Graduate supervisors are normally drawn from the Departments of Economics and International Studies.
Paul Bowles, Professor Emeritus
Fiona MacPhail, Professor Emerita
Heather Smith, Professor and Acting Chair
Jacqueline Holler, Professor
Jalil Safaei, Professor
Angèle Smith, Professor
Gary Wilson, Professor
Karima Fredj, Associate Professor
Fiona MacDonald, Associate Professor
Agnieszka Pawlowska-Mainville, Associate Professor
Tristan Pearce, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Cumulative Impacts of Environmental Change
Gabrielle Daoust, Assistant Professor
Leandro Freylejer, Assistant Professor
Luna KC, Assistant Professor
Liam Kelly, Assistant Professor
Website: www.unbc.ca/international-studies-graduate-program
UNBC’s innovative and interdisciplinary Master’s degree in International Studies focuses on two of the most pressing and interlinked issues of our time: Global Development and Environment. The program draws on courses from 11 different graduate programs and is managed jointly by the Department of Economics and the Department of Global and International Studies.
Broadly understood as processes that affect people(s), regions and/or countries in the Global South and northern areas including the Arctic, global development is examined from multiple perspectives. These perspectives include those of international agencies and civil society organizations. Both mainstream and critical approaches to development studies are examined. The challenges facing the global environment and potential solutions are analysed. Interactions between global development and the environment and between local and global scales are examined.
Financial assistance in the form of teaching assistantships is available to some full-time students, in accordance with University regulations.
Requirements
All students are normally admitted into a course-based program. Students wishing to transfer to a thesis- or a research paper-based program may apply to do so in accordance with program rules after completing 12 credit hours.
Students are required to take courses that satisfy requirements as listed below in Global Development: Theory and Institutions; Research Methods; and Global Environment: Policies and Practices. Two elective courses are also required. Courses may be taken in any order.
Required Courses:
Global Development: Theory and Institutions
One of the following:
| ECON 601-3 | Global Economy and Development |
| ECON 604-3 | Poverty, Inequality and Development |
| INTS 620-3 | International Regimes |
| POLS 615-3 | Comparative Northern Development |
Research Methods
| INTS 700-3 | Research Methods in Global Studies |
Global Environment: Policies and Practices
One of the following:
| ANTH 613-3 | Environmental Anthropology |
| ECON 625-3 | Trade and the Environment |
| HIST 704-3 | Themes in Environmental History |
| INTS 621-3 | The Political Economy of Natural Resource Extraction |
Electives
Two of the following:
| ANTH 601-3 | Anthropological Perspectives on Inequality |
| ANTH 604-3 | Comparative Study of Indigenous Peoples of the World |
| ECON 610-3 | Health Economics |
| ECON 611-3 | Cost-Benefit Analysis |
| ENVS 602-3 | Environment and Natural Resources Issues and Ethics |
| GEOG 603-3 | Indigenous Geographies of Climate Resilience |
| GEOG 626-3 | Geographies of Culture, Rights and Power |
| GNDR 611-3 | Contemporary Feminist Theories |
| GNDR 613-3 | Themes in Aboriginal Women’s Studies |
| HIST 702-3 | Themes in Indigenous History |
| POLS 613-3 | Democracy and Diversity |
Additional courses from the Global Development and Global Environment options can also be selected as electives.
In addition, students are required to pass:
INTS 702-0.5 Graduate Colloquia*
*All students must complete INTS 702-0.5 Graduate Colloquia twice during their program of study.
Students then complete one of the following:
i) a course-based program consisting of 9 credit hours of further graduate coursework. Students in the course-based program must complete at least 6 credit hours of coursework from the Global Development options, 6 credit hours from the Global Environment options, and have courses from at least three different subject areas;
ii) a research paper-based program consisting of 6 credit hours of further graduate coursework from all courses listed above (at least 3 credit hours of which must be from the Global Development or Global Environment options) and a 3 credit hour Research Paper;
iii) a thesis-based program consisting of a 12 credit hour thesis (INTS 799-12).
All course selections and course substitutions require Chair approval.
Application deadlines can be found online at www.unbc.ca/admissions/graduate. The International Studies MA Program accepts students for the September Semester.
For additional information about graduate admissions or to download application materials, go to the Office of Graduate Administration website at www.unbc.ca/graduate-administration.
Updated: July 2, 2024