PhD FAQ

New students must begin their program in September.  We do not normally offer winter or summer admission.

Applications for entry into the program in the Fall are due on February 1. If space and funding remain after a first round of offers has been made, a second group of candidates may be considered. The deadline to be considered for the second round is May 1.

Students can be admitted on part-time basis but this is rare and is not encouraged because of the length of time it takes part-time students to complete the PhD.

The majority of successful domestic applicants will receive a university scholarship as well as a teaching or research assistantship. As a new or current graduate student, there are a number of other internal, external and special awards that you can apply for. Read more >>

Limited funding options are available to students who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents. A small pool of university-wide scholarship funds is available that can cover a portion of your program costs.

Each faculty member has a profile at http://www.carleton.ca/sppa/ourpeople/faculty/

A new PhD curriculum will be instituted in the Fall of 2018. Incoming PhD students will typically take four core courses (PADM 6010-6013) in the first year plus two elective courses. Short descriptions of the PADM 6010-6013 appear here. A research methods course relevant for the student’s thesis must also be taken. Full-time students are expected to have completed the four core courses by the end of their first two terms of study. Students who have successfully taken the four core courses and passed the comprehensive examinations described below take PADM 6201 in their second year; the course aims to help students prepare a thesis proposal and involves a research paper written under the supervision of the student’s thesis supervisor.

Under the direction of a thesis supervisor and a thesis committee, PhD students must complete a PhD thesis. Such theses are must address a question deemed important and interesting by both the student and the thesis committee. Generally speaking, original research makes up 50-75 percent of the thesis and the thesis is 80,000 to 100,000 words in length.

PhD students must normally take the four core courses at Carleton. After all courses and the comprehensive exam have been passed, students can be off-campus if they are registered in PADM 6909 (as all students must be unless they have arranged for a leave of absence) and if the PhD coordinator and their thesis supervisor approves the arrangements.

Students enter the PhD program from a wide variety of academic backgrounds.  Nonetheless, all students are required to complete prerequisite university courses in economics, political science and statistics. While students can be admitted prior to completing the courses, the courses must be completed before beginning the program itself. Only in rare cases can students can be admitted, on the basis of strengths found elsewhere in their application, without having completed the prerequisites.

The economics prerequisite consists of a one-semester course in Intermediate Microeconomics (such as PADM 5111 in the SPPA Masters program or ECON 2001 at Carleton). That course itself generally has a prerequisite — either a two-semester course or two one-semester courses covering introductory microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. At Carleton University, for example, this material is covered by the two-semester course ECON 1001 and ECON 1002 – Introduction to Economics. At the University of British Columbia, it is covered by the two one-semester courses: ECON 101 Principles of Microeconomics, and ECON 102 Principles of Macroeconomics.

The political science prerequisite consists of a course at the second-year level or higher that deals with the political and administrative institutions and processes of government, preferably in a Canadian setting. At Carleton University, for example, this material is covered by PSCI 2003 Canadian Political Institutions. At the University of Toronto, it is covered by POL 214 Canadian Government and Politics.

The statistics prerequisite consists of a statistics course at the level typically taught in a second-year undergraduate course in an economics department.

The economics and political science prerequisites can be satisfied by on-line courses that cover the required material, if those courses are taken on a ‘for credit’ basis, rather than a ‘challenge for credit’ basis. For example, at Athabasca University, the on-line courses ECON 247 plus ECON 248 would satisfy the introductory economics prerequisite (though not the intermediate economics prerequisite), and the on-line course POLI 309 would satisfy the political science prerequisite – if taken ‘for credit’.

The PhD admissions committee will determine whether any given course meets the economics, political science or statistics requirement.

The basic academic requirement for admission to the PhD in Public Policy is at least an A- average, as calculated on the last 10 credits (twenty single-semester courses). Please note, however, that simply satisfying the basic academic requirement does not, in itself, guarantee admission.

Under certain conditions, the School of Public Policy and Administration will consider applications from individuals who do not satisfy the basic academic requirement but this is rare.

Student cannot normally receive advanced standing for the four core PhD courses. Advanced standing for the two elective courses can be granted if the courses are relevant and were not taken as part of a previous Masters’ degree.

PhD students must meet a French language requirement or be fluent in a language that is directly relevant to their PhD thesis. This requirement must be completed within nine terms of initial registration (i.e., the first three years of full time study). This requirement can be met in several different ways:

• Successfully take and pass the Carleton courses FINS 2105 and FINS 3105 (or their equivalent) with grades of B+ or higher;
• Successfully take and pass an SPPA-administered test of the student’s  ability to translate a French text related to a public policy issue;
• Speak a third language that is relevant to the student’s thesis topic; or
• Obtain level B certification in French on the Government of Canada’s second language evaluation of reading ability.

Passing a comprehensive examination is another requirement of the program. Comprehensive exams are normally held in the summer after the first year, once all core course work has been successfully completed with an overall average of B+ or higher. The exam will be based on the four core courses and will occur in early August.

