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The School of Political Studies offers graduate programs leading to the Graduate Diploma in Public Management and Governance, and to the degrees of Master of Arts (MA) and PhD in Political Science. The MA program is offered both full- and part-time whereas the PhD program is offered full-time only. The programs are offered in French and English.
Two options are available for the MA: the MA with thesis and the MA with research paper.
It is possible to follow the Master’s or the PhD program exclusively in French.
Students who enroll in their program in French (MA or PhD) must take the majority of their courses in French:
Master’s with Thesis: students must take at least three of their required courses in French.
Master’s with Major Research Paper: students must take at least four of their required courses in French.
PhD: students must take at least three courses in French.
Students who enroll in their program in English (MA or PhD) must take and pass at least one of their required courses in French.
All students are permitted to hand in their assignments in French or in English. At the time of admission, students must have an active knowledge of French and a passive understanding of English. French is the working language of the School’s meetings, including those of the graduate students’ association, and in the School’s internal communications.
The department participates in the collaborative programs in Women’s Studies (at the MA level), in Environmental Sustainability (at the MA level) and in Canadian Studies (at the PhD level).
Because of its strength in relevant areas, its bilingual character and its location in the national capital, the University of Ottawa is uniquely positioned to offer a collaborative program leading to a specialization in Canadian Studies at the doctoral level. The program is especially designed for doctoral students in selected programs in the humanities and the social sciences who wish to enrich their training in a particular discipline by including an interdisciplinary component.
September 2025
University of Ottawa
75 Laurier Avenue East,
OTTAWA,
Ontario (ON),
K1N 6N5, Canada
To be admitted to the PhD program, candidates must hold a master’s degree in political science (or the equivalent) with a minimum average of 75% (B+) calculated in accordance with graduate studies guidelines. Exceptional students in the master’s program at the University of Ottawa may, under certain conditions (see “Transfer from master’s to PhD"), be allowed to transfer to the PhD without being required to write a master’s thesis.
TOEFL 550 / IELTS Overall 6.5 - Individual 5.0 (Paper-based)
TOEFL 79-80 / IELTS Overall 6.5 - Individual 5.0 (Internet-based)
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
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