Phil PhD programs that don't require an upper level logic course

[Thorongil]

Would anyone know of any off the top of their heads or have a list somewhere? Also, any tips on finding them? 

Thanks

[philstudent1991]

Just to be clear, do you mean require for admission or require for completion? 

[Thorongil]

I wasn't aware any required it for admission, so I was thinking in terms of a requirement for completion. 

[philstudent1991]

Ok good, I'm not aware of any that require it for admission either. Unfortunately, it seems that an upper level logic course is something of a rite of passage, though programs vary in requiring first semester vs whenever. I don't have program specific details though. 

[overoverover]

What do you mean by 'upper level'? This could vary widely. Some PhD programs just want you to pass a logic class, usually involving classical first-order with quantified (some don't even get to identity!). Others want you to be able to prove some stuff in the metalanguage, not just use a proof system in the object language. Still others require that you become familiar with more than just classical FOL, whether that means knowing a bit about non-classical systems or about modal extensions. Are you asking about schools which require no logic class at all? I have a suspicion that all analytic departments require it, though some have the option of testing out.

[Thorongil]

I mean a second tier logic course; the one above the entry level one. And yeah, I'm curious about programs that don't require any particular logic class at all, but specifically a second tier one. I figured analytic programs would all require one, but I'm thinking maybe some don't and that some continental programs don't, but I don't know how I would go about looking for them.

[maxhgns]

Check again because some of these may have changed since I checked a few years ago:

 

None:

DePaul

Duquesne

Kansas

Loyola Chicago

Memphis

Oklahoma

USC

Villanova

York (Canada)

 

 

Low (although content varies, it ranges from FOL to FOL + basic set theory):

 

Brown

Chicago

Cornell

Emory

Fordham

Georgetown

Hopkins

McGill

MIT

NSSR

Penn State

Purdue

South Carolina

Stony Brook

Syracuse

Toronto

UBC

UCB

UCI

UCSC

UCSD

UIB

UIC

USF

UWM

Vanderbilt

Western

 

[Thorongil]

Hey, thanks! I will look through these and report my findings. 

[Thorongil]

From what I can tell, you are spot on with these lists, especially the first. Thanks again. 

[maxhgns]

I did make a couple mistakes when I was compiling the list originally (it's a list of the logic requirements at more than 100 grad programs), and it's certainly possible I'm wrong about one or two of these. And programs definitely change their requirements (we did. It used to be near the top of the curve, and is now quite low.). But I'm glad it was of some use to you!

 

I should add, however, that most programs with strong logic requirements do have a significant support structure in place to help their students through it. So even if you're not especially comfortable with logic, you shouldn't let that worry you too much. Hell, I'm not especially great at logic myself (I took intro twice as an undergrad; did great the second time 'round, but only because I tanked the first time), but I managed our requirement before it was lowered. Don't get me wrong: it was really hard, but it was also totally feasible. There's less to learn, really, to prove the incompleteness theorems than there is when you first take logic. Or, at least, it feels that way. Certainly, you benefit from already having a sense of how to prove theorems, and already knowing some tricks to do so. A lot of the rest is mostly conceptual. I don't think many programs treat the requirement as a gatekeeper any more.

[Thorongil]

That sounds reassuring. I'm quite bitter about logic based on my experiences as an undergrad. I took the intro logic course early on and believe I ended up with a low B, though I struggled when it began to touch on the more mathematical stuff. When it came time to take the upper level logic course, mostly due to scheduling and other time constraints, I took it online, and didn't understand one iota of it. Moreover, the professor who administered the traditional class was known for being a poor lecturer and a very harsh grader. I eventually dropped out of the online class and changed my major to an interdisciplinary degree. 

Neither math nor symbolic logic am I very good at or interested in, but I had thought I might apply to a few philosophy programs (my interests are rather interdisciplinary) that weren't so strict about logic. 

Edited October 9, 2015 by Thorongil