Philosophy: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - UBCV is a doctorate in Arts, Design & Architecture programme taught at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The programme is delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 10,082 per year (CAD 5,739 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Doctorate
Field:Arts, Design & Architecture
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 5,739 / year
International tuition: CAD 10,082 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Intense philosophical training for students heading into research and teaching in philosophy. The first two years combine courses in value theory, the history of philosophy and the core areas of metaphysics and epistemology with training in the formal research methods relevant to a student's own work; comprehensive examinations follow, after which candidates move to dissertation research supervised by a faculty committee and develop and present their own philosophical positions. Supervision is available across philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, aesthetics, ethics, social and political philosophy, feminist philosophy, logic, Asian philosophy and the history of Western philosophy, with more than thirty potential supervisors. Students gain teaching experience both as teaching assistants and as instructors, the department describes its culture as supportive, collegial and philosophically inspiring, and there is support for presenting at international conferences and for interdisciplinary work such as with the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:76.00 / %
Admission Requirements: Admission is administered by UBC's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) under its published requirements for this doctoral program. The program page states no prerequisite degree or subject beyond FGPS's standard entrance requirement for a doctoral program. FGPS's minimum admission average is in the B+ range (76 per cent), and this program's page states no higher academic minimum, though meeting it does not guarantee admission in a competitive process. Applicants from a university where English was not the language of instruction must meet this program's published English-proficiency minimum: IELTS Academic overall 7 with no band below 6.5; or TOEFL iBT overall 5 with no skill below 4 on the 6-point scale in effect for tests sat from 21 January 2026 (overall 100 with no skill below 22 on the prior 120-point scale); or Duolingo English Test overall 130 with no skill below 120. The application also requires three letters of reference and transcripts from all prior post-secondary study.
Application Details
Start Date:January
Application Deadline:Domestic and international undergraduate applicants both apply through EducationPlannerBC for Winter Session 2027/28 (September 2027 entry) and Summer 2027: applications open in early October 2026 and the equal-consideration deadline is 15 January 2027, 11:59 p.m. PST, the same date for both groups; a few programs keep reviewing late applications on a space-available basis afterwards. Earlier dates apply only to entrance-award consideration -- 15 November 2026 for the International Scholars Program and 1 December 2026 for Presidential/Centennial/Beyond Tomorrow scholars. Several limited-entry programmes -- Law, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing (advanced entry), Occupational/Physical Therapy, Social Work and Teacher Education -- set their own earlier deadlines from October 2026 through February 2027. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
