PhD admission requirements
While the Faculty of Arts and the Department of Political Science deeply values the contributions of international students in our graduate programs, we are currently not accepting international student applications for our PhD program. This constraint is entirely based on University and government budget models, making it financially unfeasible to accommodate a larger cohort of international students. We are currently only able to offer admission and funding to full-time domestic students.
- Master’s degree with a minimum 80% average or equivalent in political science, or a related discipline
- Experienced professionals in the private or public sectors will be considered for admission, but additional course work may be required.
- Three letters of reference, normally from academic sources
- Resume
- Supplementary information form (also known as a statement of interest, maximum of 500 words)
- Sample of written work (maximum 20 pages, double spaced)
- The application deadline is February 1 (admission decisions are made in late-February or early-March of each year)
Master's admission requirements
- Honours Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Political Science (or a related discipline) with a minimum average of 78% (B+) in the last two years of the degree
- Three letters of reference, normally from academic sources
- Resume
- Supplementary information form (also known as statement of interest, maximum of 500 words)
- A sample of written work (maximum of 20 pages, double spaced)
- For international students: proof of English language proficiency (ELP) through acceptable test scores may be required
- The application deadline is February 1 (admission decisions are made in late-February or early-March of each year)
Application process
The application process at University of Waterloo is managed electronically. All students are required to complete an application using the graduate online application system. Please note, the graduate application fee is $125 CAD (as of October 1, 2019).
Once all of the documents are submitted, the department will review your file.
Please visit Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website for information on applying to graduate studies.
Please note that due to current budgetary constraints, we have limited ability to admit international students studying on a study permit.