Application to the Doctoral Programme in War Studies

Overview

The Ph. D programme in War Studies consists of:

• course work,
• a methodology course,
• comprehensive exams,
• a dissertation, and
• a second-language requirement.

For more information on the list of War Studies courses offerings, for each year, go to War Studies Programme Timetables.

As well as the application information provided below for an application to the Ph. D in the War Studies programme offered at RMC, interested applicants should consult the following pages Doctoral Program in War Studies, Graduate Studies Calendar on General information, Additional admission information, and Programme requirements. More general information on Admission at RMC can be found at Admission to Graduate Studies. 

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants for the Doctoral Program in War Studies must have completed an academic Master's degree from a fully accredited university. A professional Master's degree or diploma is not sufficient.

Doctoral students must complete two years of full-time study, meaning they must be registered as full-time students for 2 years and they must take doctoral-level War Studies classes from RMC during that period. Students must be available to meet with their supervisors onsite in Kingston, Ontario for the duration of their program.

Part-time Students

Students are eligible to study part-time once they have completed two years of full-time study.

Application Documentation

To be considered for admission to the doctoral program, applicants must submit the following documents to the War Studies Program:

• A completed application form (forms are available on the RMC Web site. )
• An official transcript from each post-secondary institution you have attended.
• A Statement of Purpose outlining in precise terms your area of interest and plans for study in the graduate program so the War Studies Admissions Committee can determine if we offer courses and supervision in your area of interest. This should take the form of an essay of approximately 2000 words covering the following:
  • Why you are interested in the RMC War Studies program.
  • The field or discipline in which you are interested.
  • How your academic and practical experience prepares you for War Studies.
  • The name of the RMC faculty member who accepted to be your advisor (mandatory to evaluate the application file).
• A paper you have written that is substantial in content and analysis, and in your area of interest, which the War Studies Admissions Committee can use to assess your analytical ability and writing skills.
• 3 Completed Referee Assessment Forms from three academic referees, plus letters of reference from each.  Referee Assessment Forms and letters of reference must be written by academic faculty.
• Each Referee Assessment Form and letter of reference should be sent directly from the author to the program at ws-eg@rmc-cmr.ca
• The War Studies Program does not accept references from non-academic personnel, such as supervisors, commanders, or colleagues for Ph.D. applications. 
• The following document is available for download in PDF:
  • Referee Assessment Form (PDF version, 110 Kb)

    For more information on accessing this file, please visit our help page.

Incomplete Applications

The War Studies Admissions Committee will not consider incomplete applications.

Deadline

The War Studies Admissions Committee assembles twice each year to review applications for admission at the Masters and Ph.D. levels. All admitted students will start in September of the same year. 

There are 2 Application deadlines for the boards of Admission: 15 January for all applicants, and 1 May for military personnel and government employees. 

How to Contact the War Studies Program