Kiridaren Jayakumar asked Gregory B. Sadler:

How was the process of acquiring PhD in Philosophy? Can you let us know how long it took for you and some tips?

Gregory B. Sadler For me - if you're including the time I spent on earning my Masters degree, it was 7 years.

2 years of coursework, taking our comprehensive exam, qualifying with one of of my research languages (German), and writing a thesis.

Then 3 additional years of coursework, taking four preliminary examinations, qualifying with 2 additional research languages (French, Greek), and writing a dissertation.

I actually took quite a bit more coursework than I was required to - and not just in Philosophy, but other departments as well (English, Classics, Speech/Communication). I do tell graduate students not to rush their time in their graduate studies, and to take as many courses as they can - they're often eager to finish up - because it is probably the only opportunity they will have to spend so much time on study.

For me, graduate school was a really excellent time in my life. I had a lot of time to develop a solid foundation in the texts and thinkers I would later end up teaching, writing upon, or applying in practice.

I suppose the bit of advice that I'd give is to go beyond what your professors and fellow grad students think you should study, and to open your mind up to other thinkers. There's often a focus on the "trendy", which is all right as far as getting a job later, but leaves one with big gaps in one's education.

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