Admission to the MA and PhD Programs
The Department admits students to two degree programs: Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Approximately 12 new PhD students and 15 new MA students enroll each year. All students in both programs are now covered by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences funding guarantee. Applicants should be aware of the following:
1. Admissions Requirements
Admission to the MA program requires a four-year bachelor's degree from a recognized university. The applicant must have a strong background in philosophy (roughly equivalent to an undergraduate major), with minimum average grades of mid-B in the applicant's overall program and A- in the philosophy courses. The MA program is intended primarily for those seeking only a more comprehensive and concentrated training in philosophy than undergraduate study permits, or an enriched Collaborative Program. It may also serve as preparation for a PhD program. Students enrolled in the MA program who intend to continue must submit a complete application for admission to the PhD program, which will be considered on a par with those originating from outside the University of Toronto.
Admission to the PhD program requires either a four-year bachelor's degree or a master's degree in philosophy from a recognized university. A student seeking admission on the basis of a four-year bachelor's degree must have a strong background in philosophy (roughly equivalent to at least an undergraduate major), with minimum average grades of B+ in the applicant's overall program and A- in the applicant's philosophy courses. A student seeking admission on the basis of a master's degree in philosophy must have an average grade of at least an A- in that master's program. The PhD program is intended primarily for those interested in teaching philosophy and doing advanced philosophical research. Applicants must satisfy the Admissions Committee that they are capable of independent research in philosophy at an advanced level.
Admission to our MA and PhD programs is highly competitive and selective. Those who merely meet the minimum conditions should not expect admission without exceptionally favourable supporting considerations.
2. Application Procedures
(Updated June 2011)
With the exception of GRE scores, which are required only of applicants for the PhD, the required documents and application procedures are the same for the MA and PhD programs.
The application and all supporting documents except for test scores (GRE, TOEFL, etc.) must be submitted through the online application and payment process of the School of Graduate Studies.
Please note that you will need to provide contact information for at least two, but preferably three, referees who have indicated to you that they are willing to write a recommendation. Upon completion of the application form (including payment), the University of Toronto online system will generate an email that will be sent to those referees, requesting letters from them. (As letters of reference are due at the same time as all supporting materials with the application – by the deadline of January 7 – it is important to request them from your referees as early in the process as possible. Email addresses for referees must be institutional emails – not personal email addresses like @gmail.com or @hotmail.com)
Some more detailed instructions:
- You may need to disable "popup blockers" in your browser if you have difficulty completing the online process.
- If you are applying to the PhD program, you will be asked to choose between two versions of it: PhD (direct entry) - Philosophy, and PhD - Philosophy. The former is our five-year PhD program and the latter is our four-year PhD program for students entering with an MA in Philosophy; see here. If you are uncertain about which program you would like to apply to, select the 5-year PhD, even if you already have an MA.
- Select the area, from the following seven, that best characterizes your proposed research area: (1) Ancient Philosophy, (2) Medieval Philosophy, (3) 17th and 18th Century Philosophy, (4) Continental Philosophy, (5) Analytic Metaphysics/Epistemology/Philosophy of Science, (6) Analytic Philosophy of Language/Philosophy of Mind/Logic, (7) Ethics/Political Philosophy/Aesthetics. This selection will determine which subcommittee of the Admissions Committee first reviews your file.
- If you are applying for external funding (e.g., SSHRC, OGS), check the box next to "Awards/Scholarships/Fellowships applied for and related to this application".
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
(a) Statement of Interest is a statement of about 300 words, indicating your areas of interest in philosophy at the graduate level. If there is information about you that you would like the committee to have, but that cannot be included elsewhere in the application, you may include it here. Please submit your Statement of Interest in pdf.
(b) Writing Sample is a piece of your written work in philosophy (in English or French), such as a term paper. It need not be on a topic in your proposed research area. Submit one writing sample only and do not exceed 20 pages double-spaced (12pt, margins 1 inch). (If your paper is longer than 15 pages, include at the beginning a one-paragraph abstract that summarizes and helps to contextualize it.) It should be as recent as possible and should provide evidence of your ability to do philosophy at an advanced level. Please submit your Writing Sample in pdf.
(c) Transcripts. All applicants are required to upload one electronic or scanned transcript from each post-secondary institution attended. The School of Graduate Studies online application instructions explain how to do this. Admissions decisions will be made on the basis of the scanned transcript; however, if you accept an offer of admission, you will then be required to send, or arrange to have sent, official paper transcript(s) to the Philosophy Department. Verification of the official paper transcript will be a condition that must be met prior to registration.
(d) GRE scores. Applicants to the PhD program must arrange to have their most recent Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores sent directly to the Philosophy Department. (University code 0982 and Department code 2801.) These scores must be no more than 5 years old. GRE scores are required of all applicants to the PhD program. GRE scores are not required of applicants to the MA program.
(e) TOEFL scores. All applicants whose primary language is not English and who are not graduates of a university whose language of instruction is English must have a TOEFL PBT score of at least 600, or iBT score of 100 and a TWE score of at least 5, or equivalent results in some other recognized test of English language facility. These scores should be no more than 2 years old. (They are reported directly to the School of Graduate Studies by the testing service (ETS)).
3. Application Deadline
The closing date for applications for 2012-13, including all supporting documentation, is January 7, 2012. Processing of applications will begin after this deadline, and decisions will be announced in late February. You can check the status of your application on the School of Graduate Studies website after the 3rd week in January. (If the SGS website indicates that all of your supporting documents have been received but also shows "Documents Pending", this means simply that they do not yet have your official transcripts. Your application is complete, however, and you needn't take any further action unless and until you are notified of your admission by the Philosophy Department.)
4. Visiting and Special Students
Students wishing to take one or more graduate courses offered by the Department as non-degree students should apply for admission as Special Students. In particular, graduate students in philosophy at other institutions are welcome to apply to spend a year studying at the University of Toronto. The application procedure and deadline are the same as for the PhD program, except that GRE scores are not required.
Graduate students from other Ontario universities may apply to take courses through the Ontario Visiting Graduate Students Exchange program. Contact your home university for information about the required paperwork.
Graduate students from institutions outside Canada who wish to visit the Department to do research under a particular faculty member should contact that faculty member and consult the International Student Exchange office at http://www.utoronto.ca/student.exchange/
