The department has five fields of study: political theory and methodology; Canadian government and politics, including political behaviour and political economy; comparative government and politics; international relations, including foreign policy analysis and international political economy; public policy, public administration, local governance and administration.
Program Requirements
The MA program may be completed through either a project option, a course-intensive option or a thesis option.
Program Length
Students are expected to complete the program requirements in 3 to 6 terms (1 to 2 years).
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution
January 2025
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby Campus,
8888 University Drive West,
BURNABY,
British Columbia (BC),
V5A 1S6, Canada
A bachelor’s degree from SFU or its equivalent from a recognized institution
A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0/4.33 (B), or a grade point average of at least 3.33/4.33 (B+) based on the last 60 units of undergraduate courses. Any graduate work is also considered. Individual graduate programs may set a higher admission grade point average.
Submitted evidence, usually references from qualified referees, of the applicant’s ability to undertake advanced studies in the area of interest.
English Language Requirements:
Internet-based TOEFL: 93 with minimum of 20 in each category
Paper-based TOEFL: 580 and TWE 5
IELTS (academic): overall band score of 7.0 of the academic (NOT general) test with a minimum of 6.5 in each section
CAEL: overall 70; minimum 60 in each section
Pearson Academic (PTE): overall 65; minimum 60 in all of their sections
Cambridge English Qualifications: C1 Advanced - minimum score of 193; C2 Proficiency - minimum score of 200
Duolingo English Test (DET): Provisionally through the Fall 2026 admission cycle - Duolingo English Test (DET) 130 overall with a minimum of 120 in each section.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
SFU has established itself as a leading research university over 60 years, consistently ranking in the top 1-2 percent of universities worldwide.
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