The Department provides superior education in philosophy. Programs and courses span the entire history of western philosophy, aesthetics, ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of mind and psychology, logic, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, metaphysics and epistemology. In addition to four-year Honours and three-year General degrees, a Specialization in Philosophy, Ethics and Public Affairs is offered.
The M.A. degree offered by the Philosophy Department of Carleton University is a five-credit program, normally requiring four terms of study. Either three or four of these credits are gained through course work, depending on whether a student chooses to do a thesis (two credits) or a research essay (one credit). One credit is earned in a pair of required courses: the proseminar and the research seminar. The remaining credits are earned by a combination of seminars and tutorials (the latter consist of small group instruction on topics selected by the students). The Department offers tutorial courses in most major areas of philosophy. Some seminars may be taken at the University of Ottawa.