As of September 1, 2007, there were 42 students in our PhD program. Of these students, about 38 were “in residence”. Of these, 20 were taking courses.  In all, 22 students (some no longer in residence) were ABDs. (Students are ABD – “all but dissertation” – when they have completed the Preliminary Requirement for the PhD and are at work on their dissertations.)  Currently, every student in residence who sought it received some form of financial aid either from the Department or from the University or from some outside funding source. Most of them have either a teaching appointment as TA or TO, or a non-working fellowship.  Since they have adequate financial aid, these students are not required to pay tuition or most fees to UMass.

The students who are not in residence are ABDs who have moved elsewhere. Each of these students has taken a job teaching philosophy at some other college or university while they complete their dissertation. These students no longer have financial aid from the Department.

The Program is designed so that students who complete all requirements on time and who complete their dissertations promptly will receive the PhD at the end of five or six years. In quite a few cases it actually takes longer. Ideally, a student who completes the Program in six years will receive substantial financial aid each year.

A list of students currently in the Program can be reached by clicking here, where Email addresses and other information about these students can also be found.