beginning of your Ph.D.: you will be assigned a temporary advisor (typically the sponsor of your admission).
• Before registering for the first semester: discuss with your advisor which courses you should take. As a first-year student, you are encouraged to interact with other faculty in your research area to ask them about courses you should take before the preliminary exam—these faculty may very well become members of your Ph.D. committee.

The philosophy of the department is that you need not spend a great deal of time in coursework.  You should take only the courses that fill gaps in areas that will be needed in your research, and spend most of your time starting your research.

• During the first three semesters: take up to three tutorials with different faculty members in the department. The tutorial requirement is waived as soon as you declare an advisor. Tutorials may involve laboratory work, directed reading in the primary literature, greenhouse or field studies, mathematical or computer modeling, or any other activity that would assist you in identifying a suitable dissertation topic. Other goals of the tutorials are to expose students to the diversity of faculty research interests in their specialty and to help them to identify an appropriate advisor and dissertation committee. 
• By the end of the 3 rd semester, you must choose an advisor and the advisor must convene an initial meeting of the dissertation committee. Dissertation committees will consist of at least four faculty members, one of which will represent your minor (see below). The goals of the initial meeting are to assess the novelty and feasibility of your proposed dissertation topic, to ascertain whether you need to take any additional courses to demonstrate preparedness for the preliminary exam, and to decide the format of the written dissertation proposal (see below).  If you fail to meet with your committee before the end of the 3rd semester, the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) will notify you in writing, and will discuss with you and your advisor ways to resolve any difficulties. 
• Preferably by the end of the 4 th semester, but certainly by the end of the 6 th semester, you must pass an oral preliminary examination to establish candidacy for the Ph.D. One week prior to the exam, you must present a written essay describing your proposed dissertation research to your committee. The exam itself will cover the specific research areas addressed in your proposal, but will also test your depth of knowledge in your area of specialty and your breadth of knowledge in Biology as a whole.
• When the dissertation research is completed, you will present the written dissertation to your committee two weeks prior to the dissertation defense (the dissertation also has to be submitted to the Grad School two weeks before the defense). You are also required to present your results in a seminar. You are expected to complete the degree requirements as soon as possible, but students making progress toward their degree will be considered to be in good standing through the 12 th semester. 

You are required to declare a minor at the time of the initial meeting with your dissertation committee. At least one member of the dissertation committee must represent the minor field, and will be charged with assessing your knowledge in the minor during the preliminary exam.  The goal of the minor is to ensure that you acquire a breadth of knowledge beyond your immediate specialty, either in a different area of Biology or in an allied field. Dissertation committees have the freedom to determine the specific nature of the minor, to tailor it to your needs, but minors are subject to approval by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Affairs Committee.

The minor may:

• lie entirely outside Biology (e.g., Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Engineering, Atmospheric Sciences, Geology);
• require the student to acquire knowledge about a group of organisms that differs from those on which the student’s dissertation research focuses; or
• represent a biological subdiscipline that is distinct from the student’s own subdiscipline.  For example, a student whose advisor is in the Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology sub-department might choose Developmental, Cellular, and Molecular Biology (DCMB) as a minor, with appropriate representation by a DCMB faculty member on the preliminary exam and dissertation committees. A student in ecology might choose evolutionary biology as a minor.

Scholarly productivity

To become recognized as independent scientists and to have an impact on their fields, graduate students must communicate their findings to their colleagues. Therefore, all students are strongly encouraged to begin submitting the results of their research to refereed journals as soon as possible (ideally well before the dissertation is completed). In order to give their committee members an opportunity to comment on them, manuscripts that are intended to be included in the dissertation will be given to all committee members at least two weeks prior to submission. You should submit copies of papers accepted for publication to the Director of Graduate Studies, to be included your file. 

You will be required to serve as a teaching assistant for two semesters. Teaching is not simply a mechanism to provide financial support to graduate students. Rather, it is an integral part of your professional development as both an educator and a researcher.

Annual evaluation of student progress

• After your 1 st year you will meet with your committee annually.
• In your 2 nd year, your first committee meeting serves as the annual committee meeting.
• In your 3 rd year, your Preliminary Exam will serve this purpose if you take it in the Fall.

