Graduate studies FAQ

No, the subject and name of the MRP supervisor must be submitted during the first winter semester in the program, ie in early March.

The December 1^st deadlines for international students and February 1^st for permanent residents and Canadian citizens are only for the completion of the application for admission through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) and not for the receipt of documents.
However, your file will be submitted for evaluation to the Admissions Committee only when it is complete. You can check the status of your admission request at any time in your uoZone account.

Your letter of intent should be a one-page typed description (approximately 250-300 words, single-spaced, 12 font) that describes your research interests by specifying your fields of interest and more specifically, by specifying the questions that interest you in these fields. It is good to demonstrate that you are able to communicate information in a clear and precise manner.

The selection committee likes statements that have the following elements:

• Who you are, and where you’re going;
• Your academic and/or professional background (specific degrees you hold; classes you have taken; professors/mentors you have had);
• Any major honours & awards; key extracurricular activities;
• A mention of your publications and/or professional accomplishments (e.g., conference presentations);
• Explanations about problems/gaps in education/professional experience, if any;
• Your field of concentration (in the domains of international affairs, public policy, international development as well as in conflict studies and human rights); as an indication of your research interest (this will not restrain you in the choice of your courses, and your interests may also change during your program, the question is for informational purposes only);
• Explanation of why you have chosen our program as opposed some other program (identify specific features of/specific faculty in the program);
• A concluding sentence summarizing what makes you unique and/or why you think you will prosper in our program.

The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University (NPSIA) does not offer a program in French, moreover they offer a Master in International Affairs but it does not include a Public Affairs component.  Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) has the internship program in Canadian embassies abroad, which gives three (3) credits towards the program requirements; while NPSIA offers only local internships without academic credit.

Admission applications are submitted to the selection committee only when they are complete (that is, when all required documents have been received at the Graduate Studies Office). The offers are accessible through the students’ uoZone account from mid-February to August.

The program in which you were admitted determines the registration status, either the full-time or the part-time program (please note that the admission criteria differ for the part-time program).

Once admitted it is not possible for a full-time student to enroll part-time in his or her courses, and vice versa. The number of courses (credits) you are registered to does not determine the Status of your registration.

Yes, with the permission of the program coordinator, a maximum of two courses other than the API program classes can be credited towards your elective specialized seminars only. Some departments also require the permission of the professor who teaches the course. The school’s academic assistants can advise you about this.

An email with all the necessary information for all new admitted students is sent in June, before the beginning of the registration, including the sequence of compulsory courses that you will have to follow for the first two semesters of the program. A second email including the guide describing the seminars that will be offered during the winter session will allow you to prepare your registration for two of these courses.

You can consult the profiles of the GSPIA’s professors to learn about their research interests. This will help you to choose a research supervisor when you will start preparing for your MRP (you will have to submit a subject and a MRP supervisor during the first winter term).

The Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) of the University of Ottawa offers French as a Second Language courses meant to help you improve your language skills. The courses are offered from a beginner level to an advanced level. An is used to ensure that students interested in registering for one English or French as a Second Language courses, are placed in the correct course for their level.

There is no additional charge for students enrolled full-time.

The credits obtained in these courses do not count towards the program requirements and cannot satisfy the language requirement.

The collaborative program in Environmental Sustainability and the collaborative program in Science, Society and Policy. The registration to a specialization is done after the admission and the beginning of the program.

The regular full-time program can be completed in a minimum of four (4) semesters. While, the co-op full-time program and the part-time program may not be completed in less than seven (7) terms. The maximum time allowed to complete all API programs is twelve (12) sessions (4 years).

Registration for the fall and winter courses begins at the same time, usually in the third week of June. Students can register for the spring / summer semester at the end of March.

The university calendar is available on this page of the University of Ottawa website.

Please note that according to the Academic Regulations for Graduate Enrolment, students must register each term until the end of their program, including the spring / summer terms.

Syllabuses are available to students once they are enrolled in a course on the campus virtual ; if the professor teaching each class downloads the latter.

Fall Session

API 5105 Concepts and Issues in International Affairs (3cr.)
API 5116 Democratic Governance and Public Policy (3cr.)

* API 5125 Macroeconomic Policy (3cr.)
OR
* API 5100 Economics for Public Management and Policy (for Students with this Admission Requirement)

Winter session

API 5126 Microeconomics for Public Policy (3cr.)
API 5135 Ethics and Moral Reasoning for Public and International Affairs (3cr.)
API 5136 Research Methods for Public Policy (3cr.)

