phd in philosophy princeton

Program in Political Philosophy

The department participates in the Program in Political Philosophy, a joint endeavor of the Departments of Classics, History, Philosophy, Politics, and Religion.

Students in this program apply to one of these five departments and also do work in one or more of the other departments. Students who enter the program through the Department of Politics may offer two fields in political philosophy for their General Examination: the regular field in political theory and a related substitute field in the Departments of Classics, History, Philosophy or Religion. Such proposals require the endorsement of the Director of the Program in Political Philosophy and the department's Graduate Committee.

Politics faculty affiliated with the program include Charles Beitz , Melissa Lane , Stephen Macedo , Jan-Werner Mueller , Alan Patten , and  Anna Stilz .

The Program in Political Philosophy also sponsors an interdisciplinary colloquium for faculty and graduate students. Faculty from the nearby Institute for Advanced Study also participate in the Program. At the colloquium, scholars from Princeton and other universities present papers, give lectures, and lead seminars on a broad range of topics.

There is a complete description of the program in the Graduate School Announcement .

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As a PhD student in the Harvard philosophy program, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your ideas, knowledge, and abilities. You'll work with other doctoral students, our faculty, and visiting scholars, all in a stimulating and supportive environment. The program has strengths across a broad range of topics and areas, so you'll be able to pursue your interests wherever they may lead, especially in moral and political philosophy, aesthetics, epistemology, philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, the history of analytic philosophy, ancient philosophy, Immanuel Kant, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. In addition, students can pursue joint degrees with classics, Harvard Law School, and in Indian philosophy.

Incoming cohorts consist of five to eight students per year. You will have substantial access to our renowned faculty and all the resources that Harvard makes available. This relatively small size also gives students a sense of intellectual community.

The curriculum is structured to help you make your way towards a dissertation: graduate-level coursework, a second-year research paper, a prospectus to help you identify a dissertation topic, and then the dissertation itself. Past dissertations in the department have addressed a broad range of topics: Aristotle, Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau; contemporary moral and political philosophy; metaphysics; epistemology; and logic.

In addition to your research, you will also have the opportunity to develop your teaching skills in many different settings across the University.

You can find graduates of the PhD program in many universities. Some of our students have gone on to faculty positions at Yale University, Princeton University, Brown University, and Stanford University. Other graduates have gone on to diverse careers in, among others, the arts, the law, secondary education, and technology.

In addition to the standard PhD in philosophy, the department offers a PhD in classical philosophy in collaboration with the Department of the Classics and a coordinated JD/PhD program in conjunction with Harvard Law School.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Philosophy and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

Philosophy | Classical Philosophy | Indian Philosophy 

For information please consult the Department webpage on the  graduate program overview .

Admissions Requirements

Please review admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Philosophy .

Academic Background

Applicants to the program in Philosophy are required to have a solid undergraduate background in philosophy, indicating that they have a good grounding in the history of philosophy, as well as familiarity with contemporary work in ethics, epistemology and metaphysics, and logic.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Optional

Writing Sample

A writing sample is required as part of the application and should be between 12 to 30 pages long. The sample must address a substantial philosophical problem, whether it is an evaluation or presentation of an argument, or a serious attempt to interpret a difficult text. The upload of the writing sample should be formatted for 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper, 1-inch margins, with double-spaced text in a common 12-point font, such as Times New Roman.

Applicants seeking admission to the coordinated JD/PhD program must apply to and be separately admitted to Harvard Law School and the Department of Philosophy.

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for Philosophy

See list of Philosophy faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

Ph.D. in Public Affairs

Graduate Admissions Office 609-258-4836 [email protected]

Admissions Timeline

Clusters of Study

This five-year program is designed to prepare Ph.D. students for rigorous, policy-relevant research on the major threats to international and national security and the relevant strategies, institutions, and capabilities that will be needed to confront those threats.  

