Our easy application is all that's required to take the next step on your academic journey.

Wondering if you are a good fit? 

Political Science honours, majors or strong minors with grades of 75% (B) or better in their last two years are most likely to do well in one of our MA streams. 

While we are interested in the student’s overall record, we are especially interested in performance in political science courses. That said, we will consider applicants with degrees in cognate fields, such as sociology, economics or history. Depending on the content of the coursework, such background may be suitable; however, this can only be assessed in the context of a complete application to the graduate program.

Undergraduate grades matter, particularly for those seeking financial support. Normally, a student should have an average close to, or in excess of, 75% (B) over their last two years of their undergraduate studies. The School of Graduate Studies provides a helpful spreadsheet calculator to help in determining your average, if you don't know it (see also the Office of the Registrar's helpful steps for average-calculations). International students can also find information regarding the conversion of national grading schemes into the Canadian standard for comparative purposes.

Prospective applicants should note that we receive hundreds of applications each year and generally admit fewer than 20 students.

A large number of quality applications, thus, must inevitably be declined. Beyond the prevailing competitive conditions, important factors we take into consideration include: background preparation in political science courses; the quality of the writing sample, particularly the degree to which it demonstrates a capacity for analytical work at the graduate level; the strength of the recommendations from academic referees; and the fit between student interests and the research capacities of our faculty.

International Students

Memorial and the Department of Political Science are excited to work with students from outside of Canada. In order to facilitate the studies of international students, Memorial has an Internationalization Office which can assist with a wide range of administrative challenges, including student visas. International students are also encouraged to check with current School of Graduate Studies fees information as program expenses are different for students from outside of Canada.

How to Apply

Deadline

Applications for full-time and part-time study can be submitted at any point in the calendar year. However, students who wish to guarantee that their file is considered for financial support and entry in the next academic year must apply by January 15.

Applicants submitting after this date will be considered for the subsequent year – i.e., admission in the subsequent fall. At the present time, the department does not consider "off-cycle" winter admissions. All admissions offers are for the Fall semester of the upcoming academic year. 

• General information from the School of Graduate Studies
• Online application (recommended)

What You Will Need

Students considering applying should start preparing their application well ahead of the January 15 deadline. A number of documents will be required in the application process (check with Graduate Studies for a full list).

• All undergraduate transcripts
• A statement of your research interests and objectives in entering the MA program, tailored to your chosen MA stream. 
• Resume or curiculum vitae.
• Two "Letters of Appraisal" from "Referees" (normally professors) able to speak to your qualities as a student. 
• A writing sample of written work (ideally an essay from a political science course or related field) that demonstates your analytic and communication skills.
• For international students, any additional required testscore reports or documentation, depending on home country. 

Application Tips

Choose some referees that can comment on your academic potential (e.g., someone you received high grades from) and also your goals in pursuing further studies. 

It is not necessary to have agreed upon a thesis supervisor to gain admission to our MA programs and applications aren't disadvantged by not listing one.

Quit often, students change supervisors or build relationships with one during their studies. However, 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. Students applying to the internship stream or the course work stream do not need to identify a supervisor.

For those applying to our MA thesis stream, it will be easier for the admissions commitee to understand the "fit" of your application if you can speak to how your plans and goals align with the research interests of our faculty members and their specialities.

Your application should go beyond simply listing any alignments, or copying word-for-word a faculty member's publications or profile. Instead, explain to the committee in detail your research interests and what you hope to accomplish during your time with us. You should strive to highlight any overlaps and synergies, and do so in a way that goes deeper than mentioning certain key words (e.g., "democracy" or "public policy") 

Deferring Your Admission Offer

The Department of Political Science recognizes that students may encounter opportunities or circumstances that warrant a request for deferred admission. Applicants who are admitted to full-time study in our Master of Arts and Graduate Diploma programs, may request a deferral for one year. The deferred offer must be taken up by the program application deadline the following year. 

Students who are approved for deferral must relinquish their offer of funding, and will be reconsidered for funding the following academic year. Students who request a deferral for longer than one year, or who need a second deferral, will lose their guaranteed space, and must reapply for admission to the program. 

Students who are granted permission to defer their admission will still have to satisfy any conditions of the admission offer, such as completion of courses in progress, and maintenance of a satisfactory record of academic performance.

Note that deferral will not be available to applicants who wish to attend another post-secondary institution before taking up their offer of admission at Memorial University. Applicants who attend another institution during their deferral will lose their guaranteed space and will have to reapply for admission.