Philosophy Department
Handbook:
A guide to Departmental Policies and Procedures
Degree requirements for Philosophy students are governed by the program information
published in the archived Bulletin and the Department Handbook for the academic year in which
a student began coursework at the University.
Last updated 8/24/2010
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
General Information for New and Continuing Students ................................................................. 1
Mailboxes.................................................................................................................................... 1
Student ID Cards ......................................................................................................................... 1
Information Technology ............................................................................................................. 1
Email ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Student Portal .......................................................................................................................... 2
Sakai ........................................................................................................................................ 2
Staff and Faculty Contact Information ....................................................................................... 2
CGU/CUC Resources ................................................................................................................. 2
Registration and Degree Forms .................................................................................................. 2
General Policies and Procedures ..................................................................................................... 3
Academic Honesty ...................................................................................................................... 3
Satisfactory Academic Progress ................................................................................................. 3
Program Requirements.................................................................................................................... 3
Advising ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Research Tool(s) ......................................................................................................................... 4
The Language Exam ............................................................................................................... 4
Courses ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Claremont Colleges Courses ................................................................................................... 5
Independent Study Courses..................................................................................................... 5
Transferring Credits .................................................................................................................... 5
Specific Degree Requirements .................................................................................................... 6
M.A. in Philosophy ................................................................................................................. 6
Ph.D. in Philosophy ................................................................................................................ 6
Introduction
The purpose of this Handbook for the Philosophy Department is to provide new and continuing
students with general information as well as policies, procedures, and degree requirements for
the M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy or the M.A. in Philosophy and Ph.D. in Religion, which are
not included and/or explained in detail in the CGU Bulletin or on the CGU or School of Arts and
Humanities (SAH) websites. This handbook is, therefore, an essential guide and supplement for
obtaining a degree in Philosophy at CGU.
Please note that most of the information students need in order to complete their degree at CGU
can be found on the website. Therefore, it is extremely important to become familiar with both
the CGU and SAH websites, especially the Student Services webpage. On this site, students can
find important links to resources for student life and academic policies and procedures (i.e. the
academic calendar, student health services, the writing center, IT help desk, forms for
completing a degree, etc.). Additionally, the SAH website contains important information, such
as contact information for all SAH faculty and staff, an event calendar, and links to special
resources for SAH students. While much important information is available on the CGU
website, the SAH office and staff always welcome students’ questions. The office is located at
121 East 10th Street and is open from 8:30 – 5:30, Monday through Friday (except for major
holidays). The main phone number for the office is 909-621-8612.
General Information for New and Continuing Students
Mailboxes
Students may request a student mailbox in the SAH main office. If students are interested in
having a mailbox, they should visit or contact the office, humanities@cgu.edu or 909-621-8612.
Student ID Cards
The Claremont Card Center provides ID card services for The Claremont Colleges. Students
should visit the Card Center located in the CUC Connection office in the South Entrance of
Honnold Library during their first week of class as they will need this card for various services at
CGU, including library services. There is no charge for an initial ID card. The Card Center also
manages the Claremont Cash program. Claremont Cash can be used to purchase both food and
non-food items throughout The Claremont Colleges, as well as local merchants in and around
Claremont. All students, faculty, and staff of The Claremont Colleges have a Claremont Cash
account established as soon as their ID card is created. Funds may be deposited into an account
via the Card Center’s website or office. For more information about the Card Center, students
can visit the website at https://cards.cuc.claremont.edu/.
Information Technology
CGU and the Claremont University Consortium (CUC) offer many technological tools for
students, including campus-wide wireless internet access, email, online access to student
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accounts, grades, and class schedules, web-based instructional tools, and the ability to request
and/or rent technical equipment for special events or classes. Information about these services,
including answers to frequently asked questions can be found on CGU’s Office of Information
Technology webpage, http://www.cgu.edu/pages/260.asp.
Email
Every student at CGU is given an email account. It is extremely important for students to check
their CGU email accounts regularly. CGU and the SAH office will only send email to CGU email
accounts in order to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Many
courses require work done by e-mail, and many professors distribute course information by this
medium. Account information is provided to each student at the New Student Orientation. If a
student cannot attend orientation he or she should visit the SAH office to collect the orientation
packet, which includes network account information. Note: It is possible to forward CGU email
to a different email account. Instructions for doing this may be found at the following Office of
Information Technology webpage http://www.cgu.edu/pages/7982.asp.
Student Portal
It is extremely important that students check and use their Student Portals. The Student
Portal is the main way for students to register for classes, check their grades, check their
academic progress, view their student account, and make changes to their personal
information, such as addresses and phone numbers. The Student Portal may be accessed at
the following web address, https://my.cgu.edu. Login information for the Student Portal is
the same as that provided for student email accounts. For help logging on or for a new
username and/or password, please contact the Office of Information Technology (OIT).
