Offered by Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, Political Science: Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) is a bachelor's degree in Politics & International Relations programme. 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).
This degree builds a wide-ranging and in-depth understanding of the complex forces shaping law and policy, dominant ideologies, the economy and international relations, with an emphasis on making a positive impact both in Canada and internationally. Co-op and internship programs are available as options. Graduates may find employment in fields such as government lobbying, consulting, policy analysis, law, business administration, non-profit organizations, journalism, data analytics, or government at any level.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Direct entry from a BC secondary school requires at least five approved Grade 12 courses, including English Studies 12 (or English First Peoples 12) at a minimum of 70%, plus SFU's general English-language and quantitative/analytical skills requirements. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences prerequisites for Political Science add one Grade 12 social-studies course from an approved list such as Political Studies 12, Law Studies 12, Economics 12 or Philosophy 12, one science-or-math course, and one language or additional List A course; equivalent AP or IB courses may substitute. No Political Science-specific prerequisite is published beyond these university-wide requirements, and the program also offers a minor, an African studies certificate, and three joint majors. International secondary-school applicants are assessed on their final-year transcript against SFU's country equivalencies; the program page states no specific IELTS/TOEFL/PTE score, so applicants should confirm current minimums on SFU's general admission-requirements page.
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.
