Philosophy

Teaching-related

The Philosophy Department hosts a wide range of events catering to a diversity of interests and backgrounds. At the Department Speaker Series, visiting philosophers give talks on their recent research.

Anyone interested in philosophical ideas, whether timely or timeless, is invited to the Guelph Lecture in Philosophy. Each year an accomplished philosopher presents original, provocative ideas in an accessible way.

Components of an application (deadline: January 16, 2026)

A complete application consists of the following documents (please see detailed explanations below):

Purpose and Function of the Association:

• To represent Philosophy graduate students in matters pertinent to their welfare.
• To try to effect cohesion and interaction amongst graduate students in the program.
• To raise money for the PGSA.

Registering for your first semester

In late June or early July before your first semester, you will receive information from Graduate Studies which will tell you how to activate your registration online, using WebAdvisor.  You'll be told to register by enrolling in these two “dummy” courses:

This is a portal page for our graduate students.
 

Graduate Forms

Department Conference Travel Grant Application form

MA Orientation & Information

PhD Orientation & Information

The Department of Philosophy is home to 16 faculty with a broad range of research areas and a thriving community of about 40 graduate students (in our Master’s and Doctoral programs). Our expertise spans history of philosophy, ethics, social and political philosophy, continental philosophy, feminist philosophy, epistemology, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and philosophy of science. For more information on what we do here at Guelph, please see our Areas of Research page.

The best reason to study philosophy is that you love reading, writing and talking about philosophy! But let's elaborate a bit on what skills and knowledge you get out of this, and what value a philosophical education has in your career after University.