This section presents the requirements for programs in:

• M.A. International Affairs
• M.A. International Affairs with Collaborative Specialization in African Studies
• M.A. International Affairs with Collaborative Specialization in Cybersecurity
• M.A. International Affairs with Collaborative Specialization in Data Science
• M.A. International Affairs with Collaborative Specialization in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• Ph.D. International Affairs
• Ph.D. International Affairs with Collaborative Specialization in African Studies

Regulations

See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

A grade of B- or better must be obtained in each credit counted towards the master's degree. The School does not permit exceptions to this rule.

Students will be required to withdraw from the program if their grade point average falls below 7.0 (B-), or if they receive a grade of less than B- in any two courses that are eligible to be counted toward the Master's degree.

Part-time program requirements

In some cases, an applicant with relevant full-time employment experience may be admitted to a part-time M.A. program. While the program requirements are the same as those for full-time students, part-time students may take up to six calendar years from the date of initial registration to complete the program.

Part-time students must register for a minimum of one term in three, and must successfully complete INAF 5016, INAF 5017, and INAF 5018 within their first 2.5 program credits. In addition, the economics course requirement must be included in the first 2.5 credits completed.

Students enrolled in the full-time master's program may transfer to the part-time program only under exceptional circumstances as approved by the faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Regulations

See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

To complete the doctoral program, students must obtain a grade of B- or higher in each course credit, and Satisfactory in the comprehensive examination, the research prospectus defence, and the Ph.D. dissertation and its oral defence. Normally, a NPSIA doctoral student may obtain a grade lower than B- only once. A subsequent occurrence of a grade lower than B- may result in removal from the Ph.D. program.

M.A. International Affairs/J.D.

A student will complete both the M.A. and the JD programs over four calendar years.

Students will be expected to fulfil the normal requirements of both the M.A. and JD programs.

Students must complete INAF 5509 in their second year of the program.

In addition, students in the combined program will be required to complete courses in international law to be specified by the Faculty of Law.

Of the 5.0 credits completed for the M.A. degree, up to 1.5 credits may be applied to the Juris Doctor degree.

In undertaking the M.A./J.D. research essay, students will be expected to integrate both components of the joint program into their work.

The normal sequence of courses for the two degrees is as follows:

First Year

Normal JD first year (required course work to include a 0.5-credit course in international law)

Second Year

Normal M.A. first year (as described in full-time M.A. program requirements) including completion of INAF 5509. Students who choose the coursework option must complete 4.0 credits by the end of their second year. Students who choose the  research essay or thesis should consult the NPSIA M.A. program administrator for registration information.

Third and Fourth Year

Students are normally registered in at least 0.5 credit of an INAF course in each of the third and fourth years of their MA/JD program. Students who choose the research essay or thesis option are also required to register in INAF 5906 or INAF 5919.  M.A./JD research essays and theses will have one supervisor from NPSIA and one supervisor from the Law School.

Internship Option

The Internship option is available to all first year, full-time students in the M.A. and the M.A.-JD programs. Registration in the Internship Program option requires departmental permission, and is limited by the availability of placements. Application for an internship placement will normally be considered after the student has successfully completed 1.5 credits, including INAF 5015 and INAF 5016.

Internship placements will locate students for one term in the public service, the private sector, or non-governmental organizations. During their work term, students are required to register in INAF 5914,  which is additional to the program requirements described above.  Registration in the Internship Program is restricted to full-time students. 

Co-operative Education

For information about how to apply for the Co-op program and how the Co-op program works, visit the Co-op website.

All graduate students participating in the Co-op program are governed by this Graduate Co-operative Education Policy.

Application Requirements

Graduate students are encouraged to apply to the Co-op Program during their first term of studies. Alternatively, students may delay their participation until later on, provided that they have mandatory credits remaining for degree completion.

Participation Requirements

Graduate students:

• must be registered as full-time before they begin their co-op job search and their co-op work term.
• will be registered in a Co-op Work Term course while at work. This course does not carry academic course credit, but is noted on academic transcripts.
• may register in a 0.5 credit during a work term, provided the course is offered during the evening or is offered asynchronously online.
• are not permitted to hold a Teaching Assistantship while on a co-op work term. Where eligible, Teaching Assistantships will be deferred to a later term.
• in receipt of internal or external scholarships should contact the Faculty of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Affairs to discuss the possible funding implications of being on a co-op work term
• must have mandatory courses left to complete following their final co-op work term. In cases where the graduate student has just a 0.5 credit left, he or she may request permission of the Co-op Office to complete this course during the work term.

Co-op Participation Agreement

All graduate students must adhere to the policies found within the Co-op Participation Agreement.

Communication with the Co-op Office

Graduate students must maintain regular contact with the Co-op Office during their job search and while on a work term. All email communication will be conducted via the student’s Carleton email account.

Graduation with the Co-op Designation

In order to graduate with the Co-op Designation, graduate students must satisfy all requirements of the degree program in addition to the successful completion of two work terms.  Students found in violation of the Co-op Participation Agreement may have the Co-op Designation withheld. 

Employment

Although every effort is made to ensure a sufficient number of job postings for all Co-op students, no guarantee of employment can be made. The Co-op job search process is competitive, and success is dependent upon factors such as current market conditions, academic performance, skills, motivation, and level of commitment to the job search. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for positions via the Co-op job board in addition to actively conducting a self-directed job search. Students who do not obtain a co-op work term are expected to continue with their academic studies. It should be noted that hiring priority for positions within the Federal Government of Canada is given to Canadian citizens.

