In North American universities, Indian philosophy is generally taught in three types of departments: Asian Studies, Religious Studies, and Philosophy. The three different types of programs tend to have different foci. Departments of Asian Studies, also sometimes labeled as Oriental Studies or Indology, often have a philological focus. This is especially the case in Europe. Religious Studies departments tend to provide their students with training in philosophy of religion, comparative religions, and theology, tools that can often be useful in approaching texts and thinkers from South Asia. Finally, there are some Philosophy Departments that have successfully incorporated Asian philosophy into their curricula, and where it might finally be possible to research Pyrrho, Nāgārjuna, and Zhuangzi side-by-side. In the lists we have compiled for the Indian Philosophy Blog we have included all three types of programs. In certain universities, there may be scholars of Indian philosophy in more than one department. Prospective students would be well advised to track down representative publications by one or two of the scholars of Indian philosophy in each of the programs they are considering before applying. This will give them a sense of the kind of training they would receive and the kind of writing they would be expected to produce for their Ph.D. dissertations in each program.
The lists compiled here are specifically for Ph.D. programs. Undergraduate students should be aware that in most cases they will be expected to earn an M.A. in a relevant field before they can be admitted to a Ph.D. program. Most departments that offer the Ph.D. also offer the M.A., with a few exceptions. There are also some universities, such as my own, that do not offer Ph.D. studies in Indian philosophy but that do offer an M.A. degree.
Students applying to an M.A. program will often be expected to have one or two years of background in a relevant language (Pali, Persian, Prakrit, Sanskrit, Tibetan, etc.). Admission into a Ph.D. program can require the equivalent of two or more years of language study. Undergraduate students of Indian philosophy whose universities do not offer instruction in Asian languages would be wise to pursue summer study elsewhere. University funding is not always available for the M.A. For the Ph.D., however, students studying in North America should insist on full funding: a complete tuition waiver plus a substantial stipend. With the exception of El Colegio de México, English is the language of instruction for the Ph.D. programs on this North America list.
Naturally, students are most concerned with getting into an M.A. or Ph.D. program. However, they should also give a great deal of thought to how long it will take to get out, how much debt will accrue during their studies, and what kind of employment they should expect to find after they graduate. Because of the extensive language training required for original research in Indian philosophy and the expectation that many students will spend time doing research abroad, completion of a program of study in Indian philosophy often takes longer than a comparable program in European philosophy. After they are admitted, students should ask the graduate program director about the program’s job placement rate and about what kinds of jobs its recent graduates have received. (2-year research fellowships? 3-year Visiting Assistant Professorships? Tenure-Track Professorships?)
A very serious factor students must take into account is the amount of debt they will amass and whether they will ever make enough money as a professor in a humanities department to pay off those debts. This is a particularly large problem in the United States. Because of the high cost of graduate studies and the daunting odds of landing a tenure-track job, some prominent voices have warned against anyone pursuing a humanities doctoral degree in the United States. Though the situations in Indian philosophy, South Asian Studies, and Religious Studies are better than in some other humanities disciplines, students should arrive in graduate school with their eyes wide open. B.A.-, M.A.-, and Ph.D.-holders should also keep in mind that it is possible to have a fulfilling, intellectually rewarding career beyond the ivory tower.
In my opinion, it would be folly to try to give an overall ranking of Ph.D. programs in Indian philosophy. The types of disciplinary approaches and topics covered are too diverse. However, it is useful to ask questions about the top programs for the study of specific topics in Indian philosophy, such as Kashmiri Śaivism or Yogācāra Buddhism. Perhaps the comments section would be a good place to begin such a conversation.
Attentive readers will notice some broader trends since this list was last published seven years ago. The most obvious difference is that the list is now shorter. One well-documented phenomenon has been ongoing cuts in funding for humanities departments. If there is only one faculty member at a university supervising Ph.D. students in Indian philosophy, after that faculty member leaves they are often not replaced with another scholar of Indian philosophy. Another trend has been consolidation: certain universities (e.g., the University of Toronto) that were already good places for a Ph.D. have become even better thanks to multiple hires in Indian philosophy. Although the situation for students who wish to pursue advanced studies continues to become more challenging in some ways, there are still very good opportunities to study Indian philosophy in North America.