Students must complete at least one course (3 credits) of the program in the second official language; this course is at the choice of the student, it can be a compulsory course, an elective specialized seminar or a capstone seminar.

The first year is essentially devoted to acquiring the multidisciplinary foundations essential to studies in public and international affairs. Students enrolled in the program must take six (6) or seven (7) compulsory courses, depending on their condition of admission, involving various disciplines. Through these compulsory courses at the beginning of the program, students acquire the foundations (knowledge, theories and concepts, research and analysis techniques) necessary for understanding contemporary issues in public and international affairs, which allows them to participate in advanced seminars on more specific topics during the continuation of the program.

If any of your prerequisite economic courses have been completed during the last semester of your undergraduate program or during the summer prior to the beginning of the API program, you must make sure that your last official transcript is sent to the Graduate Studies office. The admission requirement to take the course API 5100 during your first term in the program remains in your file until we have the proof of completion of the prerequisite courses. If all the documents have been submitted and the economic course condition remain in your admission file, contact your academic unit.

A basic knowledge of economics is required. There are two ways to meet this requirement.

The first is for students to have successfully completed introductory courses in macroeconomics and microeconomics at the undergraduate level. At the University of Ottawa, this requirement can be met by taking the courses  and , or their equivalent.

The second way to meet the economics requirement is to take a remedial course offered by the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, after admission, during the first semester of study. The course, entitled “Economics for Public Management and Policy” (), offers an intensive survey of the economics and mathematical skills necessary to be adequately prepared for the program’s core courses in economics. Completion of this course will also be recommended for students who may need to ensure that they have the necessary basic skills in mathematical analysis. This remedial course will be in addition to the 39 units required by the program.

During the Major Research Paper (MRP), the student must show the ability to work independently in a scholarly manner. The MRP does not have to make a significant original contribution to academic knowledge of the subject, but it must display extensive research and independent analysis. Students must demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the literature relating to the topic. Use of original data or primary sources is not required, but may be done where necessary. The subject of the MRP must fit within the parameters of public and international affairs.

The Major Research Paper will usually be about 50 pages in length, double-spaced, including footnotes, endnotes, tables and figures, but excluding bibliography and appendices.

Additional information about the MRP is available in the Student Handbook.

Students can begin registration to the MRP (API 6999) during the third semester of the program; meaning the first summer.
On the other hand, the only MRP registration requirement for the MRP is during the last session, when all courses are completed or in the process of being completed,

However, students who wish to work on their MRP longer than a session also have this possibility. However, you have to remember that once you have begun work on your MRP you are required to register to it and to maintain your registration every semester until completion of all program requirements. 

Newly admitted students in the full-time program must complete the majority of their compulsory courses (API 5XXX) before they are eligible for international experience. For the majority of them these courses are completed after the winter session or at the third semester, ie in the summer.

However, if as required in the course sequence of your program, you need to complete API 5525: “Macroeconomic Policy” course during the first summer session, and have been selected for an international opportunity, this is possible. However, you must ensure that you take this course in the following fall semester if you do not want to delay the end of your program.

The school has student mobility programs with the University of Kobe and the Paris School of International Affairs, Science Po Paris. It also offers two Summer Schools, at Oxford International Politics Summer School and Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Rothberg International School. In addition to field research courses offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences.

GSPIA is renowned for its internships with Canadian overseas missions offered to students each semesters. More information on these opportunities is available in the GAPS Student Guide.

It is also possible to participate in an international studies exchange program at universities accredited by the International Office of the University of Ottawa.

Please note that international experience opportunities are available to students in the full-time program only, who have completed all the mandatory courses (API 5XXX) of the program.

An Embassy Internship replaces an elective seminar for three (3) credits.

Yes, you can find your own placement, but the CO-OP Office must approve the job description. In addition, the employer must provide a written confirmation that they wish to hire you. In order for the placement to be admissible, it must be a paid position, be related to your field of study and involve a minimum of 16 weeks of full-time employment.

Yes, it is possible to attend a maximum of one course during a CO-OP placement, but this course must be offered after work in the evening (5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.). No exception to these rules will be granted.