The cluster combines social science training in international security and national defense policy, focused study of specific regions of the world, and exploration of the technical and scientific aspects of proliferation, weapons innovations, terrorist and counterterrorist operations, and insurgency and counterinsurgency warfare. This is an in-residence program, though absences may be taken for approved field research.  

Areas of concentration include:

• Grand strategies
• Great powers and stability
• Civil-military relations
• Humanitarian intervention
• Arms control and proliferation
• The threat and use of force
• Cyber warfare
• Biological and chemical weapons
• Terrorism and civil conflict

For more information on program and curriculum specifics, visit the Security Studies page .

The STEP curriculum helps practitioners develop a deeper understanding of the nature of scientific and technological problems and opportunities, the specialized methods used for analyzing scientific and technological issues, and the dynamics of science and technology development and application. The course of study for a STEP Ph.D. student is developed by each student, working closely with a faculty advisor.  

The STEP group focuses on applications of natural and social science methodology in the policy arena. Emphasis also is placed on the interactions among natural and social science in policy analysis.  

• Global climate change
• Air pollution
• Conservation biology
• Tropical disease transmission
• Information technology
• Nuclear power
• Renewable energy

For more information on program and curriculum specifics, visit the STEP page .

At SPIA, we see our diversity as a strength. Having varied perspectives, diverse races and ethnicities, different abilities, cultures, and gender identities in the classroom not only enriches conversation, but it also prepares students to evaluate an issue from multiple angles to help develop thoughtful and effective policy. We welcome people from small towns and big cities, from the United States and different countries all around the world, from large public schools and small private ones, as well as individuals with a whole host of distinctive lived and experienced realities. All are welcome here.

Other schools ask you to invest in your education. At SPIA, we invest in you. If you are accepted into one of our programs, then you are eligible for full financial support for tuition and required fees plus a generous living stipend. There is no extra essay or separate application process.

Our Ph.D. Students

The Practical Value of Studying Philosophy

Posted in: Why Study Philosophy?

Transferable Skills

By studying philosophy, students develop cognitive transferable skills that pay off in a variety of professions—transferable skills such as Logical Reasoning • Analysis • Abstract Conceptualization • Problem-Solving • Creative Thinking • Clear and Persuasive Writing • Mental Dexterity • An Ability to Assess Different Perspectives and Frameworks • Information Management.

Earning Potential

The national median salary of Philosophy graduates is higher than nearly every other major in the social sciences, humanities, and higher than many other majors—higher than Psychology, Criminology, Communication, Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Business Management, Political Science, History, English, and so on (data source:  payscale.com ).

Which professions do philosophy graduates pursue? • Technology • Business • Law • Publishing • Government • Advertising • Journalism • Teaching • Sales • Human Resources • Public Relations • Activism • Public Policy, and so on.

Read about the practical value of studying philosophy

• Forbes  (2017) – “ A Case For Majoring In Philosophy ”

“Every year, college students choose their majors with an eye toward the return on investment. Among the usual lucrative suspects like finance and engineering, one liberal arts field stands out: philosophy. It turns out that philosophy majors earn significantly more than most majors, especially over the long term.”

“The surprisingly robust ROI [return on investment] for philosophy majors can be traced to its intellectual rigor. Philosophers are taught to seek out the pressure points in arguments and to reason for themselves. They dive into highly technical conversations, construct their own positions and arguments, and analyze relevant problems from multiple perspectives.”

“Beyond finances, the study of philosophy can also help students learn for themselves how they define the good life and how to go about living it.”

• U.S. News & World Report  (2020) – “ What You Can Do With a Philosophy Degree ”

“Philosophy students learn how to question conventional thinking, which is a marketable skill.”

“A Wall Street Journal analysis of the long-term earning potential of people with various college majors revealed that philosophy majors tend to get raises and promotions more quickly than individuals with other majors, and a result of this rapid career progression is that philosophy majors’ mid-career earnings are usually double the size of their starting salaries.”

