Overview of the MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies:
The Master of Arts (MA) in Migration and Diaspora Studies is an innovative interdisciplinary graduate program that allows you to study the social, cultural, political, and economic implications of the movement and transnational settlement of people. The program brings together a broad spectrum of academics and practitioners from the humanities, social sciences, and public affairs.
In the MDS graduate program, you will develop the tools and concepts to analyze topics such as
- the ways in which state and non-state agents, including migrant and diaspora communities, influence migration patterns in their interactions with transnational economic, social, cultural, and political structures.
- the ways in which migrant and diaspora communities articulate transnational and diaspora identities that can work within, against, and across nation-states
- the rich traditions of visual art, film, literature, music and other forms of creative expression that migrant and diaspora communities have created, works that often provide critical perspectives on dominant social, cultural, and political imaginaries and open up important new ways of re-imagining identities, communities, and belonging.
- how evidence-based practices and decision-making might contribute to developing and implementing migration policies that are beneficial to all constituents that respect migrant human rights.
Program Pathways:
The MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies requires 5.0 credits and has three completion pathways and can be taken as a full-time (two-year) or part-time basis:
- Thesis pathway
- Research essay pathway
- Coursework only pathway
Each of the program pathways builds on a robust core course sequence (MGDS 5001 Introduction to Migration and Diaspora Studies and MGDS 5003 Research Seminar in Migration and Diaspora Studies) that introduce you to concepts, theories, approaches and issues in Migration and Diaspora Studies and provide you with research methods to study them.
Students then deepen their knowledge on particular issues or approaches through additional coursework in Migration and Diaspora Studies and an extensive list of electives. You can choose from courses in African Studies, Anthropology, Art History, Canadian Studies, Communications, Cultural Mediations, English, European and Russian Studies, Film, French, Geography, History, International Affairs, Law and Legal Studies, Migration and Diaspora Studies, Political Science, Public Policy and Administration, Religion, Sociology, and Social Work.
You will also have the opportunity to design and conduct your own original research project (research essay, thesis, or term paper for students in the coursework only option). More detail about the program pathways here.
Experiential Learning Opportunities
The Migration and Diaspora Studies MA also provides you with valuable practical experience through the Practicum placement option (completing a practicum at an organization or institution for course credit) and the Co-operative Education placement, in which students work two academic terms in full-time paid employment as part of their degree. Both options will allow you to combine your academic studies with real-world work experience and will help you build career networks and transition to employment.
Exchange Opportunities
As a student in Migration and Diaspora Studies, you may also wish to consider one of the many international exchange opportunities available through Carleton’s International Student Services Office.
Career Opportunities
Migration and Diaspora Studies prepares its graduates for a variety of career paths in which knowledge of human migration and diaspora is relevant. As a student in the MDS graduate program, you will become an informed global citizen. The program helps you develop your valuable research, analytical and writing skills and provides you with opportunities for hands-on practical experience though the co-op and practicum placement options. Migration and Diaspora Studies faculty have a strong network in the policy and practitioner communities that will help you in making connections and building a network to position you for your future career.
The Migration and Diaspora Studies MA program is excellent preparation for students applying to law school or PhD programs in a variety of disciplines, as well as jobs in public service, cultural institutions and creative industries, migration and humanitarian non-governmental organizations, and immigration and settlement-related agencies.
Click here for more information about admission into this program.
Apply to a Carleton graduate program today!
