To jump straight to program requirements, click here.

There are two programs available: the normal M.A. in philosophy, and the M.A. Philosophy with Collaborative Specialization in Digital Humanities. Both programs have thesis or major research essay pathways.

Research Essays

A Research Essay is a thorough review of the existing state of the art with respect to a clearly stated topic in philosophy or the history of philosophy, presenting a well-structured, well-argued, and well-written exploration of the student’s own views on the topic, between 50 and 70 standard pages (formatted as required by the Faculty of Graduate and Posdoctoral Affairs).

Theses

Theses can take either of two forms:

1. A clear statement of a philosophical problem, or, in history of philosophy, an interpretive problem, followed by analysis and argumentation, all informed by a thorough understanding of the existing state of the art with respect to the topic. A thesis must have a thesis, a claim or idea or point of view to the presentation and defence of which the entire essay is devoted. It should be roughly between 80 and 100 standard pages.

2. The second option includes both of the following: (a) A critical literature review of between 50 and 70 standard pages, including a clear statement of a philosophical problem, or, in history of philosophy, an interpretive problem, followed by a thorough review of the existing state of the art with respect to the topic, in which the student’s perspective on the topic is made clear. (b) An article of between 20 and 30 standard pages, in which the problem is clearly and succinctly stated and situated in the literature, followed by analysis and argumentation for a novel solution to that problem.

In the second option, the bound final version of the thesis will include a departmental note explaining this option, followed by the article and the literature review, each identified as such in the table of contents.


Program Requirements

See below for all requirements for both programs, and both pathways within them. The following is an outline that does not get updated regularly. For an always up to date list of requirements, see here.

M.A. Philosophy (5.0 credits)

Requirements – Thesis pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.0 credit in: 1.0
PHIL 5850 [0.5]
 Proseminar
PHIL 5900 [0.5]
 Research Seminar
2.  2.0 credits in: 2.0
PHIL 5909 [2.0]
 M.A. Thesis (must be defended at an oral examination)
3.  2.0 credits in courses, subject to the following limitations: 2.0
They may include one, but not both of the following:
PHIL 5701 [0.5]
 Fall Colloquium
or
PHIL 5751 [0.5]
 Winter Colloquium
They may include up to 1.0 credit from:
PHIL 5000 [0.5]
 Special Topic in Philosophy
PHIL 5200 [0.5]
 Topics in Philosophy of Mind or Philosophy of Language
PHIL 5250 [0.5]
 Topics in Logic, Epistemology, Metaphysics or Philosophy of Science
PHIL 5300 [0.5]
 Topics in Value Theory
PHIL 5350 [0.5]
 Topics in Ethics or Political Philosophy
PHIL 5500 [0.5]
 Topics in Contemporary Philosophy
PHIL 5600 [0.5]
 Topics in the History of Philosophy
PHIL 5650 [0.5]
 Semantics
PHIL 5660 [0.5]
 Lexical Semantics
or, with permission of the department other approved courses at the graduate or 4000-level at Carleton or other universities
They may include up to 1.0 credit in tutorials or, with permission of the department, approved graduate-only courses at the graduate level in other departments or at other universities
They must include at least 0.5 credit in two of the following areas of study:
  • History of Philosophy
  • Philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, logic, epistemology, or metaphysics
  • Moral, social, or political philosophy
Total Credits 5.0