• CNBC  (2018) – “ Mark Cuban says studying philosophy may soon be worth more than computer science—here’s why ”

“’I’m going to make a prediction’, Cuban told AOL in 2017. ‘In 10 years, a liberal arts degree in philosophy will be worth more than a traditional programming degree’…He views previously lucrative jobs in industries like accounting and computer programming as subject to the powers of automation. To remain competitive, Cuban advises ditching degrees that teach specific skills or professions and opting for degrees that teach you to think in a big picture way, like philosophy.”

• Times Higher Education  (2019) – “ What Can You Do with a Philosophy Degree? ”

“Philosophy graduates have highly transferable skills that are valuable to employers.”

“Graduates secure work in a variety of disciplines after their degree, such as teaching, PR or politics. Communications, publishing, HR and advertising can be attractive options for philosophy graduates, as well as law, banking, the civil service, business and science. Others go on to further study, research, academia and/or lecturing in philosophy or a related field.”

• Entrepreneur Magazine  (2017) – “ 5 Reasons Why Philosophy Majors Make Great Entrepreneurs ”

“When accomplished entrepreneurs like Reid Hoffman, Peter Thiel and Carly Fiorina credit their philosophy backgrounds for their success, you have to wonder if they’re on to something.”

• New York Times  (2018) – “ A Wall Street Giant Makes a $75 Million Bet on Academic Philosophy ”

“Philosophy, he [Bill Miller] added, ‘has made a huge difference both to my life outside business, in terms of adding a great degree of richness and knowledge, and to the actual decisions I’ve made in investing’.”

“Mr. Miller, 67, is not the only old-guard Wall Street figure with a background in philosophy. George Soros was heavily influenced by the Austrian philosopher Karl Popper. Carl Icahn was a philosophy major at Princeton . . . (On the watchdog side of the street, Sheila Bair, the former chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, was also a philosophy major.)”

• Harvard Business Review  (2014) – “ How Philosophy Makes You a Better Leader ”

“A CEO client . . . found that contemplating the teachings of an ancient philosopher (Socrates) and a 20th century philosopher (Habermas) empowered him to implement an enhanced process of dialogue, consensus building, and ‘communicative rationality’ with his leadership team.”

• National Bureau Of Economic Research  (2017) – “ The Costs Of And Net Returns To College Major ”

“Health and Engineering majors, where earnings returns are large on a per graduate basis, have per-dollar returns similar to those observed in education, math, philosophy , and language degrees. .  .”

Graduate Study

Some philosophy majors go on to graduate studies in philosophy in order to pursue an academic career. The philosophy major is also exceptional training for many other post-graduate paths, such as law school. In fact, statistics indicate that philosophy majors perform very well on standardized tests for post-graduate and professional study.

• The GRE (“the SAT for graduate school”) – Philosophy majors come out on top.

“When students are compared by major on how far above average they do on the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), a standardized test used in many disciplines to assess applicants to graduate programs, philosophy majors come out on top , according to a new look at test score data over the past few years.” (Daily Nous)

• Our philosophy department and Montclair State’s Feliciano School of Business have partnered for a “4 + 1” Philosophy BA/MBA program .
• The LSAT (the entrance exam for law school admissions) – Philosophy majors tie for first place with Economics majors.
• Medical School – The Philosophy major is a solid path to medical school. Consider the data and facts as explained by Paul Jung, M.D: “ If you think biochemistry is your ticket into medical school, think again. “

Commencement Events for the Princeton Class of 2024

Photo by Charles Sykes, Associated Press Images for Princeton University

Princeton University is celebrating the accomplishments of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates during 2024 year-end events starting with the Baccalaureate service Sunday, May 26, and continuing through Tuesday, May 28, which is this year’s Commencement date. Tickets are required to attend most events.

The following is a summary of graduation events for undergraduate and graduate degree candidates. More information for students and their guests is available on the University’s Commencement website , including directions and parking, departmental and residential college receptions, and cultural and affinity group celebrations.