Elisa Freschi will soon be publishing to the blog an updated list of European Ph.D. programs of Indian philosophy. These lists of Ph.D programs, Part One for North America and Part Two for Europe, were first compiled by Andrew J. Nicholson (me) and Elisa Freschi, respectively, in 2014. They were then updated in 2017. (The 2017 lists can be found here and here.) I thank all of the many scholars who have helped me in compiling this newly revised list. Any errors or omissions are, of course, solely my responsibility. Readers who find mistakes are encouraged to contact me by e-mail so that the list can best reflect the current state of the field as of fall 2024.
List of Ph.D. Programs in Indian Philosophy – North America (Revised October 2024)
Canada
McGill University (Religious Studies)
McMaster University (Religious Studies)
University of Alberta (Philosophy)
University of British Columbia (Philosophy)
University of Calgary (Philosophy; Religious Studies)
University of Manitoba (Religion)
University of Toronto (Philosophy; Religion)
Mexico
El Colegio de México (Centro de Estudios de Asia y África)
United States
Binghamton University, State University of New York (Philosophy)
Columbia University (Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies; Philosophy; Religion)
Cornell University (Asian Studies)
Emory University (Religion)
Graduate Theological Union (Hindu Studies; Buddhist Studies; Jain Studies)
Harvard University (Committee on the Study of Religion; Philosophy; South Asian Studies)
Indiana University (Religious Studies)
Princeton University (Religion)
Temple University (Religion)
University of California at Berkeley (South and Southeast Asian Studies)
University of California at Santa Barbara (Religious Studies)
University of Chicago (Divinity School; South Asian Languages and Civilizations)
University of Hawaii (Philosophy)
University of Michigan (Asian Languages and Cultures)
University of New Mexico (Philosophy)
University of Pennsylvania (South Asia Studies)
University of Texas at Austin (Asian Studies)
University of Virginia (Religious Studies)
University of Washington (Asian Languages and Literature)
University of Wisconsin at Madison (Asian Languages and Cultures)
Yale University (Religious Studies)
I am a late bloomer in the garden, and an autodidact (in the manner of Burke…no, not Edmund, the other guy: Harry Chapin’s grandpa). As one who is uncredentialled and self-taught, my views are different to some. This includes an appreciation of Ryle, Sellars, Rorty, Davidson and others. One of my propositions concerning *reality* claims there is little of that in the human realm, independent of the laws of physics, regardless of what those finally(?) turn out to be. In respect for the Davidsonian notion of *propositional attitudes*, I have written a little on what I call contextual reality. That term means, for any group, movement, or outside-of-mainstream faction that emerges, reality is whatever-the-hell they say it is. Mr. Davidson’s holding claimed belief as a prop attitude. So, there we are with that.
There are dozens of such subdivisions of belief. They cannot all be right—nor entirely wrong. Well, I hope not anyway—many people have died over differences in belief. That is a trend. I hope it is not a tradition. A respected professor planted the contextual reality idea in my brain when he briefly looked at what he termed *levels of reality*.
As best I know, he dropped his idea. Either it was not well-formed, or he was just tired of working and wanted to do something else. Thanks for allowing me here.
Great readings.
Thank you for compiling this comprehensive list of PhD positions – it’s an incredibly valuable resource for the student community!
I wonder if you might also be able to provide insights about postdoctoral positions? As a PhD candidate nearing completion at an Indian university, I’m finding it challenging to navigate the postdoc landscape. Despite reaching out to professors whose research aligns with my interests, I’ve encountered limited availability and funding constraints. Understanding the typical pathways, timelines, and strategies for securing postdoc positions would be immensely helpful.
Thanks again for this superb list!
Thank you for this question. In the United States, postdoctoral fellowships in the humanities are relatively uncommon (compared to Europe). More common are “Visiting Assistant Professorships.” Sometimes these are 1-year positions to fill in at a university for a professor who is on sabbatical. Sometimes the contracts are longer, and occasionally the “Visiting” professorship might be converted into a tenure-track position at the same university.
I’d encourage you to sign up to two e-mail listservs where announcements about postdoctoral positions and open teaching positions in Indian philosophy are sometimes made. These are SARI-L (https://sites.arizona.edu/sari/sari-l-subscribe/) and Indology-L (https://indology.info/subscribing-to-the-forum/). Whether or not it makes sense that in the age of TikTok we are still relying on communications technology from the 1980’s, nonetheless there is sometimes very useful information on these forums.
Also philjobs.org will sometimes have listings appropriate for a specialist in Indian philosophy (right now there is a listing at Duke University for a “Comparative Philosophy” postdoc, for instance).
Perhaps a European colleague can follow up with some advice on how to find postdoctoral positions in the UK and EU.
Thank you so much, this is very helpful!