Requirements – Research Essay pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.0 credit in: 1.0
PHIL 5850 [0.5]
 Proseminar
PHIL 5900 [0.5]
 Research Seminar
2.  1.0 credit in: 1.0
PHIL 5908 [1.0]
 Research Essay
3.  1.0 credit from: 1.0
PHIL 5701 [0.5]
 Fall Colloquium
PHIL 5751 [0.5]
 Winter Colloquium
or, with the permission of the department, approved graduate-level courses in other departments or at other universities
4. Up to 1.0 credit from: 1.0
PHIL 5000 [0.5]
 Special Topic in Philosophy
PHIL 5200 [0.5]
 Topics in Philosophy of Mind or Philosophy of Language
PHIL 5250 [0.5]
 Topics in Logic, Epistemology, Metaphysics or Philosophy of Science
PHIL 5300 [0.5]
 Topics in Value Theory
PHIL 5350 [0.5]
 Topics in Ethics or Political Philosophy
PHIL 5500 [0.5]
 Topics in Contemporary Philosophy
PHIL 5600 [0.5]
 Topics in the History of Philosophy
PHIL 5650 [0.5]
 Semantics
PHIL 5660 [0.5]
 Lexical Semantics
or, with permission of the department, approved courses at graduate or 4000-level at Carleton or other universities
5. Up to 1.0 credit in tutorials, or, with permission of the department, approved graduate-level courses in other departments or at other universities 1.0
Courses chosen must include at least 0.5 credit in two of the following areas of study:

  • History of Philosophy
  • Philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, logic, epistemology, or metaphysics
  • Moral, social, or political philosophy
Total Credits 5.0

M.A. Philosophy
with Collaborative Specialization in Digital Humanities (5.0 credits)

Requirements – Thesis pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.0 credit in: 1.0
PHIL 5850 [0.5]
 Proseminar
PHIL 5900 [0.5]
 Research Seminar
2.  2.0 credits in: 2.0
PHIL 5909 [2.0]
 M.A. Thesis (in the specialization)
3.  1.0 credits in courses, subject to the following limitations: 1.0
– They may include PHIL 5701 or PHIL 5751 but not both
– They may include up to 0.5 credit from PHIL 5000, PHIL 5200, PHIL 5250, PHIL 5300, PHIL 5350, PHIL 5500, PHIL 5600, PHIL 5650, PHIL 5660, or, with permission of the department, other approved courses at the graduate or 4000-level at Carleton or other universities
– They may include up to 0.5 credit in tutorials, or, with permission of the department, approved graduate-only courses at the graduate level in other departments or at other universities
– They must include at least 0.5 credit in two of the following areas of study: history of philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, logic, epistemology, or metaphysics, moral, social, or political philosophy
4.  0.5 credit in: 0.5
DIGH 5000 [0.5]
 Issues in the Digital Humanities
5.  0.5 credit in DIGH (DIGH 5011, DIGH 5012, or annually listed DIGH course) 0.5
6.  0.0 credit in: 0.0
DIGH 5800 [0.0]
 Digital Humanities: Professional Development
Total Credits 5.0

Requirements – Research essay pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.0 credit in: 1.0
PHIL 5850 [0.5]
 Proseminar
PHIL 5900 [0.5]
 Research Seminar
2.  1.0 credit in: 1.0
PHIL 5908 [1.0]
 Research Essay (in the specialization)
3.  1.0 credit from: 1.0
PHIL 5701 [0.5]
 Fall Colloquium
PHIL 5751 [0.5]
 Winter Colloquium
Or, with permission of the department, approved graduate-level courses in other departments or at other universities
4.  1.0 credit from: 1.0
PHIL 5000 [0.5]
 Special Topic in Philosophy
PHIL 5200 [0.5]
 Topics in Philosophy of Mind or Philosophy of Language
PHIL 5250 [0.5]
 Topics in Logic, Epistemology, Metaphysics or Philosophy of Science
PHIL 5300 [0.5]
 Topics in Value Theory
PHIL 5350 [0.5]
 Topics in Ethics or Political Philosophy
PHIL 5500 [0.5]
 Topics in Contemporary Philosophy
PHIL 5600 [0.5]
 Topics in the History of Philosophy
PHIL 5650 [0.5]
 Semantics
PHIL 5660 [0.5]
 Lexical Semantics
Or, with permission of the department, approved courses at graduate or 4000-level at Carleton or other universities
5.  0.5 credit in DIGH 5000 0.5
6.  0.5 credit in DIGH (DIGH 5011, DIGH 5012, or annually listed DIGH course) 0.5
7.  0.0 credit in:
DIGH 5800 [0.0]
 Digital Humanities: Professional Development
Total Credits 5.0

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