You MUST have an annual progress meeting with your committee each Fall, UNLESS:

• you are in your 1 st or 2 nd year;
• you are in your 3 rd year and are taking your prelim this Fall (not Spring, and not in your 2 nd year); or
• you are defending your dissertation this year.
• Prior to November 15, you are expected to present to your committee a written report on the progress made over the previous year, and on any difficulties encountered, as well as a plan for completing the dissertation.
• Before the end of the final exam period in December, your advisor will then convene a meeting of the committee to discuss the progress report with you.
• By January 1, your advisor must send a letter to the Director of Graduate Studies summarizing this discussion, providing the committee’s evaluation of your progress, and recommending whether you should receive continued financial support from the department. The progress report you submitted to your committee should be attached to this letter. All faculty members not on your committee will also be able to submit to the Director of Graduate Studies any written commentary on the student’s performance (e.g., as a student or teaching assistant in a course taught by that faculty member).  
• After January 1, the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the Graduate Affairs Committee as needed, will review the written materials to determine whether you shall be granted departmental support for the following academic year. You will receive a letter from the DGS if any remedial measures need to be taken. Your written progress report, your advisor’s letter to the DGS, any letters from faculty not on your committee, and any letters from the DGS will be placed in your folder as a record of your annual progress and evaluation. 

Committee Meetings, Exams, and Defenses during Summer

Scheduling committee meetings, preliminary exams, and dissertation defenses during the summer is strongly discouraged, because faculty members typically have research or other travel plans that must take precedence during this time. Summer meetings, exams, and defenses can only be scheduled by agreement of all members of the committee. In accordance with Graduate School regulations, such meetings can only be held while the summer semester is actually in session, and the student must be registered for the summer semester.

Note: A downloadable version of the information above is available:

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Ayomide Bankole, PhD

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• Ph.D. Degree

The Graduate Program in Literature is a doctoral program, which means that all students enrolled prepare for the Ph.D. degree. The program does not grant M.A. degrees along the way. The typical time to completion for the doctoral program is 6 full years.

Requirements for the Ph.D.

• 12 Seminars
• 7 Literature Program courses
• At least 5 courses in a teaching field of your choice
• Foreign language proficiency in two languages
• Preliminary Exam
• Chapter Workshop
• Dissertation Defense
• Teaching Assistantship
• Responsible Conduct of Research Training

Additional Course Guidelines

Undergraduate-level Courses - There are no restrictions on the number of undergraduate courses a student may take outside the Literature Program during their graduate career. The approval of the DGS must be sought in such cases, and in any case Graduate School Regulations do not allow courses below the 500 level to count toward the fulfillment of coursework requirements or to be included in a student's GPA calculation.  In general undergraduate courses tend to be limited to relevant language courses.

Independent Studies - Students can take up to three independent studies over the course of their careers. Students have to complete the “Independent Study Notification Form” every time they take an independent study and it must be signed by the DGS. Supplies of these forms are kept in the DGS Assistant’s office.

Inter-institutional Courses - The Registrar requires students to follow a special procedure when they register for courses at other Triangle universities (UNC, NCCU, NCSU). Forms and information are available at the Registrar's Office. You’ll need approval from Lit’s DGS & the professor of the course.

Typical Degree Timeline

What follows is a very general timeline that graduate students in the Program may use as a rough orientation for their six-year course of study. It is not meant to replace the guidance that you should actively seek , for your own specific circumstances and research field(s), from your mentors and advisors.

During the first year, you will familiarize yourself with the department, the university, and the profession at large. The many colloquia and conferences offered at Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, NC Central and NC State, present great opportunities for you to get to know your peers, professors, national and international scholars.

During the second year, you can start presenting your work at conferences in your field(s). You should by now identify your main advisor(s), and begin TAing so as to familiarize yourself with teaching duties. You may also begin to plan for a Certificate in College Teaching.

During the third year, you will complete your preliminary exams and start to work towards your dissertation. Make sure to complete, by the end of this academic year, all the required coursework, including any language requirement related to your specific field. To be competitive in a specific field, you may well need more than one language besides English: please consult with your advisors about this matter.

During the fourth year, your focus will be to complete, if not an entire first draft, at least a good part of your dissertation. This is also a good moment to make your work known in the profession by publishing a part of your dissertation and by presenting some of the other parts at professional conferences. Finally, you should attend the dissertation formatting training sessions offered by the Graduate School (either during the fall or the spring): this is very important, to avoid any last-minute surprises that could jeopardize your entire time-plan for the PhD.

