All Waterloo graduate program applications are completed via the online application through the Graduate Studies Office website. The application support material must be submitted in electronic file format. Or, if you have paper documents, they can be scanned into e-files (e.g. PDF) and uploaded to the application. Currently, the University of Waterloo graduate application fee is $100.
The Philosophy Department offers a four year Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program. For general information about the program and requirements, see the Graduate Studies Office website.
Admissions Requirements
Students are evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
- Performance in undergraduate work, especially in philosophy
- Recommendations of previous instructors
- Quality of written work submitted with the application
- Description of proposed area of research
The following materials are required for admission at the PhD level; the online application will guide you through the process of submitting these:
- Transcripts from previous institutions
- Three letters of reference
- A writing sample
- Statements answering the questions below, each of at most 250 words
Question 1: Please provide a brief statement of interest that outlines the areas of philosophy you hope to pursue in the program.
Question 2: Please explain why the University of Waterloo Department of Philosophy is a good place to pursue such a project, and why your background makes you well suited to pursue it successfully.
For your writing sample, a philosophy paper of around 2500 words is desirable; longer and shorter papers are acceptable too, but please don't send anything longer than 5,000 words. At the time you apply, an unofficial transcript is fine; if and when you enroll you will be asked to submit official copies.
We do not require the Graduate Records Examination (GRE).
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 in the TWE. See the English Language Proficiency page for other acceptable tests of English.
Academic Background of Applicants
a) From normal undergraduate programs in Philosophy
The normal background for Master of Arts (MA) students is that provided by the four-year Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) at The University of Waterloo. The core courses in the program are in the fields of Epistemology and Metaphysics Logic, Ethics, and History of Philosophy.
International students with qualifications judged to be equivalent to a Canadian Honours BA in philosophy are normally admitted to full graduate student status, but may be required to take certain specific courses in order to rectify deficiencies in background, either as part of or in addition to their regular graduate program.
b) From a Canadian general Bachelor of Arts (BA) or equivalent program
Students admitted with the three-year Canadian general BA degree or its equivalent will be as qualifying students. A qualifying student is admitted to graduate status but not to a degree program. The qualifying year is a year of work approximately equivalent to the fourth year of an honours program. Students who do well during that year are eligible for admission to full degree status.
c) From undergraduate programs in fields other than Philosophy
We encourage students with some philosophy background but whose degree is in another field to apply to our graduate problem; typically we will consider such students as "transitional students." Transitional students will normally be required to complete selected graduate or undergraduate courses, to be specified in writing at the time the student is recommended for admission, in addition to the usual requirements of the MA program. A transitional student is admitted directly into the MA program and is eligible for financial assistance.
d) From graduate programs
Students who have completed an MA in Philosophy should apply to the PhD program. Students who have completed other advanced degrees in Philosophy or who have already completed work at another PhD program may be given advanced status in our PhD program; consult the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, Dr. Doreen Fraser, for more information.
Degree Requirements
A) Course work
The pre-thesis requirements for PhD candidates are as follows:
- Complete the Departmental Graduate Seminar (PHIL 680A/B) twice.
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 PHIL 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.
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..
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. Students who do not complete this work within two years may only continue in the program at the Department's discretion. The Department may choose to set a further deadline for the completion of outstanding course work or areas on a case-by-case basis. Again, students who do not meet all such further deadlines may not be given permission to continue in the program.
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.
The Graduate Studies Office has many links to assist in preparing and formatting a thesis.
D) Teaching Preparation
PhD students will normally complete the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE), CTE's Fundamentals of University Teaching, course in their first year. Completion of this course is required before students are eligible to teach courses independently for the Department of Philosophy. The department recommends that students who intend to pursue a career in university teaching also complete CTE's Certificate in University Teaching during their time in the program.
Normal time line for completion of the PhD:
Year 1: Fall and Winter: Three one-term courses, plus departmental seminar. Summer: begin first Research Area.
Year 2: Departmental seminar, complete Research Areas.
Year 3: Within 6 months, write and defend dissertation proposal.
This leaves 18 months to complete and defend the dissertation within 4 years of beginning the PhD program.
Note: All incoming graduate students must complete an Academic Integrity milestone to fulfill their degree requirements. The Faculty of Arts Graduate Studies and Research Office holds a workshop in September every year.