Events also will be live streamed on the Princeton University homepage and MediaCentral website , as well as Facebook and YouTube . Professional photos will be posted to the University’s Commencement website in June and may be downloaded free courtesy of the University.

The Baccalaureate service is 2 p.m. Sunday, May 26, in the University Chapel. Seniors are seated inside the chapel (which is just large enough to accommodate the class). The ceremony is simulcast on large screens on Cannon Green for guest viewing. In case of rain, indoor simulcast locations near the chapel are available and are ticketed. The  Baccalaureate speaker is Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury of the Eastern District of New York, who earned her master’s in public affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) in 2006. Choudhury is the first Muslim woman and first Bangladeshi American to serve as a U.S. federal judge. 

The Class Day ceremony is 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 27, on Cannon Green. Guests must be seated by 10 a.m. when the senior class procession begins. In case of rain, seniors are seated in the University Chapel and guests are seated in simulcast locations near the chapel. The Class Day speaker is Emmy-award winning actor Sam Waterston , who is known for his longtime role on the NBC series “Law & Order.” 

The Hooding ceremony for advanced degree candidates will begin at 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 27, on Cannon Green. The ceremony is for master’s and doctoral students earning their degree during the 2023-24 academic year and their guests. In case of severe weather, the ceremony will take place in Jadwin Gymnasium.

Princeton’s 277th Commencement is 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, in Princeton Stadium. The academic procession will begin at 9:40 a.m. The ceremony is for graduating students in the undergraduate Class of 2024 and their guests, as well as graduate students who received a final master’s degree or Ph.D. in the 2023-24 academic year and their guests. Seniors receive their diplomas in their residential colleges following the ceremony. In case of severe weather, Commencement is held in Jadwin Gymnasium.

The ROTC Commissioning ceremony is 3:30 pm. Tuesday, May 28, in the Faculty Room of Nassau Hall. The ceremony is for members of the Class of 2024 commissioning in the Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, and their guests.

Commencement 2024

Celebrate with #princeton24.

• 2024 Commencement website

Phi Beta Kappa chapter honors Eileen Reeves and Beth Lew-Williams with teaching awards

Faculty members honored for excellence in mentoring graduate students 

Reunions 2024 Events at Princeton

Princeton graduate students honored for excellence in teaching

Four outstanding N.J. secondary school teachers to be honored at Princeton Commencement

Eight seniors win 2024 Spirit of Princeton Award for service, contributions to campus life 

DeLue and Singer honored with Behrman Award for the humanities

Genrietta Churbanova selected as Princeton valedictorian, John Freeman named salutatorian

Sam Waterston of ‘Law & Order’ will speak at Princeton’s 2024 Class Day

Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury *06 will be Baccalaureate speaker

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On the campus princeton postdocs approve new union, graduate students vote ‘no’.

Princeton’s postdoctoral researchers and scholars voted in favor of forming a union while graduate student workers declined unionization in separate elections held on campus in May.

Nearly 85% of the 573 postdocs who voted supported their union (484-89), according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The new union, Princeton University Postdocs and Scholars-UAW (PUPS-UAW), is affiliated with the United Auto Workers. 

Graduate student voters rejected a proposed union with 63% of votes cast against it (652-391), according to the NLRB. Princeton Graduate Students United (PGSU) intended to affiliate with the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE). About half of Princeton graduate students — those with the titles “assistant in instruction” or “assistant in research,” primarily in the natural sciences and engineering — were eligible to vote, under an agreement negotiated by the University and UE.

“At Princeton, graduate student voices matter and we appreciate the concerns raised during the campaign,” Dean of the Graduate School Rodney Priestley wrote in a statement to PAW. “We look forward to finding opportunities to continue to strengthen our partnership with students to enhance the student experience and advance Princeton graduate education … .”