If possible, you should try to finish your dissertation during your fifth year at Duke. You should also keep a presence at professional conferences, and you may also want to consider the possibility of public humanities publications. Finally, this is the year to start applying for jobs.

You should be ready to defend by the end of this year.

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• [email protected]
• Assistant: Bobbi Pabon
• Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
• Bibliography

Nita A. Farahany is a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies. She is the Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Professor of Law & Philosophy at Duke Law School, the Founding Director of  Duke Science & Society , the Faculty Chair of the Duke  MA in Bioethics & Science Policy , and principal investigator of  SLAP Lab . 

Farahany is a frequent commentator for national media and radio shows and a regular keynote speaker. She presents her work to diverse academic, legal, corporate, and public audiences including at TED , the World Economic Forum ,  Aspen Ideas Festival , and Judicial Conferences for US Court of Appeals, and at scientific venues including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society for Neuroscience, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy. She has also testified before Congress as an expert witness.

Farahany's current scholarship focuses on the implications of emerging neuroscience, genomics, and artificial intelligence for law and society; legal and bioethical issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic; FDA law and policy; and the use of science and technology in criminal law. In addition to publishing in legal and scientific journals, as well as edited book volumes, Farahany is the author of The Battle for Your Brain: Defending Your Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology (St. Martin’s Press 2023).

In 2010, Professor Farahany was appointed by President Obama to the  Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues  and served until 2017. She is an appointed member of the  National Advisory Council  for the National Institute for Neurological Disease and Stroke, an elected member of the American Law Institute and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science , past President of the International Neuroethics Society , an ELSI (ethical, legal, and social implications) advisor to the NIH Brain Initiative and to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency , an appointed member of both the Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders and the Standing Committee on Biotechnology Capabilities and National Security Needs for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and a member of the Global Future Council on Frontier Risks and Expert Network for the World Economic Forum. She served as Reporter for the Study Committee and later Drafting Committee on updating the Uniform Determination of Death Committee for the Uniform Law Commission . In 2022, she was appointed by Governor Roy Cooper to the NC Delegation for the Uniform Law Commission , and currently serves in that capacity. Farahany is a co-editor-in-chief and co-founder of the Journal of Law and the Biosciences and on the  Board of Advisors  for Scientific American. She also serves on scientific and ethics advisory boards for corporations.

Farahany received her AB in Genetics, Cell, and Developmental Biology from Dartmouth College, an ALM in biology from Harvard University, and a JD and MA from Duke University, as well as a Ph.D. in philosophy. In 2004-2005, Farahany clerked for Judge Judith W. Rogers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, after which she joined the law faculty at Vanderbilt University. In 2011, Farahany was the Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor of Human Rights at Stanford Law School.

Recent Courses

• 140: Criminal Law
• 341: FDA Law & Policy
• 364: AI Law and Policy
• 472: Amicus Lab
• 584: Forensic Science Colloquium

• Nursing PhD (G-NUR-PHD)
• Academic Requirements

Nursing PhD

Program Code: G-NUR-PHD Degree Designation: Doctor of Philosophy Department: School of Nursing Website: nursing.duke.edu/academic-programs/phd-program-nursing

PhD programs follow the policies outlined in The Graduate School Bulletin .

Program Summary

The PhD Program in Nursing prepares nurse scholars who will advance nursing science and promote equitable health outcomes and care systems, with a focus on social determinants of health (SDOH). Students will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to design, implement, and evaluate innovative models of care that improve health outcomes across diverse populations. Graduates of the program will be prepared to lead and transform nursing practice, policy, and research to promote health equity and social justice. PhD student tuition and 12-month stipends are  fully funded  for up to five years.

At Duke University School of Nursing, we admit a small number of highly qualified, diverse applicants that work closely with one or more faculty members in a series of mentored experiences supported by formal coursework.

A baccalaureate or master’s degree in nursing from a program accredited by ACEN or CCNE is required for admission to the PhD in nursing program.

The PhD program is administered by and follows the policies of The Graduate School. Refer to The Graduate School's Bulletin at  graduateschool.bulletins.duke.edu  for information about its policies.

For additional information about the PhD in nursing program and curriculum details, consult  nursing.duke.edu/academic-programs/phd-program-nursing . Prospective students may also contact the PhD Program Coordinator at (919) 684-8456 or  [email protected] .