The Committee on Politics, Philosophy, and Public Policy does not offer its own Ph.D. Its students are enrolled a Ph.D. program elsewhere on campus - normally in Philosophy, Government and Politics, or the School of Public Affairs - and they must fulfill the requirements for the Ph.D. in their home unit. In some cases, the home unit may waive or adapt certain of its requirements for CP4 students.

The requirements of CP4 are as follows:

A year-long proseminar, fall and spring , taught jointly by faculty members from all three primary units. (6 credits.) The proseminar provides a common intellectual foundation as well as a common experience and an opportunity for interaction for students in the field.

Two technical or methods courses, to be chosen from the following categories: (a) Statistics and quantitative methods (b) Microeconomics (c) Social choice and game theory (d) Logic

Each of the two courses should be drawn from a different category on the list. Since the Ph.D. programs from which students in CP4 come already require at least one course from the list, however, the CP4 requirements add at most one additional technical or methods course to a student's courseload. (Such courses can be double-counted to meet both sets of requirements.) (6 credits.)

Two other graduate courses, to be approved by the steering committee of CP4. These courses may be drawn from the units participating in CP4, or from other departments offering courses relevant to CP4 and the student's interests. Of the two courses, at least one must be from a unit outside the student's home unit. (6 credits.)

A demonstration of competency, in the form of a common examination set for all students. The exam will normally be taken during the second semester of the student's second year in the Ph.D. program. A reading list of works covered on the exam will be distributed to students no later than October 15. To see the reading list for the exam given in January 2003, click here .

The Committee also sponsors a regular research workshop for faculty and students, where both local and visiting scholars present their work.