Political Science

General Information

Contact Information

Department of Political Science

Location: Social Science and Mathematics Building, Room A316

Mailing Address:

Courier Address:

Telephone Number: 250-721-7486

Fax Number: 250-721-7485

Email: poligrad@uvic.ca

Website: <web.uvic.ca/polisci>

Chair: Dr. Amy Verdun

Graduate Adviser: Dr. Oliver Schmidtke

Graduate Secretary: Tara Williamson

Degrees and Specializations Offered

The Department of Political Science offers a program of study leading to the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Political -Science.

The MA program provides an opportunity for advanced research in most areas of Political Science. The PhD program is especially appropriate for students interested in any of the five areas of concentration:

• A. Contemporary Political Theory
• B. Transnational Politics and Global Political Economy
• C. Democratic Constitutionalism
• D. Comparative Public Policy and Governance
• E. Cultural, Social and Political Thought

Full information on supervisory resources and Political Science courses can be found on the department's website: <web.uvic.ca/polisci/graduate>.

Facilities, Research Centres and Internships

In addition to the range of courses and faculty expertise within the department, the program has many interdisciplinary resources and opportunities. Students are encouraged to take at least one course outside of the department. There is an extensive expertise on political issues in other departments, including Indigenous Governance, Law, Philosophy, Women's Studies, History, Environmental Studies and Public Administration. In addition, all five areas of concentration in the PhD program are deeply embedded in interdisciplinary perspectives. For example, Democratic Constitutionalism involves collaboration among the Departments of Philosophy, Political Science and Law; Cultural, Social and Political Thought combines perspectives from Anthropology, English, History, Political Science and Sociology; Comparative Public Policy and Governance draws on resources from Political Science and Public Administration.

A full slate of seminars, colloquia, lectures and conferences provide many excellent opportunities for collegial interaction among graduate students and between graduate students and faculty. These include the Victoria Colloquium on Political, Social and Legal Theory which students may take for course credit. This colloquium involves the interaction of theorists with international reputations and students from a variety of disciplines.

The department also has strong ties with various research centres on campus, including the Centre for Pacific and Asian Initiatives, the Centre for Global Studies, the Centre for European Studies and the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society.

The department also collaborates in the administration of British Columbia's Legislative Internship Program. Interns may receive a two-course (3 unit) credit for a research report related to their work (POLI 580) which they are required to submit to a two-member examination committee of the department. This program is open only to selected graduates of British Columbia universities, who must apply to the program and are chosen on a competitive basis. Further information is available at: <www.legis.gov.bc.ca/info/2-5.htm>.

Financial Support

Political Science students are eligible for University of Victoria Fellowships. In addition, the department offers several scholarships of varying amounts. Students are automatically considered for internal scholarships and they are awarded on a competitive basis. The department also offers teaching and research assistantships, which are also awarded on a competitive basis, with priority given to incoming students. All candidates applying to our master's program by the January 15th deadline are automatically considered for a teaching assistantship. All other students must apply. All eligible students are also strongly encouraged to apply for funding from external sources such as SSHRC.