M.A. Program

Our M.A. degree is unique. It combines both coursework and original research over (normally) two years. This gives you a solid grounding in the contemporary state of the literature and equips you with the abilities needed to become an original researcher. Our M.A. students have used their original research to secure prestigious conference presentations, large external awards, and have even published their research in scholarly articles. To see more, check out this interview with one of our M.A. students about his experience presenting his research at a large conference.

Our M.A. degree is a five-credit program, normally requiring four terms (two years) of study. Some unique aspects of our program include:

  • Two cohort building courses
    • The Proseminar, where you read and discuss seminal works in contemporary philosophy with members of your cohort.
    • The Research Seminar, where you work together with your peers to advance your individual research projects.
  • The Colloquium Course, where you read papers in advance of colloquium talks, and then respond to the talks in short papers.
  • Customised individual Tutorials that you can design with a faculty member, focusing on a topic of your choosing.
  • The choice between an original thesis or major research paper, allowing you to develop your own research how you want.

Many graduates of the program have gone on to Ph.D. studies in Canada, the U.S.A. and Europe. Others have pursued a wide variety of other occupations.

For further information about the M.A. program, contact the Supervisor of Graduate Studies, Christine Koggel, or the department (philosophy@carleton.ca).

Click here to see past research projects and placement history.

See the video below for a conversation on our M.A. program, with student Claire French and alumnus Ian MacLean-Evans.