Rigorous, AI-facilitated graduate programs.
OpenGrad offers rigorous, multi-year programs of study at the graduate level—not degrees, but serious curricula culminating in original intellectual work. Each program is:
- Doctoral-level: Modeled on PhD programs at top institutions in depth, rigor, and scope
- Self-paced: 10-15 hours/week alongside full-time work
- AI-facilitated: Curriculum designed with AI, writing evaluated by AI, discussion deepened by AI
- Non-credentialed: No degree, no certificate—only genuine formation
- Primary sources: Read alone, in silence, without assistance. AI operates at the level of program, not at the level of reading.
How It Works
The Core Principle
You read alone. You write alone. You struggle alone. The AI never intervenes during your encounter with primary texts—no summaries, no explanations, no interpretations handed to you. The difficulty is the point.
AI Roles
Curriculum Design — The AI structures readings, assignments, and progression according to established doctoral program standards. It proposes changes to the curriculum when warranted, which you approve or reject.
Socratic Discussion — After you've read a text and formed your own interpretation, the AI engages dialectically. It asks questions more than it answers. It pushes you to defend interpretations with textual evidence, introduces counter-readings, and challenges easy conclusions.
Rigorous Evaluation — The AI evaluates your written work at graduate level. It identifies weaknesses in argument, textual interpretation, and prose. It does not pad criticism with false praise or lower standards. The goal is philosophical formation, not encouragement.
Examination — At key milestones, the AI administers comprehensive exams requiring synthesis across multiple thinkers and demonstration of genuine understanding.
What AI Does Not Do
- Explain texts before you've read them
- Summarize or simplify readings
- Provide interpretations during initial encounter
- Help draft or revise essays
- Resolve confusion prematurely
- Lower standards
Typical Week
- Read (5-8 hours): Primary texts, alone, with your own notes
- Write (3-5 hours): Weekly response (500+ words) working through your understanding
- Discuss (1-2 hours): Engage with AI to test interpretations, face challenges, deepen understanding
- Revise thinking: Based on discussion, refine your grasp of the material
Community
Each program has a Discord cohort for enrolled participants. You'll receive notifications about current unit readings and assignments, and can discuss with others working through the same material—after you've done your own reading first.
Programs
Continental Philosophy
A 4-year program covering the tradition from Plato through phenomenology, critical theory, and post-structuralism—culminating in an original book-length project.
Status: Year 1, Semester 1 — Started January 5, 2026
More programs coming soon.
Join the Waitlist
We'll reach out when programs open for enrollment.