MA Admissions • PhD Admissions • Deadline • Foreign Student Language Requirement

Candidates for admission must comply with all regulations outlined in the University Calendar.

  M.A. Admission Requirements

A bachelor's degree or its academic equivalent with a minimum average of 76% (B+) or 3.3 GPA in third and fourth-year level coursework and EITHER:

A. honours in philosophy with a 80-84% (A-) or 3.7 GPA in at least 12 credits of third and fourth year philosophy course work, OR

B. an A- or 3.7 GPA in at least 12 credits of course work typically including the following, with a B+ or 3.3 GPA in each:

1. 3 credits in formal logic
2. 6 credits at the upper level in the history of philosophy
3. 3 credits at the upper level in ethics or value theory
4. 6 credits at the upper level in metaphysics, epistemology, or philosophy of science.

A degree in philosophy is not required.  Please note that these requirements must be met by the time you commence your program in September (you may apply if you expect to meet the requirements by September).

The minimum requirements for students from outside North America can be looked up on the Faculty of Graduate Studies web site.

  Ph.D. Admission Requirements

Admission to the doctoral program in philosophy is based on one of the following:

A) A Bachelor's Degree in philosophy with a minimum average of 76% or 3.3 GPA in third and fourth-year level coursework and an average of A- or 3.7 GPA in third and fourth-year level philosophy courses. Undergraduate work prerequisite to the Ph.D. programme typically includes:

1. 3 credits in formal logic
2. 6 credits at the upper level in the history of philosophy
3. 3 credits at the upper level in ethics or value theory
4. 6 credits at the upper level in metaphysics, epistemology, or philosophy of science
5. at least 6 additional credits at the upper level in any of the above or related areas; OR,

B) A Master's Degree (or equivalent) in philosophy with clear evidence of research ability, OR

C) A successful first year in a philosophy master's program, consisting of 18 credits, including 10 credits at the 500-level or above and 10 credits with an A- or 3.7 GPA, and with clear evidence of research ability.

Please note that these requirements must be met by the time you commence your program in September (you may apply if you expect to meet the requirements by September).

The minimum requirements for students from outside North America can be looked up on the Faculty of Graduate Studies web site.

  Deadline

The deadline for September admission is January 15.

However, applicants are encouraged to send their application material much earlier. This is especially true for international applicants given potential postal delays. We typically start processing applicants' dossiers before the application deadline.

  Foreign Student Language Requirement

UBC welcomes applications from outstanding graduates of foreign universities. Over the years the Department of Philosophy has admitted graduate students from a wide range of countries.

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language prior to being extended an offer of admission. Acceptable English language proficiency tests for applicants to graduate studies are:

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): minimum score of 100 (Internet version), 600 (paper version) and 250 (computer version).
• IELTS (International English Language Testing Service): minimum overall band score of 6.5 with no other component score less than 6.0.
• MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery): minimum overall score of 81.