Master of Arts in Philosophy [Thesis]

The Department of Philosophy offers MA (with or without thesis) and PhD programs in Philosophy. The programs are offered in English and French. According to the University's policy, students may pursue their studies in the official language of their choice.

The Department participates in the collaborative programs in Women's Studies (at the MA level), in Medieval and Renaissance Studies (at the MA level) and in Canadian Studies (at the PhD level).

Philosophy is the oldest academic discipline, having given birth over two millennia to logic, ethics, physics, psychology, computer science, the last two in the last century alone. While philosophers themselves quarrel about the nature of the subject, this is because it is the discipline that must ask foundational questions concerning all forms of knowledge, including itself.

Philosophy has disparate branches, to name a few: ethics, political philosophy, logic, philosophy of language and of mind, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of the natural and social sciences, aesthetics. What seems to unite them is their concern with questions not normally answerable by science or empirical investigation alone, hence their reliance on abstract thought, and emphasis on conceptual and logical clarity.

The training in argumentative clarity that is basic to philosophy explains why disciplines such as law value philosophy degrees so highly. Many philosophy graduates who do not pursue philosophy as a career find their philosophical training invaluable as a pathway to careers in law, politics, psychology, linguistics, mathematics, computer science, and the natural sciences. Others pursue careers in philosophy and retain a life-long interest in its subject matter. Indeed, philosophy has had a profound influence on the past century, from the invention of computers to the movements for gender equality, animal rights, and multicultural accommodation, and on debates over democracy, liberty and equality, world poverty and global responsibility, abortion, linguistic meaning and truth, and the nature of consciousness.

To be admitted to the MA program a candidate must have an honours BA in Philosophy (or the equivalent) with a minimum B average. The Department reserves the right to impose a preliminary examination.

Candidates lacking the necessary background may be admitted to a qualifying program.

An application dossier must include official transcripts and two letters of recommendation. For the master's with thesis, the dossier must also include a description of the intended field of research, and a sample of written work in philosophy (15-25 pp.).

TOEFL 84 (Overall), 24 (Writing), 20 (Individual)/IELTS 6.5 (Overall), 6.5 (Writing), 6 (Individual) (Internet-based)