The formal objectives of the Northern Studies program are to provide interdisciplinary knowledge and approaches to addressing the complexity of the challenges facing Canadians, particularly northern Canadians, following the resurgence of national and international interest in the Arctic. The specific objectives include:
- provision of advanced academic training for federal and northern public servants, for northerners, and for students seeking to develop a career in the North;
- development of skills enabling students to access and interpret information from a variety of disciplines, to apply it in a context relevant to their profession, and to develop recommendations for their agencies and institutions based on available research;
- acquisition of writing and presentation skills to support enhanced and informed decision making; and
- acquisition of foundational knowledge of biophysical and social contexts and processes in northern Canada, and of northern policy making.