Master of philosophy

The Master of Philosophy (abbr. M.Phil. or MPhil, sometimes Ph.M.; Latin Magister Philosophiae or Philosophiae Magister) is an advanced postgraduate research degree. The prerequisites required for a Master of Philosophy degree make it the most advanced research degree before the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. or D.Phil.). An M.Phil. is in most cases thesis-only, and is regarded as a senior or second master's degree, standing between a taught Master's and a Ph.D. An M.Phil. may be awarded to graduate students after completing several years of original research, but before the defence of a dissertation, and can serve as a provisional enrollment for a Ph.D.

The Master of Philosophy is offered by many universities in Australia, and it is often the only option to undertake a master's degree in select schools. In Australia, the Masters of Philosophy is a research degree which mirrors a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in breadth of research and structure. The candidates are assessed solely on the basis of a thesis. A standard full-time degree often takes two years to complete. The Australian National University, University of Sydney, Curtin University, Griffith University and Melbourne University are also examples of Australian universities offering Masters of Philosophy.

In Belgium and the Netherlands, the M.Phil. is a special research degree, and is only awarded by selected departments of a university (mostly in the fields of arts, social sciences, archaeology, philosophy and theology). Admission to these programmes is highly selective and primarily aimed at those students aiming for an academic career. After finishing these programmes, students normally enroll in a Ph.D. programme. The Dutch Department of Education, Culture and Science has decided not to recognize the MPhil degree. Accordingly, some Dutch universities have decided to continue to grant the MPhil degree, but also offer a legally-recognized degree, such as MA or MSc to those who receive the MPhil degree.

Very few Canadian universities offer M.Phil. degrees. Among their number, however, is Memorial University of Newfoundland's interdisciplinary two-year M.Phil. in Humanities.

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