Finding your advisors

Preparing your application to the Humanities PhD program requires that you identify and approach Concordia faculty members who could serve as members of your advisory committee: a Major field supervisor (often in the discipline of the applicant’s MA or MFA degree), and two Minor field advisors. Any full-time faculty member in the many departments of the Faculty of Arts and Science and the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia can serve your advisory committee.

To find such faculty members, you are encouraged to consult the faculty profiles on the websites of the departments that correspond to the three fields that inform your interdisciplinary project. We have facilitated this process by providing Faculty Profiles for full-time faculty members in departments across the Faculties of Arts and Science and Fine Arts. Another helpful tool is Explore Concordia: type keywords related to your project, then click on relevant keywords in the dropdown list to see faculty working in that area. Top associated keywords are displayed on the right. Move your cursor over an associated keyword to highlight faculty working in that area; click on an associated keyword to add the keyword to your search filter. Click on faculty member names to see their key research question and more information about them.

How to approach potential advisors

Please approach prospective advisors with an introductory email and attach your research proposal, CV and, if possible, the transcript from your graduate degree.

The introductory email should:

• Indicate that you are applying to the Humanities PhD program and include the link to our website and to the Responsibilities of Field Advisors  

• Explain that Humanities applicants are asked to declare 3 fields relevant to their interdisciplinary research proposal

• Briefly outline your proposed doctoral research and your 3 fields, clearly indicating for which of the fields you are approaching the given faculty member and whether you are asking them to serve as a Major field supervisor or Minor field advisor.

• If the faculty member responds that they are not available, you could ask in a follow-up email whether they could recommend another colleague for you to approach.

For suggestions of possible supervisors, or to discuss any questions you might have about the program and the application process, you are welcome to contact the Director of the Humanities Program.