Why Waterloo?
The MA and PhD programs at Waterloo are exceptional among Philosophy programs for their flexibility. There are no particular distribution requirements; rather, students work with their supervisor and the graduate chair to determine which courses are best for them. MA students can write a traditional thesis, or choose a three paper option, which entails working with three different professors on three different topics. For their directed research area studies, PhD students work intensively with two professors on topics chosen by the student in consultation with faculty.
Here are some profiles of our current graduate students, Peter Blouw and Ashley Keefner, as well as one who recently graduated, Rosalind Abdool.
The Department encourages students who want to apply philosophical thinking beyond academia. Here is another profile of a current PhD student, Ty Branch, who recently completed an internship as "philosopher in residence" at an architecture firm.
Visit Discover Graduate Studies for more general information on why Waterloo may be a good fit for you.
Our research areas
Our officially approved fields are:
- Language, Logic and Metaphysics,
- Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science,
- Ethics and Political Philosophy, and
- Philosophy of Science and Mathematics.
Learn more about our faculty's current research and their work with students. Interested graduate students also have the option of pursuing a Cognitive Science Diploma or a Diploma from the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience.
