M.A. Program


The Department of Philosophy at Memorial University offers an M.A. program with a strong emphasis on writing in Philosophy.

The program is designed so that it may be completed in one academic year (three semesters) of full-time study. The program can also be taken part-time, in which case completion time is longer.

The program involves both course work and a thesis.

Normally, a full-time candidate will complete all 18 credit hours and submit a thesis proposal by the end of the second semester of study. A minimum of one additional semester will be spent in completing the balance of the programme.

Students will submit a thesis proposal. Upon approval by his or her supervisor, the student will write the M.A. thesis over the summer semester and submit at the end of August for examination.

Convocation occurs in October.

The Philosophy Department encourages Masters student participation in regular discussion groups and colloquia.

Graduate students in the department do much of their working and informal socializing in the graduate lounge. The lounge has computers for word-processing and internet use and is a central place for student interaction with one another and with faculty.

Graduate students are generally active in the life of the department, participating in colloquia, discussion groups, and the frequent departmental mixers organized by the MUN Philosophy Society.

The department also has its own reference room (The Barend Kiefte room) which houses the departmental library. It is a place to study, read, or meet others in the department. If you cannot find what you are looking for in the reference room, then you should try the university's excellent library and computer resources. The Queen Elizabeth II Library subscribes to more than 85 journals in philosophy.

The book collection (1.6 million) offers excellent support for graduate level study in philosophy, particularly in metaphysics, ethics and a wide range of historical aspects of philosophy. A very good array of reference services supports and extends the resources available in the collection.