Sakai
Sakai is a course management tool used by all of the Claremont Colleges. Many professors
use this tool for their courses to post syllabi and readings and/or to facilitate online
discussions for their classes. Sakai can be accessed at the following web address,
https://sakai.claremont.edu. Logon information is identical to that used to access student
email and the Student Portal.
Staff and Faculty Contact Information
For a complete and current listing of Arts and Humanities Faculty and Staff contact and/or
biographical information, please visit the School of Arts and Humanities website at
www.cgu.edu/sah.
CGU/CUC Resources
For a list of current student resources at CGU, please visit either the School of Arts and
Humanities website at www.cgu.edu/sah or the main CGU website under “Current Students” at
http://www.cgu.edu/pages/104.asp, as well as on the Claremont University Consortium (CUC)
website, www.cuc.claremont.edu. Examples of resources that students can find on these sites are
funding opportunities, career services, health services, the library, information technology, and
many more.
Registration and Degree Forms
There are important forms that students will need to complete their degree requirements at CGU,
such as registration forms, the Intent to Receive a Degree Form, and the Final Approval Form
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(M.A./Certificate). Electronic versions of most of these forms can be found on the Office of
Student Records/Registrar webpage, http://www.cgu.edu/pages/179.asp.
General Policies and Procedures
CGU’s policies and procedures are available through the Student Services webpage. Some of
these policies include Academic Honesty, Sexual Harassment, Student Rights and
Responsibilities, and Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students should familiarize themselves
with these policies. The Philosophy Department has made additions to some of these CGU
policies, which are explained below.
Academic Honesty
In addition to the Standards of Academic Honesty contained in the Bulletin, the Philosophy
Department considers the multiple submission of written work for courses as an issue of
academic integrity. It is improper to submit the work done for one class or project to a second
class or as a second project without first getting the informed permission of both instructors.
Some instructors allow overlapping work between courses. In such cases, students must obtain
the agreement of all relevant instructors.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
The Philosophy Department adheres to the General Requirements for Satisfactory Academic
Progress (SAP) as outlined in the Bulletin with the following additions:
SAP refers to maintaining an appropriate (as distinct from minimally acceptable) academic
record reaching the various stages of progress in the department at or near the time expected of
the majority of students. In addition, students must demonstrate a level of research and writing
ability and class performance appropriate to the standards of graduate study. Cases of students
not maintaining satisfactory progress will be reviewed by the department advisor and department
director, who will take appropriate action.
It is expected that students who have completed their coursework for the Master’s will complete
their additional degree requirements within a year. Students who have completed their
coursework for the Ph.D. are advised to complete their qualifying exams by the end of the
following term. Under exceptional circumstances, students may take up to two years to complete
their qualifying exams after finishing their coursework.
The department takes satisfactory progress into account in awarding financial support. Students
should also be aware that CGU maintains a policy on satisfactory academic policy for eligibility
for financial aid. Information is available through the Office of Student Financing.
Program Requirements
General Philosophy program requirements, including concentrations available to Philosophy,
students are outlined in the CGU Bulletin, which is updated yearly and is the official university
publication which governs degree requirements. In addition to requirements that apply to all the
academic departments at CGU, the Bulletin also contains program-specific information. The
current Bulletin, as well as archived versions of it, may be found at the following address,
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http://bulletin.cgu.edu. However, there are some Philosophy program requirements and policies,
which are not included in the CGU Bulletin. These are explained below.
Advising
First-year students meet individually with advisors before they register for the first semester and
again later in the second semester to discuss their progress. Advanced students are advised
individually as needed.
Research Tool(s)
Students should consult the Bulletin for current Research Tool requirement(s) for the M.A. or Ph.D.
in Philosophy. The School of Arts and Humanities policy on foreign language Research Tools is:
Fulfillment of a language tool by demonstrating competency at translating an approved language into
English--as distinct from completing another type of research tool (permitted by some SAH
departments)--can only be achieved by passing an approved, written examination. This applies to all
SAH students, including native speakers of the language under consideration. Details about the
language exam are outlined below.
The Language Exam
The foreign language exam is offered four times per year by the SAH. For more
information, current exam dates, and to register, students should visit the SAH website or
email Holly Domingo, Student Support Secretary. The fee for the exam is $25, which is due
on the day of the exam either in cash or a check made out to Claremont Graduate
University.
The foreign language examination consists of an excerpt taken from a graduate-level text.
Students are given two hours to translate the text into English and are expected to translate
the majority of the text with precision and accuracy. Most importantly, the general meaning
of the text should remain intact. Students may use a book-form vocabulary dictionary
during the exam; no other books or electronic dictionaries are allowed. Non-native English
speakers may take an extra 30 minutes to complete their translations. Exams are graded on
a pass/fail basis. In case of failure, the student is allowed to repeat the exam.
