Head: Carl Matheson
Graduate Chair: Rhonda Martens
Administrative Assistant: Laurie Morris
Graduate Secretary: Sandi Mazur
General Office: 453 University College
Telephone: (204)474 6878
Fax: (204)474 7586
Email: philgrad@ms.umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/arts/philosophy
Academic Staff
Program Information
At the present time, the University of Manitoba offers only the M.A. degree in philosophy. Graduates of this program have been successful in gaining entry to some of the leading doctoral programs in philosophy in Canada, the USA and other continents. Approximately 40 Manitoba graduates are now in tenure-track faculty positions in philosophy in universities across North America. Other graduates have pursued careers in law, management and other fields.
Fields of Research
The Department of Philosophy offers courses in all the major areas of philosophy: the history of philosophy (including twentieth-century European philosophy), logic, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, philosophy of religion, philosophy of law, philosophy of history, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, philosophy of education, social philosophy, political philosophy, aesthetics, and the philosophy of mind. The dominant orientation of the Department is analytic. Areas of greatest strength are: metaphysics, history and philosophy of science, history of philosophy, ethics, epistemology, social and political philosophy.
M.A. in Philosophy
Admission
Admission requirements are those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this Calendar. Contact the Department of Philosophy for further information.
Application Deadlines
The Department of Philosophy allows students entering the M.A. program to commence their studies on either 1 September or 1 January. Students entering the Pre-Master’s program will usually find it necessary to commence their studies on 1 September. Canadian/U.S. students should send applications for admission, with complete supporting documentation, to the Department of Philosophy, not later than four (4) months prior to the intended start date of their program of study. International students should send applications, with complete supporting documentation, to the Department of Philosophy, not later than seven (7) months prior to their intended start date.
Those applying for major financial awards offered to entering students should apply directly to the Department of Philosophy, using the application form for the University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship and including a sample of their recent philosophical writing, not later than January 15 for programs of study commencing in September.
Program Requirements
Minimum program requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies are found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this Calendar. Students have two options available to them:
- 12 credit hours in Philosophy, and a major thesis; or
- 24 credit hours in Philosophy and comprehensive examinations.
Second Language Reading Requirement: A reading knowledge of one foreign language will be required if the thesis topic requires it.
Expected Time to Graduate: Students with undergraduate concentration in Philosophy equivalent to approximately nine full courses (54 credit hours) can complete the M.A. degree in one year. Students with a lesser degree of undergraduate concentration will need more than one year to complete the degree.
Ph.D.
The Department of Philosophy does not currently offer a Ph.D. Program.
Course Descriptions
PHIL 7040 Topics in Value Theory Cr.Hrs.6 (Formerly 015.704) Not currently offered.
PHIL 7070 Topics in Social and Political Philosophy Cr.Hrs.6 (Formerly 015.707) Not currently offered.
PHIL 7080 Topics in the History of Philosophy Cr.Hrs.6 (Formerly 015.708) A detailed treatment of important figures and movements in the history of philosophy, ancient, modern, and contemporary.
PHIL 7110 Graduate Seminar Cr.Hrs.6 (Formerly 015.711) Not currently offered.
PHIL 7120 Graduate Reading 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.712) Fall term. A reading course for graduate students in philosophy. Subject matter may be arranged to suit the special needs and interests of students; the course might, for example, be devoted to modal logic, or the free will problem, the ontological argument, phenomenology, the philosophy of W.V. Quine, etc.
PHIL 7130 Graduate Reading 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.713) Spring term. A reading course for graduate students in philosophy, similar to PHIL 7120 (or 015.712).
PHIL 7140 Epistemology 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.714) Fall term. A study of selected topics in epistemology.
PHIL 7150 Epistemology 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.715) Spring term. A study of selected problems in epistemology.
PHIL 7160 Metaphysics 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.716) Fall term. A study of selected topics in metaphysics.
PHIL 7170 Metaphysics 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.717) Spring term. A study of selected problems in metaphysics.
PHIL 7180 Graduate Reading 3 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.718) Offered Fall and Spring terms. A reading course for graduate students in philosophy, similar to PHIL 7120 (or 015.712).
PHIL 7190 Graduate Reading 4 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.719) Offered Fall and Spring terms. A reading course for graduate students in philosophy, similar to PHIL 7120 (or 015.712).
PHIL 7200 Topics in Ethics 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.720) Basic topics in moral theory. Readings will include contemporary articles and books.
PHIL 7210 Topics in Ethics 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.721) Basic topics in moral theory. Readings will include contemporary articles and books.
PHIL 7220 Topics in Logic and the Philosophy of Logic 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.722) Selected topics in mathematical logic, inductive logic, the philosophy of logic, and the methodology of the natural and formal sciences. Students may not hold credit for both PHIL 7220 (or 015.722) and the former 015.705. Prerequisite: written consent of department head or M.A. program chair.
PHIL 7230 Topics in Logic and the Philosophy of Logic 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.723) Selected topics in mathematical logic, inductive logic, the philosophy of logic, and the methodology of the natural and formal sciences. Students may not hold credit for both PHIL 7230 (or 015.723) and the former 015.705.
PHIL 7310 Topics in the Philosophy of Science Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 015.731) An historical study of the interaction between science and philosophy since the time of Newton.
