University of Calgary

Graduate

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2007-02-08 14:23.

The Department's nineteen permanent faculty work in diverse philosophical areas.  The Department has significant strength in three areas: ethics, philosophy of language and logic, and the history and philosophy of science.  A graduate enrollment of about thirty students allows for small graduate classes as well as quality student-faculty interaction.  An active philosophical community, the Department has a vibrant visiting scholars series, thriving graduate colloquia, stimulating research group meetings, and an active graduate student philosophy society.  All full-time students have office space in the Department and access to computer facilities.  The Department is an active philosophical community, with frequent visiting speakers, graduate colloquia, and research group meetings.  An attractive departmental layout, with offices around a central lounge area, enhances the Department's character as an intellectual community.  The Department does its utmost to help PhD graduates obtain academic positions and a number of recent PhD graduates have secured tenure-track positions.

On this page:


Links to other relevant information:

 

Degree Programs

The Department offers programs leading to the MA (either with thesis or by coursework), and to the PhD.


The list of graduate degree recipients and placement information show the variety of topics students choose for their degree work, and the success they've had in the academic job market (PhD) or getting into PhD programs in Philosophy (MA).

Admission Requirements

Admission to the MA normally requires a four-year BA with a major in philosophy; admission to the PhD normally requires a philosophy MA or Honours BA.  In each case, however, applications are considered from students with less exposure to philosophy but a strong record in a related academic field.  The Admissions Committee gives special weight to the sample of philosophical writing that accompanies each application.  The Department does not require GRE scores.  Generally, the Department admits students with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on the University of Calgary 4.0 scale. 

Financial Support

Many students admitted to the program receive financial support from teaching and research scholarships.  In order to be a candidate for financial support, a continuing student must apply for the major awards for which s/he is eligible.  Among the major awards that students should consider are the SSHRC fellowships (applications due in early November); Queen Elizabeth II Scholarships (applications to the Department due January 15); Killam Scholarships (applications due January 15); a Research Grant (applications due April 1 and October 1); and Commonwealth Scholarships (applications due October 31).  See the section on "Awards and Financial Assistance" of the Graduate Calendar for further information about these major awards as well as other awards available.

The Philosophy Department's budget for graduate financial support includes teaching assistantships (GATs) funded by the Faculty of Arts, and research scholarships (FGSs) funded by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

  • Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GATs): Teaching and instruc­tional service to an instructor in an under­graduate course.  2010-2011 stipends amount to $7,957.29 per term (four months), funded and awarded by the Department of Philosophy.  No more than an average of 12 hours per week of service (including preparation) may be required of teaching assistants.
  • Faculty of Graduate Studies Research Scholarships (FGSs): Awarded for research tasks directly related to the student's own research.  Stipends range from $1000 to $10,000 per term (four months), funded by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and awarded by the Department of Philosophy.  No teaching or service duties are required of research assistants. 


The allocation of GATs and FGSs to students is decided by the Graduate Studies Committee in the Department.  Although the budget is not known until the end of April or even later, the Department will try to make most allocations on the basis of its minimum expected budget by late March for summer units and by early May for the following fall and winter.

GATs and FGSs are normally tenable at the University of Calgary.  The terms are September-December, January-April, and May­-August.  Individuals interested in GATs and FGSs should ensure that all application materials (references, samples of philosophical writings) reach the Department by January 15.  There is no separate application form for GATs or FGSs.

MA students who are fully funded will receive financial aid for four semesters and one summer.  PhD students who are fully funded will receive financial aid for eight semesters and four summers.  Special consideration will be given to those who enter the PhD program without an MA.  This and other special considerations are decided by the Graduate Studies Committee. 

Each student who is admitted into our PhD program, and who makes academically satisfactory progress that is required for funding in his or her program, will receive not less than $19,000 for each of four years, subject to availability of funding.  (See the section on "Financial Support" of The Department of Philosophy Graduate Handbook for further information about academically satisfactory progress.  The funding may consist of a combination of teaching assistantships (GATs), research assistantships (FGSs), and other research and teaching awards.  In the past three years, the average amount of financial support to a PhD student has been significantly more than the minimum that is guaranteed.

The Department has no funding commitments to any student readmitted into any one of its graduate programs or with deferred admission.

Awards in the Faculty of Graduate Studies

The Graduate Scholarship Committee of the University of Calgary awards a number of scholarships and fellowships.  Detailed information on all these awards is available in Sources of Funding for Graduate Students.  The deadline for application for most of these scholarships is January 15 to the Department.  No graduate student award will be made to anyone other than a full-time student. 

An external award of interest to philosophy graduate students is the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowships (deadline in October).  This award is outlined on the Graduate Funding page.

Funding Statistics

The Department has a policy of providing four years of full funding to all PhD students.  The Department strives to fund fully its MA students. Most but not all MA students received twenty months of full funding.  The following statistics may give a more detailed idea of the funding of graduate students in the Department. 

In the past 3 years, of 13 new MA students:

  • 10 were admitted with a full funding guarantee.
  • 1 was admitted with a promise of some funding.
  • 2 were admitted without a promise of funding.


