Political Science: Master of Arts (MA) at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada is a master's degree in Politics & International Relations programme. The programme is delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 2,193 per semester for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Master's Degree
Field:Politics & International Relations
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 2,193 / semester
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Political Science MA offers three completion paths - a 40-unit project option, a 38-unit thesis option (an 18,750-to-25,000-word thesis), and a 37-unit course-intensive option ending in a field examination - completed over three to six terms. Every path shares a required research-design course and a quantitative or qualitative methods course, then draws electives from at least two of the department's five fields, and current SFU undergraduates can pursue an accelerated route counting up to ten units toward both degrees.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: The department's own admission page sets language and material requirements directly for this MA: an application is only competitive with significant undergraduate training in political science or a closely related social science, and international applicants must submit TOEFL iBT 90 with no category below 20, IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no section below 6.0, CAEL overall 70 with no section below 60, PTE Academic overall 65 with no section below 60, or Duolingo 125 overall with no section below 105. The application requires a roughly 400-word statement of research interests, an English-language academic writing sample of up to 20 pages, three academic references, and the names of three potential supervisors, plus unofficial transcripts. Fall (September) is the intake, with a January application deadline.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC, with one set of dates per applicant type rather than by citizenship. Fall 2027 entry: high-school-route applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027, while transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027 (Education and Contemporary Arts transfer applicants may apply from 1 October 2026). Spring 2027 entry runs 1 July to 15 September 2026, and Summer 2027 entry runs 1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. Admission documents are generally due 28 February 2027 (Fall) and offers must be accepted by 1 May. International applicants use the same EducationPlannerBC dates and portal; SFU publishes no separate international deadline. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
