The degree of Master of Arts is offered in Political Science by full-time and part-time study.

The degree of Master of Arts (M.A.) in Political Science may be taken by course work and thesis, course work and co-operative internship, or course work only. The thesis, co-operative internship, and course route options are available to full-time and part-time students. The M.A. with thesis is a two-year program. The co-operative internship and course route options are one year programs.

1. M.A. with Thesis:

   1. Students choosing the M.A. with thesis must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours in political science graduate program courses of which 6 credit hours must be attained from POSC 6000 and 6010, and 3 credit hours must be attained from POSC 602A/B. Further courses beyond the minimum number may be required, depending on the background and needs of the student. With prior written permission of the thesis supervisor and the graduate officer, in lieu of completing one of 6000 or 6010, a M.A. with thesis student may substitute 3 credit hours in another political science graduate course. Students choosing the M.A. with thesis are encouraged to make their course selections following consultation with their supervisor.

   2. Each student choosing the thesis option will submit a thesis on a subject that has been approved by the supervisory committee of the Department.

   3. Students applying for the thesis option must submit a brief (one page maximum) statement of their research interest with their application.

2. M.A. with Co-operative Internship:

   1. Students choosing the M.A. with co-operative internship must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours in political science graduate program courses of which 12 credit hours must be attained from POSC 6030 (6 credit hours), 602A/B and 6670 or the former 6790. Further courses beyond the minimum number may be required, depending on the background and needs of the student.

   2. Each student choosing this option will complete a full-time co-operative internship 6030 of at least 12 weeks duration, normally in the Spring semester, to be approved by the Department.

3. M.A. by course work:

   Students choosing the M.A. by course work must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours in political science graduate program courses of which 3 credit hours must be obtained from POSC 602A/B. Further courses beyond the minimum number may be required, depending on the background and needs of the student.

4. POSC 602A/B - Research Design and Professional Development. Students register for the 'A' portion of the course in the Fall semester of their program of study and the corresponding 'B' portion of the course in the following Winter semester. A grade of NC (No Grade Expected) will be assigned to the 'A' portion of this course.

5. With prior written approval of the Political Science graduate officer, a student may substitute 3 credit hours in applicable courses from a cognate discipline. Up to a further 3 credit hours may be substituted with prior written approval of both the graduate officer and the Head of Political Science.

A selection of the following graduate courses will be offered to meet the requirements of students, as far as the resources of the Department will allow.

The second digit in each course number designates a field in Political Science. Students may be guided in their course selections, as follows:

• POSC 6000 Political Science Approaches
• POSC 6010 Empirical Methods in Political Science
• POSC 602A/B Research Design and Professional Development
• POSC 6030 Co-operative Internship (6 credit hours)
• POSC 6100 Political Philosophy (credit restricted with POSC 4100)
• POSC 6190-99 Special Topics in Political Theory
• POSC 6230 Theories of International Relations (credit restricted with POSC 4230, the former POSC 6200)
• POSC 6240 The Ends of the World: Global Politics of Existential Threats (credit restricted with POSC 4240, the former POSC 6290)
• POSC 6245 Political Economy (credit restricted with POSC 4245, the former POSC 6350)
• POSC 6255 Controversies in Political Economy (credit restricted with POSC 4255)
• POSC 6291-6299 Special Topics in Global Politics
• POSC 6300 Comparative Politics (credit restricted with POSC 4300)
• POSC 6315 Democracy and the Phantom Public (credit restricted with POSC 4315)
• POSC 6325 Asian Politics (credit restricted with POSC 4325)
• POSC 6330 Comparative Political Representation (credit restricted with POSC 4330)
• POSC 6340 Gender and Political Behaviour (credit restricted with POSC 4340) 
• POSC 6360 Contentious Politics (credit restricted with POSC 4360, the former POSC 6400)
• POSC 6370 Democracy and Democratization (credit restricted with POSC 4370)
• POSC 6385 Religion and Politics (credit restricted with POSC 4385, RELS 4385, the former POSC 6320)
• POSC 6390-6399 Special Topics in Comparative Politics
• POSC 6630 Policy Design and Delivery (credit restricted with POSC 4630)
• POSC 6640 Democratic Innovations in Public Policy (credit restricted with POSC 4640)
• POSC 6670 Public Policy Process (credit restricted with POSC 4670, the former POSC 6790)
• POSC 6691-6699 Special Topics in Public Policy
• POSC 6800 Canadian Politics (credit restricted with the former POSC 6700)
• POSC 6840 Political Parties in Canada (credit restricted with POSC 4840)
• POSC 6860 Elections in Canada (credit restricted with POSC 4860)
• POSC 6890 Municipal Government and Politics in Canada (credit restricted with POSC 4890, the former POSC 6720)
• POSC 6891-6899 Special Topics in Canadian Politics
• POSC 6900-6910 Special Topics