Students with an MA in Philosophy or its equivalent are normally eligible for admission to the PhD program. If the MA was earned at another university the student may be required to take one or two one-term courses (0.5 unit weight) before proceeding with the qualification area stage of the program.
The minimum requirements for admission to the PhD program normally include:
- three letters of recommendation, normally from academic sources
- It is strongly recommended that a paper demonstrating philosophical attainment be submitted with applications. (An undergraduate course or seminar paper, or a Bachelor's thesis, may be used for this purpose.)
- a statement of interest
- proof of competency in English (if applicable). A score of at least 600 (250 on the computerized version) is required in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and 4.0 on the TWE. (See Academic Regulations - Competency in English for other acceptable tests of English.)
A) Course work:
The student selects the Research Areas in consultation with the Graduate Officer, and in each is assigned a faculty member who determines the program in that Area. The department must approve the student’s choice of Research Areas. While it is possible to do an Area in one of the traditional divisions of philosophy (e.g., Metaphysics, Ethics, Logic or History of Philosophy), they will normally be on a more specific topic (e.g., Theories of Meaning and Mental Content, Theories of Human Rights, Theories of Truth, Plato’s Later Dialogues). Faculty members in charge of Areas are free to assign readings, require the taking or auditing of relevant courses, assign papers, and so on, and also examine the student as they see fit---orally, by formal examination, on the basis of papers, etc. See the handbook Graduate Program in Philosophy .
To be admitted to the thesis proposal stage, students must complete these requirements with an average of 83% in the seminars, courses and Research Areas, with no mark lower than 75%. Students are expected to complete their seminars, course work and research areas during the first two years of their doctoral studies.
B) Thesis Proposal:
Upon completion of their courses and Research Areas, students are admitted to the thesis proposal stage. They should then undertake discussions with a member of the Department and invite that person to be supervisor of their doctoral thesis, and should consult with the Graduate Officer concerning the formation of their thesis committee. Students will then complete a dissertation prospectus. The thesis committee examines the student about the prospectus as they see fit, though normally in an oral exam. The committee may pass the proposal; pass it with revisions; require the student to revise the proposal for re-examination; or they may reject the proposal and require the student to withdraw from the program.
C) Thesis:
Upon successful defence of the Dissertation Prospectus, students proceed to the thesis stage. The PhD degree is awarded after the thesis has been successfully defended in a public meeting and three copies of the thesis have been deposited in the Graduate Studies Office.
Normal time line for completion of the PhD:
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Yr 1: Fall and Winter: Three one-term courses, plus departmental seminar. Summer: begin first Research Area.
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Yr 2: Departmental seminar, complete Research Areas.
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Yr 3: Within 6 months, write and defend dissertation proposal.
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This leaves 18 months to complete and defend the dissertation within 4 years of beginning the PhD program.
Students will normally complete Grad Studies 901—Preparing for University Teaching I in the first year. (Completion of this course is required before students are eligible to teach courses independently for the department.) The department recommends that students who intend to pursue a career in a university also complete Grad Studies 902 in the second year and Grad Studies 903 in the third year.
Complete the department graduate seminar 680A/B in each of the first two years of the program. The seminar is a graduate level survey course intended to acquaint students with a number of topics under active investigation in the philosophical literature in a specific area of philosophy. The topics covered will vary from year to year, so students will not study the same material twice.
Complete three one-term graduate courses (0.50 unit weight per course) at least one of which is a Philosophy 674 course;
Complete two Research Areas (Phil 698), each supervised by a different member of the department. The intention is that each Research Area will prepare the student to make a research contribution in a particular area of philosophy. One of the Areas will normally cover the subject in which the student intends to write a dissertation.