Work Term Assessment and Evaluation

Work Term Evaluation

Employers are responsible for submitting to Carleton University final performance evaluations for their Co-op students at the end of their work terms.

Work Term Assessment

In order to successfully complete the co-op work term, graduate students must receive a Satisfactory (SAT) grade on their Co-op Work Term Report, which they must submit at the completion of each four-month work term.

Voluntary Withdrawal from the Co-op Option

Students who are currently on a co-op work term or who have already committed to a co-op work term either verbally or in writing may not leave the position and/or withdraw from the co-op option until they have completed the requirements of the work term.

Involuntary or Required Withdrawal from the Co-op Option

Graduate students may be removed from the Co-op Program for any of the following reasons:

1. Failure to attend all interviews for positions to which the student has applied;
2. Declining more than one job offer during the job search;
3. Reneging on a co-op position that the student has accepted either verbally or in writing;
4. Continuing a job search after accepting a co-op position;
5. Dismissal from a work term by the co-op employer;
6. Leaving a work term without approval from the Co-op Management Team;
7. Receipt of an unsatisfactory work term evaluation;
8. Receiving a grade of UNS on the work term report;

International Students

All Graduate International Students are required to possess a Co-op Work Permit issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada before they can begin working. The Co-operative Education Office will provide students  with a letter of support to accompany their Co-op Work Permit application. Students are advised to discuss the application process and application requirements with the International Student Services Office.

Co-op Fees

All participating Co-op students are required to pay Co-op fees. For full details, please see the Co-op website.

International Affairs M.A. Co-operative Education Option

Students are encouraged to apply for admission to the Co-operative Education Program by the end of their first term of academic study.
To be eligible for admission to Co-op, students must:

1. be enrolled in the M.A. in International Affairs;
2. have successfully completed by the end of their first term of academic study:
   1. INAF 5016 [0.5] Statistical Analysis for International Affairs
   2. INAF 5017 [0.25] International Policymaking in Canada: Structure and Process
   3. INAF 5018 [0.25] Law and International Affairs
   4. 0.5 credit in INAF course of student’s choosing
3. have successfully completed by the start-date of the first work term:
   1. 0.5 credit in INAF Economics course required for student’s field
   2. 1.0 credit in INAF course(s) of student’s choosing
       
4. be registered as a full-time student in each academic term prior to a work term;
5. be eligible to work in Canada (for off-campus work terms)

For more information, please refer to the Co-operative Education Policy.

Admission

The minimum requirement for admission into the master's program is a B.A. (Honours) degree in a discipline related to international affairs.

Under current practice, at least a high honours standing (B+ minimum) is normally required to be considered for admission to the program.

Applicants may submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) aptitude test scores; in some circumstances, students may be required to submit GRE scores.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs requires applicants whose native tongue is not English to be tested for proficiency in English. NPSIA applicants must submit a CAEL Assessment™score of a minimum of 70 or a TOEFL score of 250 computer-based or 600 regular 100 iBT (minimum score of 25 in each of reading, writing, speaking and listening).

Students admitted to the NPSIA M.A. program must have successfully completed a 1.0 credit (or the equivalent) course in introductory economics (introductory microeconomics and introductory macroeconomics for economics majors) before starting the program.

Students who have not completed one credit of introductory economics at the time of their application will have their admission into the program made conditional upon its successful completion prior to registration. In some cases where the student is deemed by the admissions committee to have an insufficient background in international affairs they may be required to complete up to two additional courses as part of their M.A. program. Students who are uncertain about whether they meet the background requirements are encouraged to contact the School of International Affairs.

Accelerated Pathway

The accelerated pathway to the Master of Arts degree at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) is a flexible and individualized plan of graduate study for students in their final year of a Carleton undergraduate degree in a related discipline such as the B.P.A.P.M. degree.

Students in the third year of study of their undergraduate program who are interested in the accelerated pathway should consult with the Associate Director (M.A. program) at NPSIA to determine if the accelerated pathway is appropriate for them and to confirm their selection of courses and Honours project/thesis supervisor for their final year of undergraduate studies.

To be eligible to participate in the accelerated pathway, students must have a minimum overall CGPA of A- in undergraduate courses.

Admission

Admission into the Ph.D. program will be judged primarily on the applicant's ability to undertake research successfully, and his/her prospects for completion of the program. Admission to the Ph.D. program is governed by the requirements stated in the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

The normal requirement for admission to the doctoral program in International Affairs is a Master's degree in a social science with at least an A- average. Relevant work experience is also considered.

Applicants are required to have prior training in international relations and economics. The normal requirement is a minimum of 0.5 credit (or the equivalent) in international relations, 1.0 credit (or equivalent) in introductory economics (introductory microeconomics and introductory macroeconomics), plus at least 0.5 credit (or the equivalent) in advanced economics or intermediate economic theory above the 1000-level to be considered for admission.  In addition, students who are admitted to the doctoral program, but who lack sufficient background in their field of study may be required to take additional graduate-level courses (extra to degree requirements) in preparation for their field examination.

All applicants whose first language is not English will be required to obtain an overall score of 70 or over on the Canadian Academic English Language Assessment with a minimum score of 70 for the writing section or a TOEFL score of 250 computer-based, 100 iBT (minimum score of 25) in each of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Transfer from the Master's to the Ph.D. Program

Students in the full-time M.A. program who demonstrate outstanding academic performance and research potential may, with permission of the Ph.D. Associate Director, be admitted to the Ph.D. program after two terms of registration.

Students considering this option will be advised, when selecting courses for their M.A. program, to choose those courses at the master's level which are open to doctoral students and which may assist them in the doctoral comprehensive examinations.