Graduate Program Overview

The Department of Political Science offers a high quality graduate program in a collegial, relatively small department. There is extensive contact between professors and students in all phases of the program. There is also a congenial social environment, enhanced by the excellent entertainment and recreational amenities of the City of Halifax.

The Department is organized into four subfields:

• Canadian Government
• Comparative Politics
• International Relations and Foreign Policy
• Political Theory

Each field (with the exception of political theory) offers a core graduate-only seminar. Other classes are cross-listed at the undergraduate / graduate level.

The Centre for the Study of Security and Development is an important part of the Department. The Centre is active in research, publishing, policy advising, and teaching on various aspects of foreign policy, defence and security studies, and international relations. All of these projects provide opportunities for students to take a “hands-on” role in research, conferences, and publishing. Each year, approximately half of our new graduate students come to Dalhousie because they want to be involved with the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies.

Students are eligible to receive some combination of scholarships and teaching assistanceships. Many also work as research assistants for faculty members, who generate a significant number of major research grants each year. We also encourage applicants to seek support from external sources. This is especially the case for Ph.D. students who are expected to seek support from agencies like Social Sciences and Humanities Research council of Canada (SSHRC) or IDRC. Scholarship programs are also managed by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.