International Studies: Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) is a bachelor's degree in Politics & International Relations programme offered by Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada. The programme runs for 4 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 1,214 per credit (CAD 216 per credit for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Bachelor's Degree
Field:Politics & International Relations
Duration: 4 years
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 216 / credit
International tuition: CAD 1,214 / credit
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The program is primarily for students with a background or interest in political science, history, economics, geography, sociology, anthropology, and humanities, as well as other areas. You can specialize in international issues through a curriculum which integrates training and experience concerning the complex and challenging issues that are central to global affairs. You'll take courses in security and global governance, comparative world politics, global history, and more. Upon graduation, you'll be equipped for further education, or careers in diplomacy and foreign affairs, government and politics, community affairs, journalism, law, policy, and more.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Students apply to declare the international studies major after meeting the cumulative-GPA requirement posted on the international studies website and completing nine international studies units; the calendar entry does not itself publish the numeric CGPA figure, a standardized language-test score, a portfolio or an interview requirement. Once in the major, students must earn C- or better in every course counted toward it and reach a minimum 2.00 overall CGPA, 2.00 upper-division CGPA, 2.00 international-studies-subject CGPA and 2.00 international-studies upper-division subject CGPA to graduate. General Simon Fraser University admission requires at least five approved Grade 12 courses for Canadian high-school applicants, including English Studies 12 or equivalent at 70% or better in Language Arts 11/English 12; international secondary-school applicants are assessed on a first-semester senior-year transcript.
Application Details
Start Date:Three intakes a year: Fall (September–December), Spring (January–April) and Summer (May–August). First day of classes is 5 January 2027 for Spring 2027, 10 May 2027 for Summer 2027 and 7 September 2027 for Fall 2027.
Application Deadline:Undergraduate applications are submitted on EducationPlannerBC and SFU publishes one set of dates per applicant type — high-school or college/university transfer — with no separate international deadline; document deadlines are stated as applying to all applicants. Fall 2027 entry: applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027 for high-school applicants, while transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027. Spring 2027 entry: open 1 July 2026, closes 15 September 2026. Summer 2027 entry: open 1 December 2026, closes 15 January 2027. Admission documents are due 28 February 2027 (Fall, high-school applicants), 15 May 2027 (Fall, transfer applicants), 1 October 2026 (Spring) and 1 February 2027 (Summer); B.C. high-school applicants must also file the Student Transcript Service form by 31 January. Decisions are released on a rolling basis — early Fall offers from mid-November 2026 to January 2027, standard offers from January to late April, transfer decisions from mid-March to late June — and most Fall entrants must accept by 1 May. These are SFU's university-wide undergraduate dates, not a deadline set by this program; a few programs admit in one term only, so confirm on the program's own SFU page.
