Supervisors
Learn about faculty available to supervise this degree.
Please note: additional supervisors may be available. Contact the program for more information.
Program overview
The Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary is among the strongest in Canada. Our scholars are pivotal in shaping political discourse in Canada and around the world, through their research and publishing in major scholarly journals, through training graduate students to become leaders in academic, public and private sector careers, and through their active participation in public debates about politics in Canada and international affairs.
Our program covers the traditional fields of political science and offers unparalleled strengths in the areas of Canadian politics, elections and voting behaviour, international law, political violence, history of political thought, gender and politics, and indigenous politics.
Students are given the tools and guidance needed to work at a high level on theoretical and practical problems of crucial political importance, domestically and globally.
Completing this program
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Core Courses: Two or three courses in a primary field: Canadian politics, comparative politics, international relations or political thought.
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Research Methods: Students demonstrate knowledge of research methods or complete a course on quantitative analysis in political science.
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Additional Courses: Topics may include history of political thought, political theory, Canadian political process, foreign policy and more.
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Major Research Paper: Students complete and submit a major research paper as a capstone to their degree program.
Outcomes
Government policy analyst, researcher, consultant, non-governmental organizations, international organizations.
A master’s degree in political science will give you the pre-requisite for a PhD.
Virtual Tour
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Accepting InquiriesIndigenous Politics, Canadian Politics, Politics of Decolonization -
Accepting InquiriesPolitical Parties, Election Law and Political Finance, Women in Politics
Admission Requirements
GPA
A minimum of 3.4 GPA on a 4.0 point system, over the past two years of full-time study (a minimum of 10 full-course equivalents or 60 units) of the undergraduate degree.
Minimum education
A four-year BA in Political Science or a strong background in Political Science: at least 5.0 full-course equivalents in Political Science.
Supervision
It is recommended students approach faculty prior to application, however a supervisor is selected after admission is granted.
Additional supervisors to those listed above may be found on the Political Science Research page. Contact the Political Science Graduate Program Office for more information.
Documents
- A statement of research interests
Work samples
Sample of written work, preferably a paper submitted for a Political Science course.
Reference letters
Two
Test scores
None
English language proficiency
An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ibt) score of 105.
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.5 (minimum of 6.0 in each section)
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 75, or higher (Academic version).
- Canadian Academic English Language test (CAEL) score of 70 (minimum 70 in each section)
- Academic Communication Certificate (ACC) score of A- in each course.
- Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency minimum score of 200.
Deadlines
For admission on September 1:
- Canadians and permanent residents: Jan. 15 application deadline
- International students: Jan. 15 application deadline
If you're not a Canadian or permanent resident, or if you have international credentials, make sure to learn about international requirements
Learn more about this program
Related programs
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