Overview

The Department of Political Science offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs that are structured around five substantive fields: Canadian politics, international relations, comparative politics, political theory, and U.S. Politics.

The department typically enrolls approximately 20 M.A. students and 10 PhD students per year. We offer in the range of 25 graduate seminar courses per year and ample support for mentoring grad students in their professional development, through research collaboration, workshops, and colloquia. We have the most successful doctoral graduates of any program in Canada, judged by our record of placing graduates in academic positions in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and elsewhere.

Areas of Teaching and Research

For a full description of faculty expertise within these fields, consult the faculty research interests page. To learn more about research and teaching strengths in the department, consult the research page. 

Funding for Graduate Students

We offer guaranteed funding packages to all PhD students and one-year packages to MA students. Our students have performed exceedingly well in recent years in major funding competitions, with many of our Master's and Ph.D. students being awarded national SSHRC awards and many of our Ph.D. students winning UBC Graduate Fellowships. Furthermore, our students have garnered Canadian Consortium on Human Security Fellowships, Commonwealth Scholarships, UBC Simons Center Graduate Awards, and Killam Predoctoral Fellowships. Sixteen of our current Ph.D. students are or have been funded by SSHRC for their Ph.D. program.

The University and its Setting

The University of British Columbia is one of the largest English language universities in Canada, with more than 27,000 full-time students. Located on Point Grey Peninsula, with views of sea and mountains, and surrounded by forested land, the campus has one of the world's most spectacular settings. Close at hand are unrivalled sailing, fishing, kayaking, mountaineering, hiking, and skiing opportunities. The campus itself has gym, swimming, and sports facilities. The Graduate Students' Centre, close to the department, has dining rooms, a beer garden, and a pub which overlooks the sea. The campus is 2 miles from the residential portion of Vancouver City and 5 miles from downtown. There is excellent bus service to the city and its suburbs. With a population of 1.5 million, the metropolitan area provides all the amenities of a major world city. The climate is temperate. The summer is warm and sunny; the winter, cool and rainy.

If you are considering graduate study in our department, please consult the materials for prospective students in the menu to the left.