Department of Philosophy 

University of Pittsburgh 

Due to funding constraints, the program will not run in summer 2025.

What?

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for Open Doors Philosophy Academy, a week-long program designed to give individuals interested in academic philosophy a taste of graduate student life as well as various forms of support useful in applying to and flourishing in Ph.D. programs in Philosophy.  We hope to enrich philosophical discourse by attracting students from groups currently underrepresented in academic philosophy in the US. The program will include seminars taught by Pitt faculty and Pitt PhDs now teaching elsewhere; the forms of support will include graduate student and faculty mentors, as well as workshops designed to help students decide whether, where, and how to apply to Ph.D. programs. 

Who?

We welcome applications from anyone who has a serious interest in Philosophy but has not yet been admitted to a PhD program in Philosophy, including but not limited to individuals from groups currently underrepresented in academic philosophy: for example, first generation undergraduates and those in community colleges, Pell-eligible and ESL students, individuals with disabilities, and veterans, women, non-binary and LGBTQI+ students. Though we are primarily interested in students who are majoring or have majored in Philosophy, we will consider non-majors who have significant experience in philosophy.  Each application will be considered on a holistic and case-by-case basis.

The program is open to all qualified applicants. The University of Pittsburgh, as an educational institution and as an employer, does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, familial status, sex, age, sexual orientation, veteran status or gender identity and expression in its programs and activities.