Calendar 2005/2006

Location

Social Sciences Building, Room 1248

Faculty number

(403) 220-5533

Fax

(403) 289-5698

E-mail address

rvanaerd@ucalgary.ca

Web page URL

http://www.phil.ucalgary.ca/

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Master of Arts (MA), course-based and thesis-based

The Department also offers a Master of Arts degree with a specialization in the History and Philosophy of Science and a Master of Arts degree with a specialization in the Philosophy of Religion. These two degrees are offered in cooperation with the Departments of History and Religious Studies respectively.

In addition to the Faculty requirements, the Department requires a sample of written work, such as a recent essay, written in English. Applications will not be considered without a sample of written work.

The deadline for submitting complete applications is 15 January for September admission.

Candidates applying for financial assistance should ensure that all documents relevant to their scholarship application reach the Department by 1 February. The Department makes its first round of decisions for financial support by the end of March. Although most applications are for September admission, January admission is also possible.

The Department does not normally give advanced credit for courses taken previously. However, in special circumstances, a request for advanced credit may be considered if it is made as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma or for courses taken to bring the grade point average to a required level for admission. Advanced credit may be given for a maximum of two half-course equivalents.

Note: Normally, in both Master's and doctoral programs, no more than one half-course of Directed Reading can be taken for credit.

In addition to the Faculty requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Arts (Thesis)

(a)A minimum of six half-course equivalents;

(b)In the specializations History and Philosophy of Science or Philosophy of Religion, courses taken in History or Religious Studies, may, with departmental approval, count as fulfilling course requirements for the degree.

Master of Arts (Thesis) with Specialization in the History and Philosophy of Science

(a)Two half-course equivalents (two terms) in the philosophy of science;

(b)Two half-course equivalents (two terms) in the history of science;

(c)Two half-course equivalents (two terms) in the history and philosophy of science;

(d)Proficiency in a second language or logic, depending on the department of enrolment.

Master of Arts (Course-based)

(a)A minimum of 10 half-courses, including at least one half-course in the History of Philosophy and one half-course in 20th Century or Contemporary Philosophy;

(b)That students remedy deficiencies in a certain area or areas of philosophy by taking undergraduate level courses;

(c)The completion of at least one half-course in each annual registration period by both full-time and part-time students.

Doctor of Philosophy

(a)Normally, a minimum of six half-courses for students with a Master of Arts degree;

(b)Normally, a minimum of twelve half-courses for students entering directly from an honours undergraduate program;

(c)That students show competence in logic, which may be done by achieving a grade of B or better in Philosophy 379 [PHIL379].

None

Normally, no undergraduate courses will be credited towards completion of course requirements in a graduate program.

Expected completion time for full-time students is two years in a Master's thesis program, three years in a Master's course-based program, and four years in a doctoral program. Maximum completion time is four years for a Master's thesis program, and six years for a Master's course-based or doctoral program.

Students are assigned an interim advisor until they have an opportunity to become acquainted with other members of the faculty. Each student must have a supervisor by the end of the second regular academic session after first registration (April for September registrants and December for January registrants). The choice of supervisor must be by mutual arrangement between the student and staff member concerned and approved by the Department.

A supervisory committee at Master's level is not normally appointed. When such a committee is deemed necessary, the Dean's approval must be obtained.

A doctoral student shall be under the general supervision of a supervisory committee. After consultation with the student, the supervisor will submit a list of possible members of the supervisory committee to the Graduate Studies Committee for approval. The supervisory committee should be established as soon as possible and no later than three months after the supervisor's appointment.

Doctor of Philosophy

Departmental Preliminary Examinations

Students will be required to show competence in three of the following four areas:

Area I - metaphysics and epistemology

Area II - history of philosophy

Area III - philosophy of language and logic

Area IV - moral and political philosophy

The student chooses three areas. Competence in an area is shown by submitting a satisfactory essay or passing an examination. At least one area must be passed by either a sit down or take home examination. Exams are administered, and essay accepted, four times yearly. All three areas must be passed within 20 months of registration. Students who have not passed three areas within 20 months of registration will not normally receive further Departmental support.

Oral Candidacy Examination

The doctoral student must pass an oral candidacy examination after required course work and preliminary examinations are completed and before beginning the thesis. Before the examination, the student must submit a thesis proposal (approximately 20 pages) that will serve as the basis of discussion at the examination. The purpose of the examination is to ascertain whether the student's academic preparation and ability is adequate to pursue profitable research on the issues proposed.

Master of Arts (Course-based)

After the completion of all course work, there is a comprehensive examination with a written and an oral component. Two written final examinations test overall competence in two areas of philosophy. One of these areas must be either the History of Philosophy or 20th Century/Contemporary Philosophy; the student may select the second area. The oral examination takes place within two weeks of the written examination.

Thesis Programs

Thesis oral examinations.

None

Incoming students meet with the Graduate Director to discuss their programs and to decide which courses to take.

Many students admitted to the programs receive some level of financial support from the Department. Suitably qualified Master's students may be given a guarantee of financial support from September of their first year to the end of April of their second year and qualified doctoral students may receive a guarantee of financial support for the four years of their program.

For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.

Students applying for scholarships must submit their applications to the Department by 1 February.

None

The faculty's main interests and specialties can be found at: http://www.phil.ucalgary.ca/people/