This program offers you a unique opportunity to study the history and philosophy of science while embedded among biologists within ASU's School of Life Sciences. You can benefit from participating in the university's interdisciplinary culture and integrating coursework from the sciences into your education.
Degree Awarded: PHD
History and Philosophy of Science
The history and philosophy of science is an interdisciplinary field that traces its origin to foundational works such as Thomas Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions." The field is based on the idea that the best way to understand science is to study how it changes over time, along with careful analysis of its concepts and fundamental principles. The PhD program in history and philosophy of science combines training in the core areas of history and philosophy of science with an emphasis on interdisciplinary studies of the sciences, including:computational history and philosophy of sciencefoundations of evolutionary theorygeneral philosophy of science and epistemologyhistory and philosophy of applied ethics and science policyhistory of 19th and 20th century biologyThe program is especially appropriate for students with an undergraduate or master's degree in philosophy, history, or the sciences and for those who seek to broaden their disciplinary studies. Science students who have not taken relevant undergraduate humanistic core courses can make up these courses during their first years in the program.
September 2025
Arizona State University
Tempe Campus,
1151 S. Forest Ave.,
TEMPE,
Arizona,
85281, United States
To be admitted to ASU, you must have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution in the U.S. or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from an international institution that is officially recognized by that country.
Competitive applicants typically have a “B” (3.00 on a 4.00 scale) grade point average in the last 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of undergraduate coursework. If you do not meet the minimum GPA requirements, your application may still be considered by the department.
English language proficiency requirements
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Score of at least 80 on the TOEFL iBT
International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Overall band score of the academic test of at least 6.5
Pearson Test of English (PTE): Score of at least 60
Duolingo English test: Graduate minimum score of 105
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