Microprograms in Political Science

Transnational and Global Issues

Allows students to acquire knowledge and develop skills in political science.

9 credits

Bilingualism is a requirement at the School of Political Studies. All students must take at least one of their three courses in French.

Survey Research and Public Opinion

Acquire specific skills in the interdisciplinary area of public opinion study, survey techniques and data analysis without requiring them to complete a full set of degree requirements.

6 credits

  • POL 5121 Survey Research and Methods
  • POL 5122 Survey Data Analysis

MA in Political Science

General information and program requirements - Master of Arts Political Science

Sharpen your critical thinking skills.

This program offers you a choice of fields of study, including international relations, Canadian and Quebec politics, political thought and analysis of ideologies, and comparative politics. As well, you can complete a specialization in feminist and gender studies. You’ll develop your skills in quantitative and qualitative data analysis, synthesis, writing and communication. Some career options are the senior public service, the private sector, international organizations, journalism or research.

Enjoy a multidisciplinary school connected to what’s happening now.

The school professors’ many areas of expertise give you countless possibilities to experience other disciplines and discover how they relate to each other. As well, the school offers a lineup of outstanding events: its lectures and discussions deal with current issues and present distinguished guests.

 Three paths lead to an MA in Political Science.

  • Master’s with Thesis
    (students must take at least 1 of their required courses in French)
  • Master’s with Major Research Paper (short duration master's)
    (students must take at least 1 of their required courses in French)
  • MA with CO-OP (adds 8 months to the duration of your program)

General information and program requirements - Master of Arts Political Science

Study and work in the national political arena through the CO-OP program

Include two paid work placements during your MA right in the heart of Canada’s capital, where actors who shape the country’s politics meet. Benefit from placements in bilingual settings that will be a natural extension of the bilingual, multicultural environment promoted and highlighted by the School of Political Studies.
General information and program requirements - Master of Arts Political Science

PhD in Political Science

General information and program requirements - Doctorate in Philosophy Political Science

The Ph.D. program rests on the following areas of specialization:

At the Ph.D. level it is possible to enrich the political science program with a multidisciplinary perspective in Canadian studies.

Doctoral thesis by articles

Following the request of several doctoral students, the Graduate Studies Committee has examined the modalities of a "thesis by articles". We have compared the procedures of several Canadian universities and propose the following formula:

Doctoral students may submit a thesis in the form of a monograph or a thesis by articles.

A thesis by articles must meet the following requirements:

  1. The thesis must have been approved by the supervisor and the head of the doctoral program at least six months prior to submission of the thesis;
  2. The thesis must include a minimum of three articles. The student must be the sole author of at least two of the articles and the first author of the article(s) written in collaboration.
  3. The papers cannot have been submitted or published prior to the defense of the thesis proposal.
  4. Articles must be written for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals. At the time of submission of the thesis, they must have been either submitted and/or accepted under revision conditions ‘revise and resubmit’ and/or accepted for publication.
  5. In addition to the articles, the thesis by article must also include the following chapters: 
    1. An introductory chapter
    2. A literature review and methodology chapter
    3. A conclusion that presents the problematic of the thesis and summarizes the main conclusions

In short, the thesis must be a coherent whole

  1. The entire thesis will be subject to evaluation by the members of the thesis committee. Even if the articles have been accepted for publication, the members of the Thesis Committee may require modifications to the articles that make up the thesis.

Graduate Scholarships

School of Political Studies students can apply to the following scholarships:

Also, as a Faculty of Social Sciences undergraduate and/or graduate student, you have access to faculty-wide scholarships, regardless of your program of study.

For a complete list, log into uoZone.

How to apply for scholarships

Contact us

School of Political Studies

Faculty of Social Sciences
120 University Private
Social Sciences Building
Room 7005
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Map

Personnel (POL) | Professors (POL)

Tel.: 613-562-5754

[email protected]

Office Hours
Monday to Friday 8:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. & 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
(June to August: closed at 3:30 p.m.)

Supervisors

Supervisor of Doctoral Studies (Political Science)
Dominique Arel
Social Sciences Building
Room 7067
Phone: 613-562-5800 ext. 1713
[email protected]

Supervisor of M.A. Studies (Political Science)
Robert Sparling
Social Sciences Building
Room 7078
Phone: 613-562-5800 ext. 2657
[email protected]