Why Political Science @ Memorial?

Memorial University's Department of Political Science offers graduate courses, a graduate diploma, and supervises MA students in all the major subfields of the discipline: Global Politics, Comparative Politics, Canadian Politics, Public Policy, and Political Theory.

Our faculty’s research interests cover an incredibly wide range: election campaigns and voting behaviour; climate change and environmental politics; ethnic conflict and migration; Indigenous self-governance; deliberative and participatory democracy; international organizations; human rights; foreign policy; gender and politics; public policy and administration; the politics of financial regulation; municipal politics; provincial politics; protest and social movements; the history of international thought; democratic theory; and political theories of identity, law, and justice.

We also have special area expertise in Western Europe; China and Southeast Asia; the United States; Canada; and Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition, our MA program offers high-quality training in quantitative and qualitative political research methodologies. 

Our graduate programs are intended to train the scholars, policy leaders, and changemakers of tomorrow. The program is built around small seminars that allow students to dive deeply into a pressing issue or problem and critically engage with professors in their chosen subfield. 

Our Graduate Diploma in Political Science provides an opportunity to acquire additional academic credentials at the graduate level without committing to a full master’s program. The program provides students with an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of politics and may also be used for professional career development (e.g. public servants; individuals in the private sector with links to policy and politics; and individuals in non-governmental or voluntary organizations). Students can take classes in any of the four major subfields of political science (Canadian Politics, Public Policy, Political Theory, Global Politics, Comparative Politics). 

Our Master of Arts program gives students advanced training in research methods, providing students with the academic and professional skills needed to launch the next stage of their career. Graduate students have the option of completing a two-year thesis program, a one-year course-based program, or a one-year internship-based program. We attractive students from universities across Canada and around the world, creating a vibrant and diverse learning community. While many of our students go on to professional positions in the public and private sectors, our graduates have also been admitted to leading PhD programs, including Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard. 

Description of program

• Graduate diploma - Disciplinary graduate diplomas provide an opportunity to acquire additional academic credentials at the graduate level without committing to a full master’s program. These programs allow students to expand on their knowledge of a particular discipline and may also be used for professional development within their careers. Students are required to take 9 credit hours in Political Science in order to qualify for the Diploma.

• Master of Arts – The MA program offers internship, coursework-based, and thesis options. The internship option, completed in one year of full-time study, involves courses and a one-semester internship with a political organization, government agency, or voluntary agency. The course-work option can be completed in one year of full-time study through two semesters of classes. The thesis option involves courses and a thesis. It can be completed in two years of full-time study. Students can switch between these options with the permission of Political Science Graduate Director. 

Contact a faculty supervisor

It is not necessary to connect to a faculty supervisor if you are interested in applying to our MA graduate programs. Applicants with questions should contact the Political Science Graduate Director. If there is a faculty member whose research interests align with yours, or who you would particularly like to work with, you may wish to list them in your application and let them know. Visit the Department of Political Science website for a list of faculty members and their research interests. Students applying to the internship stream, or the course work stream do not need to identify a supervisor. You may also use the Yaffle search application to find researchers you may wish to work with.

The School of Graduate Studies offers advice on how to search for and contact potential supervisors. Need more help? Try attending one of our webinars and information sessions for prospective graduate students.

Minimum admission requirements

• Graduate diploma - Bachelor of Arts in Political Science or a cognate field (minimum second class), or a bachelor’s degree in any field (minimum second class), along with applicable experience demonstrating the applicant’s ability to satisfy the requirements of a Political Science course

• MA – Bachelor's degree (minimum second class) in a relevant area of study (generally political science or a closely-related discipline) and 75% average over last 20 courses

Graduate student and alumni profiles

Our graduate students come from all parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and the world. View the student profile below to learn more about what they do and why they chose Memorial.

 Note: All figures are in Canadian dollars and subject to change. Fees are approved by the University’s Board of Regents. In the event of a discrepancy between the fees approved by the Board and those published on this website, the fees approved by the Board will prevail. Financial policies are enforced through the Department of Financial and Administrative Services. For the complete and official list of all fees and charges, visit www.mun.ca/finance/fees/.