During a work term, you must pay the CO-OP fees, and the Part-time tuition fees will be charged for the course. Your registration for this semester will maintain a full-time status.

GSPIA takes full advantage of the presence and active mobilization of several renowned practitioners, such as former senior government officials and diplomats, who enrich the School's intellectual life and contribute to the quality of the student experience.

A mentoring program pairs each student entering the program with a senior fellow to facilitate exchanges and thus create lasting mentor/mentees relationships between the two groups. We strongly encourage you to contact senior fellows who have had a career that interests or fascinates you; they all love to share their experience with our students.

Profiles and contact details for all senior fellows are available on this page of the school website.

Located in the heart of the nation’s capital, the University of Ottawa is close to many government departments and several non-governmental organizations and industry associations involved in public and international affairs. This situation is ideal for students seeking work experience as part of their graduate studies. Most of the CO-OP placements in this program take place in Ottawa, particularly within the federal government. However, placements with NGOs, private companies and international organizations overseas are also possible.

The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) offers students the opportunity to build on their theoretical and practical knowledge and to develop their professional skills by completing an internship in a Canadian embassy abroad. These internships offer graduate students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have gained at university in a stimulating and challenging professional setting.

Students who are not part of the co-op program have the opportunity to apply for an embassy internship in the first summer of their studies. The selection process is on a competitive basis.

The GSPIA has agreements with several Canadian embassies abroad, among others: Helsinki, Riga, Zagreb, Ankara, Hague, Vienna, Hanoi, Brazil, Copenhagen, Vientiane, Singapore, Iceland and New York.

At the beginning of each session, GSPIA students will receive an email including application details and the list of embassies available for the next semester.

Please note that Embassy Internships are not remunerated. The Faculty of Social Sciences offers financial support to cover part of the cost of living.

With the assistance of the CO-OP Office at the University of Ottawa, the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs offers the CO-OP option to a select number of students. The number of places varies between twenty-five (25) and thirty (30) per cohort. The number of spaces available in the CO-OP option is not guaranteed and can vary from year to year, depending on the needs of prospective employers. Please note that the co-op program is available only to those admitted to the full-time program.

Only the student’s admission grade average (GPA) is considered during the selection process for the CO-OP option. Students must have a minimum GPA of 7.0/10 to be considered. However, due to the competitive nature of this program, not all eligible students will be accepted into CO-OP. Students may require a GPA above 7.0/10 in order to gain admission, depending on the number of applicants, positions, and the academic record of the students applying.

The school offers teaching assistant positions for its undergraduate program in Conflict Studies and Human Rights (ECH) during the Fall and Winter semesters. On the other hand, priority is given to scholarship students when these positions are awarded. Research assistant positions are also available every semester on campus. All the available positions are posted on this web page:

In addition, the University of Ottawa Work-Study Program (WSP) gives you a chance to work on campus part-time during the academic year, and to work full-time during the summer. 

We have several networking events such as luncheon seminars that allow for discussion of current topics between faculty members, senior fellows and students or alumni. We also offer series of conferences with ambassadors from different missions that normally affect the state of international relations between the two countries. These activities are good opportunities to interact with your colleagues and form new contacts.

Our efforts also focus on a rewarding professional development experience, by the organization and implementation of a labor market preparation workshop followed by interview simulations. Followed by presentations from key individuals in different sectors of activity (public, private, non-profit organization) who offer information sessions targeting government recruitment programs, et cetera. A reception for newly graduated students (open to all) and an annual GSPIA celebration also create a good networking opportunity.

A differential tuition fee exemption for new international students enrolled full time in a French-language program means that their tuition fees can be reduced to those paid by Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Consult the eligibility criteria.

Scholarship students must maintain an average of 8.0 / 10 (A -); while other students must have the minimum grade to pass a class at the graduate studies, 65% (C +) in all courses.

Students who fail two (2) courses (equivalent to 6 credits) will automatically be withdrawn from the program.

The summer courses at GSPIA are offered during six (6) weeks instead of twelve (12) with three-hour classes twice a week for each course. Summer is separated into four (4) different semesters. The dates of each session are available in the academic calendar. The courses API5125 / API 5525: Macroeconomic Policy in French and English are both offered either during the day or in the evening. Two (2) to three (3) elective specialized seminars are also available during the summer, while capstone seminars can rarely be offered. The list of courses is available online in late February, early March at the latest.