MA/MS in Political Science at University of Calgary in Calgary, Canada is a master's degree in Politics & International Relations programme. The programme runs for 2 years. Tuition for international students is CAD 2,859 per semester (CAD 1,225 per semester for local students).
This is a Master of Arts in Political Science at the University of Calgary, offered as a thesis-based program delivered on campus. Students complete coursework in a primary field alongside a research methods component and elective courses, then prepare an original thesis that is defended in an open oral examination. The department's areas of strength include Canadian politics, elections and voting behaviour, international law, political violence, the history of political thought, gender and politics, and Indigenous politics. As a thesis-based master's degree, the program emphasizes independent research training under the guidance of a supervisor secured before or during admission, rather than coursework alone. It suits students with an undergraduate political science background who want to develop original research skills, whether to move on to doctoral study or to work as government policy analysts, researchers or consultants for non-governmental and international organizations. The program is positioned as the standard route into a political science PhD, distinguishing it from a course-based alternative offered by the same department.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:3.40 / 4.0
Admission Requirements: Admission requires a four-year BA in Political Science, or a strong background with at least 5.0 full-course equivalents in the field, together with a minimum GPA of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale calculated over the last two years of full-time study (a minimum of 10 full-course equivalents or 60 units). The programme page defers English-language proficiency to the Faculty of Graduate Studies' general requirement, published in the UCalgary Graduate Calendar and How to Apply page: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0, TOEFL iBT 86 with no section below 20, or Duolingo English Test 125 with no sub-score below 105. Applicants must also submit a sample of written work (preferably a paper from a Political Science course), a statement of research interests, and two reference letters; no standardized admission test is required. A supervisor is not required before admission, though contacting faculty beforehand is recommended.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:For Fall 2027 entry, the University of Calgary opens undergraduate applications for domestic applicants on 1 October 2026 and for international applicants on 15 August 2026, both closing on the same firm application deadline of 1 March 2027, with supporting documents due by 15 March 2027 and offers accepted by 1 May 2027. International applicants follow the identical March 1 deadline; the university publishes no separate, later international closing date. Applications are not accepted on a rolling basis after the deadline for most direct-entry programmes, though a small number of programmes (e.g. Nursing) run further selection rounds into the summer while space remains. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
