Graduate Studies in Political Science

Why Windsor?
The Department of Political Science at Windsor gives students the chance to be part of a growing and vibrant academic community. The department has exceptional resources available to fund its M.A. students, and offers two exciting opportunities to pursue graduate work: an M.A. degree, which can be completed in one calendar year (September to September), and a combined M.A. degree with a Master of Public Policy at the University of Michigan at Dearborn. The first year is spent in Windsor completing the M.A. and the second year is spent at the University of Michigan at Dearborn. This second option allows you the unique opportunity to complete two masters’ degrees in two years from two countries.

World Class Scholars
The department currently has 16 full-time faculty members, all of whom are actively engaged in research. Joining the M.A. program will give you the opportunity to participate in and learn from the wide array of research undertaken by our faculty. You can learn more about individual faculty members and their ongoing research from the bios listed on our faculty page. 

The department is also home to two major research centers: the Jerusalem Old City Initiative and the Cross-Border Transportation Studies Institute.  The Jerusalem Old City Initiative hosts former Ambassador Michael Bell, who teaches graduate courses on Middle East politics.  Several graduate students have worked with this project since its inception, and the department is home to several other faculty members with expertise on the Middle East.  If you are interested in studying the Middle East at the master's level, there are few better places to do so than in Political Science at the University of Windsor.

The Cross-Border Transportation Studies Institute is housed within the Department of Political Science and is headed by Dr. William Anderson.  This ambitious research center puts students at the center of North America's transportation infrastructure, and within sight of the world's busiest border crossing at the Ambassador Bridge.  Funding opportunities are available, Students interested in pursuing an M.A. in political science with a focus on transportation policy should contact Dr. Anderson.

Excellent Funding Opportunities
The university and the department are committed to funding students in the M.A. program. In the past four years the department has been able to offer a graduate teaching assistantship to all students who entered the M.A. program full-time. The university offers the possibility of a Tuition Scholarship to students who enter with an undergraduate cumulative average of A- or better. The department also has exceptional funding opportunities for students entering the program in September 2011.  Click here to read more about funding and scholarships.

Great Career Prospects
Graduates from our M.A. program have an exceptional record following completion of their degrees.  Our graduates work for Canadian MPs and Senators, in the provincial legislature, and for a number of municipal governments. Many also work for federal government agencies such as CSIS, Health Canada, and the diplomatic service. Others have gone on to become lawyers and journalists, while still others go on to Ph.D. programs. Graduates from the last five years are currently undertaking Ph.D. programs at Carleton University, the University of Victoria, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago, among others. The skills you will develop in our M.A. program will assist you in securing a place in a Ph.D. program.

For more information please contact:

Barbara Faria, Graduate Secretary
1149 Chrysler Hall North
(519) 253-3000 ext 2348
polscigrad@uwindsor.ca or faria@uwindsor.ca

Dr. John Sutcliffe, Graduate Director
Political Science Graduate Program
1149 Chrysler Hall North
(519) 253-3000 ext 2360
sutclif@uwindsor.ca