Students admitted to the University but not to the Department of Philosophy (classified as "advanced special students" if they have a bachelor's degree in some area) often apply to me for permission to take 600- or 800-level courses in our graduate program. Whether I can give permission depends on the purpose and subject matter of a given course and the student's level of academic background, both in the subject of the course in question and, more generally, in the analytic approach to philosophy; see also my consent form.

However, students who do not immediately qualify for admission to a given course should note that there are other options for course-work at an advanced level that are not evident from our current course descriptions. Courses listed as 400-level (i.e. advanced undergraduate) are also open to graduate students who register instead for a 788 Independent Study, with the permission of the instructor in question. Previously these courses were cross-listed at the 600-level, so that they appeared as separate options in our list of advanced courses.

Where I think a given student lacks appropriate background for one of my 600- or 800-level courses, I ask that he or she first take a 400-level or other course with either myself or another instructor and then reapply during a later term on the basis of performance in that one.