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Graduate Degrees at Waterloo

Degree Programs

Introduction

The following are descriptions of the program as revised for the 2004-05 academic year.  Students admitted prior to the approval of the revised program have the option of completing the program under the previous requirements.

1. Master of Arts

Course work option:
For the Course Work option students must complete: Philosophy 680 A/B (the Departmental Graduate Seminar); three one-term graduate courses (0.50 unit weight per course) at least one of which is a Philosophy 674 course; and three Directed Research courses (Philosophy 696).  The three Directed Research courses involve writing research papers under the supervision of three different members of the department.  The choice of subjects is not restricted in advance, but must be agreed to by the student’s supervisor and by the Graduate Officer.  Students with special interests may take one of these courses with a member of another department if they have received approval from the Graduate Officer.

To be granted the MA degree, students must complete 680A/B and the three one-term courses required for the MA degree with a 78% average with at least one mark in the 80-100% range. The grade requirement for the three Phil 696 research courses in lieu of a thesis is no mark lower than 78% with at least one in the 80-100% range.

Thesis Option:
For the Thesis option students must complete: Philosophy 680A/B (the departmental Graduate Seminar); three one-term graduate courses (0.50 unit weight per course) at least one of which is a Philosophy 674 course; one Directed Research course (Phil 696), plus an MA thesis. The Directed Research course will normally be taken with the thesis supervisor, and will involve research leading to the production of the thesis.  Students wishing to take this option should have decided on their topic by mid-year.

To be granted the MA degree, students must complete Phil 680A/B and the three one-term courses required for the MA degree with a 78% average with at least one mark in the 80-100% range. The grade requirement for PHIL 696, the preparatory research course for the thesis, is a mark no lower than 78%.  The thesis must be accepted by a committee made up of the thesis supervisor and two other members of the department, to be selected in consultation with the Graduate Officer.

2. Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Requirements

A) Course work

The pre-thesis requirements for PhD candidates are the following:

Complete the department graduate seminar 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 Philosophy 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. See the handbook for the Graduate Program in Philosophy. 

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.

Normal time line for completion of the PhD

Yr 1: Fall and Winter: Three one-term courses, plus departmental seminar.  Summer: begin first Research Area.

Yr 2: Departmental seminar, complete Research Areas.

Yr 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.

Students will normally complete Grad Studies 901—Preparing for University Teaching I in the first year. (Completion of this course is required before students are eligible to teach courses independently for the department.) The department recommends that students who intend to pursue a career in a university also complete Grad Studies 902 in the second year and Grad Studies 903 in the third year.