Candidate of Philosophy

Candidate of Philosophy (PhC or CPhil, also called Candidate in Philosophy) is a status granted to PhD students who have been admitted to candidacy of that degree. The name may also be used for the degrees or former degrees at bachelor's or master's level from some Scandinavian countries.

United States

In the United States, it is normal for graduate students working toward a doctorate to take coursework followed by examinations (known variously as candidacy examinations, comprehensive examinations or qualifiers) after which they become candidates for the doctorate. At a few institutions, this status is officially recognized either by a degree or some other official title. This is normally intended to be an interim status, prior to the award of a doctorate, not to be confused with the terminal master's degree awarded by some programs to those who leave after their candidacy examination. Some universities grant a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree to students who have been accepted for candidacy.

The first Candidate in Philosophy degree in the United States was awarded at the University of Michigan in May 1966, two years before Yale University awarded the first MPhil in the US in 1968. During the 1960s, Candidate in Philosophy degrees were also awarded at Indiana University, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, and University of Minnesota.

University of California

Candidate of Philosophy Awarded by UCLA

In recent years, seven of the ten University of California campuses offer the Candidate in Philosophy (CPhil) degree to those who have passed the candidacy exam for the PhD in some programs. On some campuses it is only awarded to those leaving without a master's or a doctorate, however at UC San Diego such a practice seems forbidden.

University of Washington

The University of Washington designates a Candidate in Philosophy (PhC) to those admitted to candidacy for the PhD, alongside the Candidate in Education (EdC) and Candidate in Musical Arts (CMA) for those admitted to candidacy for the degrees of Doctor of Education (EdD) and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA). These are designations for candidate status rather than degrees.

Scandinavia

Denmark

The candidatus/candidata philosophiae degree (cand.phil.) was a master's-level first degree. It was awarded after four years' study and included a dissertation. As part of the Bologna Process of degree reforms, it was abandoned in 1995/6.

Sweden

In Sweden, sv:filosofie kandidat (fil.kand. or FK) is the title for the holder of a bachelor's degree (filosofie kandidatexamen).

Finland

In Finland, the filosofian kandidaatti (fil.kand. or FK) was a graduate degree awarded until 1994. Holders can proceed to a Master of Arts degree without further examination.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Diploma & Transcript Gallery | OUR". Office of the University Registrar. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
  2. ↑ "Structure of the U.S. Education System: Research Doctorate Degrees". U.S. Department of Education. February 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Master's Program". Brandeis University. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  4. ↑ Anne Clark Bartlett (2004). "Is It Terminal? Re-Evaluating the Master's Degree". The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association. 37 (2): 26–29. doi:10.2307/4144694. JSTOR 4144694.
  5. ↑ "Master of Philosophy". Columbia University. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "Doctor of Philosophy program". Yale School of Architecture. Master's Degree. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  7. ↑ "PhD Requirements". Department of Economics, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, George Washington University. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  8. 1 2 Pugliaresi, Lucian (1970-11-01). Inquiries into a New Degree: The Candidate in Philosophy (PDF). Berkeley, California: Ford Foundation. p. 8.
  9. ↑ Miller, John Perry (1966). "The Master of Philosophy: A New Degree Is Born". The Journal of Higher Education. 37 (7): 377–381. doi:10.2307/1979089. ISSN 0022-1546.
  10. 1 2 "Requirements for the Candidate in Philosophy (C. Phil.) Degree at San Diego". UC San Diego. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  11. ↑ "The Candidate in Philosophy Degree". UC Berkeley. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  12. ↑ "Regulations of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate". UC Davis. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  13. ↑ "ADVANCEMENT TO CANDIDACY". UCLA. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  14. ↑ "General Catalog 2016-2017" (PDF). UC Riverside. p. 62. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  15. ↑ "The Doctor of Philosophy Degree | Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs". graduate.ucsf.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  16. ↑ "Requirements for Graduate Degrees in Philosophy | Department of Philosophy - UC Santa Barbara". www.philosophy.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  17. ↑ "Scholastic Regulations". University of Washington. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  18. ↑ "Reforms and previous systems". Ministry of Higher Education and Science (Denmark). Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  19. ↑ "filosofie kandidat" (in Swedish). Nationalencyklopedin. 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  20. ↑ "Graduation and Diplomas". University of Helsinki. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  21. ↑ "Lyhenteitä: a – fil. toht. (Abbreviations: a - fil.)". fi:Kielikello (in Finnish). Institute for the Languages of Finland. April 2000. Retrieved 26 August 2017.

Bibliography