Notice Regarding Admissions for the 2025-2026 Academic Year
Dear Prospective Students and Community Members,
We welcome applications for the fall 2026 incoming class. We will be opening the next admissions process as of fall 2025. We encourage interested students to contact us in the meantime, and we look forward to your questions about our unique and specialized program.
Students in Carleton’s graduate Ethics and Public Affairs (EPAF) programs combine ethical analysis with social science to gain a comprehensive understanding of the options for solving particular public issues. Possible research topics are as varied as the expertise of Carleton faculty, ranging from the environment, gender and other social inequalities, multiculturalism, health, social and economic development, global inequality, and more. The program is not so much ‘applied ethics’ as it is a collaboration between philosophers who research public issues and social science and public policy specialists with interests and expertise in the values underlying those issues.
In addition to the Ph.D. program, two graduate diplomas will be offered for qualified professionals and graduate students in other departments. The starting point for all three programs is a pair of intensive, team-taught seminars, each of which addresses a particular public issue from a perspective of public reason, weighing the value-based and evidence-based concerns and considerations that apply.
The Ethics & Public Affairs PhD is designed to lead towards either professional or academic careers. Applicants to the PhD program must identify specific areas of policy issues on which they wish to do their doctoral research. One of the program requirements is a practicum working in an organization to which their knowledge of ethics and public affairs is relevant. While these may not align exactly with each student’s policy area, relevant career guidance will be offered.
While coursework is available on ethics in organizations (EPAF 5200), the primary focus of EPAF courses and research is on ethical aspects of public policy issues. For this, a strong background in ethical theory, applied ethics, or contemporary theories of justice is presupposed. Prospective applicants without any previous academic courses on these topics will be encouraged to make up these deficits before applying. (We may be able to suggest pathways that previous applicants have used to gain admission into EPAF programs.)
The Diploma programs include the same core courses as the PhD, so they too focus on ethical dimensions of policy issues. An EPAF Diploma can lead in several different directions: (a) it can supplement another graduate degree at Carleton; (b) it can enhance the ability of professionals to analyze and weigh the ethical risks involved in different policy options; (c) it can lead to the EPAF PhD program, with advanced credit.
· A Master’s degree in a relevant field and an A average in relevant honours or graduate courses both in (a) analytical ethics or political philosophy and in (b) social science or interdisciplinary studies; or
· A Master’s degree in a relevant field, and successful performance in an EPAF graduate diploma program with an A average.
Admission Requirements – Graduate Diploma
The typical requirement for admission is an average of A- or above in honours or graduate courses, with evidence of proficiency in both (a) analytical ethics or political philosophy, and (b) social science or interdisciplinary studies including social science.
After you have submitted your online application and paid the non-refundable application fee of $100 per program through the Ontario University Application Centre (OUAC), Carleton will email you instructions on how to access Carleton Central (where all your application information is stored). Your Carleton User ID that you will need to access Carleton Central will be assigned and sent to you in that email. Please note that it may take 1-3 business days from the time your application fee has been processed for you to receive this email.
Click on your program of interest below to view further instructions and a list of required documents.
Application deadline: preference will be given to applications received by January 15th; July 1st if funding and space remain.
Funding
Funding is available in the form of teaching/research assistantships and scholarships based on academic excellence. We also encourage students to compete for scholarships from the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Full-time Carleton students pursuing the graduate diploma are eligible for funding through their home programs. For additional information on scholarships visit: graduate.carleton.ca/financial-assistance.
Program Requirements
Visit our Program Requirements for an overview of our programs, credits and requirements.
The Capital Advantage
As the capital of Canada, Ottawa offers an array of learning and professional opportunities, complemented by ready access to government departments and agencies, parliamentary institutions, media and non-governmental organizations. Today, all of these groups are grappling with ethical questions and the best ways to handle them.
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