PhD Admissions – FAQ

Applications to the PhD program are open. Apply early to receive early consideration for admission and funding.  We begin reviewing files on October 1 and will send out admission offers on a rolling basis until the program is filled.

Applications are for entry into the fall (September) program each year.

The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs has only one admission intake per year. The School does not hold an intake session for the winter or summer terms.

The NPSIA Ph.D. program does not have a part-time option. Applicants are admitted to the program full time, and remain full time until the completion of their program.

The Ph.D. program is a 4 to 5-year program. Students are funded for each of the 4 years while in the program with a TA assistantship and scholarship. If a student requires a 5th year to complete the program, scholarship stops but they can continue to work as Teaching Assistants.

All Ph.D. candidates will be registered full time, for the full duration of their program, including summer registration as required.

Applicants to the program must meet the following prerequisites:

• Master’s degree in social science with at an A- (80%-84%) average;
• Undergraduate introductory economics (including both a microeconomic and macroeconomic component);
• One (1) further economic courses at the senior, undergraduate level;
• At least one course in international relations
• A number of years of work experience are desirable, but not mandatory.

The tuition fees for both domestic and international students can be found here.

Domestic students will receive funding for 4 years, in the form of a Teaching Assistantship and a Departmental Scholarship. At the time of application, a student whose grade point average meets the Entrance Scholarship requirement will also receive a one-time payment in the first year of the program.

International students are eligible to receive funding for 4 years in the form of a Teaching Assistantship.  However, it is important to note that this funding will not cover full tuition and living expenses.  International students will be required to secure their own, external funding to cover remaining fees and living expenses not covered by the Teaching Assistant award.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs requires applicants whose native tongue is not English to be tested for proficiency in English, with the exception for those who obtained their BA or MA degrees in English speaking institutions. NPSIA applicants must submit a CAEL Assessment™ score of a minimum of 70 or a TOEFL score of 250 computer-based or 100 iBT (minimum score of 25 in each of reading, writing, speaking and listening), or an IELTS score of 8.0, with a minimum of 7.5 in any subcategory.

Applicants are not required to contact potential supervisors before applying to the Ph.D. program. Applicants only need to identify that there is at least one faculty member at the School, whose area of research is similar to the applicant’s area of considered research.

Applications to the Ph.D. program are completed online. Please visit Graduate Admissions to complete your application.

Applicants to the program can expect to receive a decision regarding their application by March 31, of each year.

Your Statement of Intent provides an opportunity for the admissions committee to understand you better and to assess your suitability for the program. Your statement should showcase your qualities, skills and capabilities, work and research experience, your motivation for undertaking doctoral studies and your future career objectives. You should also provide a clear description of your primary area of research interest and some specific ideas for a dissertation topic or the kind of research you hope to undertake.  Finally, explain how your research interests are related to your chosen field of study, how it fits with the strength of the program, and why you think NPSIA is a good place to undertake your doctoral studies. Your statement should be under two pages in length.