Yes, this is possible under the Special Student designation, defined as students who take individual courses at Carleton University without being registered in an academic program. On occasion, and on an individual basis, Special Students are permitted to take graduate courses offered by the School of Public Policy and Administration. Such permission is dependent both on their academic preparation, and on spaces remaining in particular courses after degree candidates have registered. At the School, permission to take courses as a Special Student is given not by course instructors, but by the MA supervisor for MA courses and the PhD coordinator for PhD courses. Please go the Registrar’s Office website – Special Students to view the application information and online form.

All applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency in one of the following ways:

1. a) Present an official transcript to indicate that they have completed a degree within the past three years in a university in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom or any other country in which the primary language is English, and where the language of instruction in the relevant educational institution was exclusively English;
2. b) Provide official documentation of a satisfactory English proficiency test score. Minimum scores for the program are: CAEL: 70; TOEFL (paper-based test): 600; TOEFL (internet-based test): 100, with a minimum score of 25 on each component; IELTS: 7, with a minimum of 6.0 in each band score.

No, you are not required to have a supervisor set up before being admitted. However, it is worthwhile reviewing the profiles of our faculty to ensure your interests can be supported by their expertise. Reaching out to faculty members to discuss potential topics and areas of research is also advisable, as it can strengthen your application.

Full-time students admitted in 2012 or after have fifteen academic terms (five academic years) in which to complete the PhD degree. Part-time students have twenty-seven terms (nine academic years) in which to complete the degree. These terms include those for which a student does not register in courses. They exclude those for which a student has been granted a leave of absence (see below for information on leaves of absence).

Under a variety of circumstances – professional, medical, family – students may find themselves temporarily unable to conduct their graduate studies, whether full-time or part-time. In these circumstances, students may apply for a leave of absence. To do so, they must complete the Academic Change Request form and submit it to the School’s Graduate Administrator; they must also provide documentation for their request.

The decision of whether or not to approve a leave of absence is made by FGPA, on the advice of the School’s PhD coordinator.

Students who are on a leave of absence are not allowed to use university resources. In addition, thesis committee members are not allowed to continue working with their students while the students are on a leave of absence.

Terms for which a leave of absence has been granted do not count toward the time limit for completing the degree (see above for information on time limits). Full-time students receiving university funding normally forfeit the funding assigned to the terms in which they have been granted a leave of absence, unless the underlying reasons are medical ones.

Your status as a full-time or part-time student is determined when you are admitted. Students who take three or more half-credit courses in a given term must register as full-time students and pay full-time tuition. Students who take one or two half-credit courses in a given term can either register as full-time and pay full-time tuition or register as part-time and pay part-time fees on a per-course basis.

Students may request a change in their status between full- and part-time in response to changes in their professional or medical circumstances. The decision of whether or not to approve a change of status is made by the Faculty of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Affairs on the advice of the School’s PhD coordinator. Part-time students are not eligible to receive University funding. Students with University funding who change from full-time to part-time status forfeit their funding.

Grades of B+ or better must be obtained in all courses taken to meet the economics, statistics and political science prerequisites. A grade of B- or higher in each of the four core courses, and an overall average GPA of B+ or higher for these four core courses must be obtained; failure to obtain that average will prevent students from taking the comprehensive examination and may result in expulsion from the program

PhD students can take courses at Carleton University outside the School of Public Policy and Administration, and apply them to their degree as electives. In general, the courses must be at the graduate level but the PhD coordinator can make exceptions  as appropriate. The PhD coordinator must also approve, in advance, all electives that do not appear on the list of pre-approved electives.

Yes.  If you are required to complete prerequisite courses (such as the economics, political science or statistics courses described above) you must have them completed prior to beginning the PhD program in the fall.

When all course work and the comprehensive exams have been successfully completed, the next step in the program is to write a thesis proposal.  Please view SPPA Thesis Proposal Guidelines. The required second-year course, PADM 6200 is intended to help you write your proposal. You will work with your thesis supervisor to write the proposal. After you have written the proposal and identified a thesis committee, you will defend your proposal.  The proposal defence should occur before the end of your ninth term (third year) in the program.  The defence is a public presentation of your ideas followed by questions from your thesis committee and, if allowed by your thesis supervisor, from the audience as well.

Finding a thesis supervisor is the responsibility of the student.  In the first year of your PhD program, you should find out about the SPPA professors and their specialized fields.  Take the opportunity to meet the professors and discuss ideas you may have for your thesis.  Once you have found a professor willing to be your thesis supervisor, you will fill out the thesis supervisor form and submit a signed copy to the graduate administrator.

A thesis committee is put together by your thesis supervisor, generally with your advice and consent.  If you have a particular person who you would like to see on your committee, let your advisor know.  Once a committee has been put in place, you must fill out a thesis committee form, have it signed by all committee members and give it to the graduate administrator.

Yes. You must be continuously registered in PADM 6909 Thesis until you have successfully defended your thesis and submitted it to FGPA. Unless you have been granted a leave of absence, you will lose your status as a student in the program if you fail to register continuously in PADM 6909.

Students, whose files have been closed as a result of failure to observe the above continuous registration requirements must apply for reinstatement if they wish to continue their studies. If reinstated, students must pay a reinstatement charge plus the equivalent of 1.0 credit tuition fees for each term in which they failed to register, as well as for the current term of registration.

The university requirements for theses appear at http://www.carleton.ca/fgpa/thesis-requirements/.  Your thesis committee will specify all requirements not established by the university.