The postdoc vote was awaiting NLRB certification when this issue went to press. “Once certified, we will move forward in good faith to engage constructively with the union to support all postdocs and associate research scholars at Princeton,” Dean of the Faculty Gene Jarrett ’97 wrote in a May 9 message to postdocs. 

Jessica Ng, a postdoctoral research associate at the High Meadows Environmental Institute, told PAW that PUPS-UAW will collect input to prepare for negotiating its first contract. “Many, many postdocs have put in a lot of time, effort, thought, and creativity to get here,” Ng said. “We know there’s a lot more to come, and we’re excited to be taking the next steps.”

The University has approved significant raises in compensation for graduate students and postdocs in recent years. Graduate stipends jumped by 25% before the 2022-23 academic year, with 5% and 4.3% raises approved in the two budget years since. In January 2023, Princeton announced that all postdoctoral scholars would receive a minimum full-time salary of $65,000, which at the time was nearly a 20% increase over the federally required minimum.

The Princeton graduate student vote was a rare defeat for labor organizing in higher education, which has seen “a massive upsurge” in recent years, according to Rebecca Kolins Givan, an associate professor of labor studies and employment relations at Rutgers University. 

Since 2022, graduate students have successfully approved unions at several of Princeton’s peers, including Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, MIT, Stanford, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale. Not having a union, Givan said, could be a competitive disadvantage for Princeton when recruiting prospective students who favor unionization. “There’s a general mood and awareness, especially among younger, highly educated workers, that organizing collectively is … a way to push back against inequality,” she said.

The University currently has contracts with six employee unions, representing about 1,000 staff members in areas such as facilities, dining, public safety, and parts of the library. 

PGSU’s push for unionization began in 2016 and picked up significantly in 2023, but the group ultimately failed to schedule a vote before the 2022-23 academic year ended. Some supporters graduated, so the group had to revive its effort to collect signatures that signaled support for a union. This year’s vote took place May 13 and 14, in the final week of the academic calendar.

For postdocs, the drive for a union materialized more quickly. In January 2023, postdocs read a petition, signed by more than 400 potential union members, on the steps of Nassau Hall. PUPS-UAW filed for an election in April 2024, less than 15 months later. 

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Department of Philosophy

COLLEGE OF LETTERS, ARTS, & SCIENCES

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Jennifer Kling, Ph.D.

• [email protected]

Professional Summary

Jennifer Kling is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Legal Studies at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Her research focuses on social and political philosophy, particularly issues in war and peace, protest, feminism, and philosophy of race. She is the author of Can War Be Justified? A Debate (with Andrew Fiala, Routledge 2023), Racist, Not Racist, Antiracist: Language and the Dynamic Disaster of American Racism (with Leland Harper, Lexington 2022), The Philosophy of Protest: Fighting for Justice without Going to War (with Megan Mitchell, Rowman & Littlefield 2021), War Refugees: Risk, Justice, and Moral Responsibility (Lexington 2019), and numerous articles in academic journals and edited collections. She is the President (2024-2025) of Concerned Philosophers for Peace, the largest, most active organization of professional philosophers in North America involved in the analysis of the causes of war and prospects for peace. She is also the coach of the UCCS Ethics Bowl Team and the main organizer for Philosophy in the City .

Jen grew up in Indiana and received a BA in English and Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MA in Philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to Colorado Springs, she taught for three years at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. In her spare time, she whitewater kayaks, does aerial silks, takes her husky on long hikes, and is hopelessly addicted to Skittles.

For more information, please visit Professor Kling’s scholarly profile .

Philosophical Areas of Special Interest

• Philosophy of War
• Social and Political Philosophy
• Normative and Applied Ethics
• Medieval Philosophy
• Early Modern Philosophy
• Philosophy of Race

Regularly Taught Courses

Who's responsible for refugee justice, "who owes what to war refugees".

"Why You 'Can't Even' Talk About Politics"

Curriculum Vitae

CV - Jennifer Kling