Apply for Graduate Admissions

Applications for Admission

Students applying to program must complete the Faculty of Graduate Studies online application. Qualifications for admission are outlined in 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 request three letters of reference and upload a sample of written work (e.g. a recent essay) through the online application system. All supplementary documentation such as transcripts should be sent to the Graduate Program Administrator in the Department of Philosophy by January 15 for September admission. Applicants for the MA program who have applied for the SSHRC scholarship competition must complete the online application by January 6. (Though most applications are for admission in September, January admission is possible in exceptional cases; please contact the Graduate Director).

Additional documentation should be submitted to the Graduate Office, Department of Philosophy, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.

To be considered for university scholarships, 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 should consider the Special Award and Bursaries competitions. Masters applicants may apply for the Special Awards and Bursaries competitions. 

The Department will use 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.

Canadian applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for funding through SSHRC. SSHRC fellowships have earlier deadlines (usually October for doctoral awards and November for MA scholarships) and are administered through your home institution or SSHRC directly.

Note: MA applicants being considered for the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship must submit their application for admission by January 6.

The Department will make its first round of decisions about financial support by March 15.

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. Proficiency in English can be supplied with a TOEFL score of 580 (written test), 97 (internet-based test), a MELAB score of 83, or an IELTS score of 7.0.

• Information for International Applicants
• More Info from the International Student Services
• Costs for International Students
• TOEFL website

Application Checklist

A complete application consists of the following:

• An online application for admission.
• A non-refundable application fee for each application to a graduate degree program. The application fee is CDN $125 for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and CDN $145 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.
• 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 (requested by you into the online application, and submitted by letter writers directly online).
• 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 (uploaded into the online application).
• An 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.

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