Graduate Study in Logic at Berkeley

There are three different graduate programs at the University of California, Berkeley, in which a student wishing to specialize in logic and related fields may enroll:

  1. The Ph.D. Program in Philosophy. Students who choose to specialize in logic within the context of this program are expected to obtain a broad education in philosophy.

  2. The Group in Logic and the Methodology of Science administers a program leading to the degree of Ph.D. in Logic and the Methodology of Science. The Group is not a part of the Department of Mathematics or of the Department of Philosophy; rather, it is an independent program staffed by faculty members from Mathematics and Philosophy, along with several from Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Students who want to pursue the Ph.D. in Logic and the Methodology of Science should apply directly to the Graduate Program in Logic and the Methodology of Science, rather than to Mathematics or Philosophy.

    Students in the L&M program are expected to study both mathematics and philosophy, though they need not meet all the breadth requirements for a Ph.D. in either field. They must pass one examination in the foundations of mathematics, one examination in philosophy (Area I), and a third in either mathematics or philosophy. Although there are no graduate instructorships in Logic and Methodology of Science, students in this program may, if qualified, hold graduate student instructorships in the Department of Mathematics or in the Department of Philosophy.

  3. The Department of Mathematics administers a program leading to a Ph.D. in Mathematics. Students in this program may specialize in the foundations of mathematics, but are also expected to study other aspects of mathematics. In particular, they must pass departmental qualifying examinations in two other areas as well as in the foundations of mathematics. The Department of Mathematics also has a program leading to an M.A. degree.

Logic Events

Logic Colloquium

The Group in Logic and the Methodology of Science sponsors a biweekly logic colloquium, with talks by mathematicians, computer scientists, and philosophers.

Working Group in the History and Philosophy of Logic, Mathematics, and Science

The Working Group in the History and Philosophy of Logic, Mathematics, and Science, jointly sponsored by the Philosophy Department and the Doreen B. Townsend Center for the Humanities, sponsors monthly talks, many of them on topics connected to logic.

Berkeley-Stanford Circle in Logic and Philosophy

The Berkeley-Stanford Circle in Logic and Philosophy brings together graduate students from UC Berkeley and Stanford University to discuss research at the intersection of Logic and Philosophy.