Of the 6 PhD students entering the program in the past 3 years, all were admitted with a full funding guarantee.  Some students opt for a FGS award instead of a GAT or forfeit their summer funding when they take up other work (e.g., summer teaching).  Many of our PhD students secure additional funding through outside fellowships or occasional research assistance. 

Costs

Graduate students are responsible for the following fees (per year). Details are available from the 2010-2011 Graduate Studies Calendar. 

  • General fees: $1,170.49 (includes $445.50 health and dental insurance and $295 UPASS fee, which provides free access to public transport)
  • Tuition: $5,439.90 for first year MA, and PhD students precandidacy, or $1,582.68 thereafter (figures current for 2010/11 academic year).  International students pay $12,347.34 for first year MA, and all PhD students precandidacy, and $3,591.90 thereafter, but are eligible for international fee differential funding.


Housing and cost of living are difficult to determine. According to our students, rent in a shared housing situation runs between $500 and $900. The Faculty of Graduate studies has additional information available on its pages on costs for Canadian students and international students.

Philosophy Graduate Student Essay Competition

The Department of Philosophy invites students registered in a graduate program in this department to participate in its annual Department of Philosophy Graduate Student Essay Competition.  The winner (or winners) will receive an award of up to $2,500.  To receive the award, students must be in program at time of application and disbursement and FGS eligibility requirements must be met.  Terms of Reference.  The winning essay or essays will be published on the Philosophy Department website.  Essays on any topic in philosophy are welcome.  Essays should have a maximum length of 13 double-spaced typed pages inclusive of bibliography, footnotes, and endnotes, if any.  Please use a 12 point font and standard margins.  Assessment criteria include originality and quality of argumentation and writing. Essays should be submitted to the Philosophy Graduate Director's Office not later than March 1.  Past Recipients

Leave of Absence

The Faculty of Graduate Studies has procedures in place to enable graduate students to take a leave from program whilst continuing to be registered in their degree.  Leaves may be considered for medical problems, bereavement, parental or care giving responsibilities, or military service.  Specific policy details can be found in the Graduate Calendar. 

International Students

The Department welcomes applications from qualified students outside of Canada.  Applicants whose first language is not English must submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam.

 

Applications for Admission

Students applying to program must complete the Faculty of Graduate Studies online application.  Qualifications for admission are outlined in our brochure, this document, and the Faculty of  Graduate Studies Calendar which is available at the University Bookstore and accessible on the web. 

In addition to the application requirements established by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, students are also required to send three letters of reference and a sample of written work (e.g. a recent essay).  All supplementary documentation (transcripts, three letters of reference, and a sample of written work) should be sent to the Department of Philosophy by January 15 for September admission. (Though most applications are for admission in September, January admission is also possible; please contact the Graduate Director).

Additional documentation should be submitted to the Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences Bldg.  Room 1248, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4.

To be considered for university scholarships (see the funding page), an applicant must submit a separate online application through the Graduate Award Competition.  Doctoral applicants must apply for the Killam and Open Doctoral scholarships and may consider the Special Award and Bursaries competitions. Masters applicants may apply for the Special Awards and Bursaries competitions. 

The Department will utilize information submitted in the Graduate Award application for the internal QE II Scholarship Competition. If you feel you do not qualify for any of the awards listed in the Graduate Award Competition, you may elect to submit to the Department a letter of intent requesting consideration for the QE II Scholarship Competition. All applicants are strongly advised to apply for a scholarship.  University scholarship applications with supporting documents (two letters of reference and a research proposal) are due by January 15.  The Department will make its first round of decisions about financial support by March 15.

A complete application consists of:

  • An online application for admission.
  • A non-refundable application fee for each application to a graduate degree program.  The application fee is CDN $100 for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and CDN $130 for international students who will be attending on a Study Permit.  Cheques or money orders must be made payable to the University of Calgary.  Applications will be processed only if the fee has been paid.
  • Two official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended, signed and sealed from the issuing institution.  The Department can print University of Calgary transcripts from the InfoNet.
  • Three appropriate letters of reference (mailed directly to the Department).
  • Official TOEFL scores for international applicants.
  • A sample of written work. Limit your paper to a maximum of fifteen double spaced typed pages including notes and bibliography.
  • A online Graduate Award Competition application for PhD and MA applicants.
  • MA applicants not submitting a Graduate Award application must submit a scholarship package to the Department which includes: a letter of intent requesting consideration for scholarship, two letters of reference (students applying for admission can designate two of their three letters to be considered for use in the fellowship application); a 1-page research proposal; a bibliography; and, if applicable, a letter outlining any special circumstances to be considered in your scholarship application.


For further information please contact:

Denise Retzlaff
Graduate Program Administrator
Department of Philosophy
University of Calgary
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4

Telephone:(403) 220-5533
Fax:(403) 289-5698
Email:  dretzlaf@ucalgary.ca

Apply online for admission to the graduate program!

 

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Handbook August2010.pdf175.13 KB