For those students who need instruction in the foreign language before taking the exam, the
CGU Writing Center offers intensive courses every summer in Spanish, French, and
German for a fee. Students enrolled in these classes take the exam on the last day of class
(the $25 fee for the exam is included in the price of the class). For more information about
these classes, please visit the Writing Center’s webpage . Since these are non-credit
courses, the Philosophy Department cannot provide tuition assistance.
CGU regularly offers exams in French, Spanish, German, and Latin. Students who wish to
fulfill the language requirement by examination in a language other than these must first
receive written approval of their language choice from their department advisor. After
approval, the student should inform Holly Domingo, Student Support Secretary, who will
work with SAH staff and faculty to arrange an exam and grader. Because this process may
be lengthy, students should inform Holly at least two months before the exam date.
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Courses
Philosophy students may take any course offered at CGU. Since the material treated in a course may
differ considerably from year to year, courses may be repeated for credit with faculty approval.
Students may also take a limited number of upper level seminars offered at the Claremont Colleges.
Current course listings can be found on the Student Services webpage. In addition to courses offered
by professors, students may organize independent studies. See below for details and restrictions on
course options.
Note: Doctoral students will be allowed to count up to 16 units of undergraduate level,
independent studies, and tutorial readings toward their degree. Any of these units completed as
part of an M.A. degree will be counted as part of the 16 unit quota. Masters students may earn
up to 8 such units.
Claremont Colleges Courses
Students should consult the Registrar’s webpage for instructions on how to enroll in or audit
classes at the undergraduate Claremont Colleges.
Independent Study Courses
Students may organize independent studies to pursue specialized topics under the guidance
of a professor. When an independent study replaces a course, students must do an
equivalent amount of reading and writing. Students must complete the Enrollment Contract
and Registration Form for Independent Coursework Credit and attach a plan for the
independent study signed by both the instructor and the student’s advisor. The plan should
include a course syllabus, a reading list, a description of scheduled meetings (at least one
hour per week for a 4-unit course), and a description of writing assignments. Detailed
instructions and the registration form for independent study classes can be found on the
following Registrar’s webpage, http://www.cgu.edu/pages/7405.asp.
Transferring Credits
The University guidelines for transferring graduate credits from institutions other than CGU,
may be found on the Office of Student Records/Registrar webpage. There are also restrictions
on transferring units for the Dual Degree M.A. in Philosophy/Ph.D. in Religion program. Please
refer to the Bulletin for an explanation of these restrictions.
Philosophy students have the following requirements for transferring units in addition to the
University’s guidelines:
Philosophy students must complete a minimum of 24 units within the Philosophy department
before transferring outside credits. Petitions may be submitted as early as the end of a student’s
first full year at CGU (when the student is on the verge of successfully completing 24 units).
In addition to completing the Transfer Credit Request Form, Philosophy students must include
(1) a letter explaining why the courses listed for transfer are appropriate for Philosophy credit;
(2) the student’s best seminar paper from CGU; (3) a brief paragraph addressing each course’s
relevance, merits, research, and written work; (4) course syllabi and materials if possible. The
petition should also explain the scholarly direction of the student’s graduate career and how past
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graduate work fits into future academic plans. This petition may be developed in consultation
with the department advisor.
Specific Degree Requirements
M.A. in Philosophy
The M.A. program is designed for students who seek either to enrich their knowledge of the
fundamental strands of the Western philosophical tradition before moving to more
specialized study in Ph.D. programs in philosophy, or to expand their experience with that
tradition in preparation for pursuing professional degrees and occupations outside of
philosophy.
The Master of Arts degree requires 40 units of course work, which usually can be completed
comfortably in two years of full-time study. Students are required to take a sequence of
historical courses (Topics in Ancient Philosophy, Topics in Modern Philosophy, and Topics
in Contemporary Philosophy), an approved course in ethics or value theory, an approved
course in metaphysics or epistemology, Philosophy 244 (Logic and Argumentation), four
electives, and reading competence in one foreign language. No thesis or critique is required.
Students are expected to complete Topics in Contemporary Philosophy and Philosophy 244
in their first 16 units of graduate study.
Ph.D. in Philosophy
Dissertation Committee
The School of Arts and Humanities policy on Dissertation Committee members is:
1. Claremont Colleges faculty may serve on a CGU Dissertation Committee provided
there is one core CGU faculty member on the Committee.
2. Claremont Colleges faculty may chair Dissertation Committees provided they are
CGU Extended Faculty and are deemed appropriate by the Department Chair and the
Dean.
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