Master of Arts in Globalization
M.A.Master of Arts in Globalization
M.A. in Globalization is an interdisciplinary program that examines the complex political, social, economic, cultural, discursive and theoretical developments related to processes of globalization and how these come to bear upon our lives, our communities, and the environment in which we live. Research areas include: contemporary culture; diasporic, transnational and multicultural communities; global governance; international trade and finance; and social, environmental and labour issues.
This unique interdisciplinary MA program provides students with the opportunity to think creatively and critically about cultural, political, social and economic globalizing processes and their effects on the human condition. It is designed to provide its students with transferable skills to pursue careers in global corporations, government agencies and non-governmental organizations. It also offers the benefit of a flexible and interdisciplinary set of courses while allowing for future study in a core discipline.
Full-time studies:
- six 3-unit (single semester) courses (or equivalent) at the graduate level, including two core courses (GLOBALST 710 in fall, GLOBALST 709 in winter), two other Globalization courses, at least one of which should be offered by IGHC, and two electives (which students may concentrate in a single discipline).
- 40-page Major Research Paper (MRP, GLOBALST 708): each student is required to prepare a proposal for his/her MRP and identify a potential supervisor and second reader during the winter term. The MRP will be completed during the spring/summer session and will be graded as a pass or a fail.
Part-time studies:
- Part-time students usually complete one course per semester to finish within three years.
- Courses are 13 weeks and students must attend one three-hour seminar on campus per course per week.
- Few courses will be taught in the evenings; if you cannot attend daytime classes you will not be able to complete the degree.
- Please note that we are unable to provide financial support or teaching assistantships (TA-ships) for part-time students.
Admission requirements:
- Four-year Honours Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Humanities or Social Sciences. Students with degrees in undergraduate Honours programs outside the Humanities and Social Sciences where there is a component of relevant courses will also be considered.
- An average GPA of B+ or better in the final 30 units (10 senior courses), or equivalent.
- Facility in a second language and experience in another country or with an international organization are assets.
- Degrees and grades from foreign universities are evaluated for their equivalency to McMaster’s.
- These are minimum requirements and do not guarantee admission which is on a competitive basis.
- We are unable to pre-screen applications/transcripts to determine eligibility; you must apply to the program to have your application reviewed.
Required Documents:
Official Transcripts
- All post-secondary academic work completed or in progress at the time of application
- Transcripts from institutions where you completed courses on Letter of Permission and/or as part of Student Exchange Programs must also be included
- Scanned transcripts must be uploaded to the online application AND hard copies must be sent directly from the issuing institution to the Institute on Globalization & the Human Condition (IGHC)
- If the final transcript does not show that all degree requirements have been met or the degree is conferred, an official copy of your diploma is also required
Two academic references
- From instructors most familiar with your academic work
- McMaster University uses an Electronic Referencing System. By entering the email address of your referee through the online application, the system will automatically send an e-Reference request on your behalf AFTER the application is submitted. Referees may require 2-4 weeks to complete a reference report. Referees MUST complete their reference report BY THE APPLICATION DEADLINE. Please keep this in mind when you are working on your application.
- If, for some reason, your referees are unable to use the Electronic Referencing System, you can download the Reference Form and send it to your referees for completion. Completed reference forms must be sent by the referees DIRECTLY to the Program Administrator by email at globalhc@mcmaster.ca
Statement of Interest
- To be uploaded as a PDF document to your online application
- Maximum of 500 words (i.e., two double-spaced pages)
- To communicate your specific research interests and their relevance to the Globalization studies
- To explain your academic preparedness to undertake and complete your research, and predicted training outcomes
Curriculum Vitae
- To be uploaded as a PDF document to your online application
Writing Sample
- It can be a previous report, research paper, or any assignment that demonstrates your writing ability
English Language Proficiency (if applicable)
- This document is required from those whose university studies were completed at an institution where English is not deemed the official language of instruction and/or from those whose native language is not English
- One official copy of an applicant's English language proficiency exam dated within 2 years of the application due date
- The most common English Language proficiency exams:
- TOEFL: minimum score of 92 (internet-based), 237 (computer-based) or 580 (paper based), minimum of 20 per band. Please use TOEFL department code 080 other Social Sciences.
- IELTS (Academic): minimum overall score of 6.5, with at least 5.5 in each section
- Other English language tests may be accepted. More details about the University's English Language Requirements can be found in "Section 2.1.12" of the School of Graduate Studies Graduate Calendar
- Submit English Language Proficiency exam results as a scanned document uploaded through your online application
How to Apply:
Each applicant is required to complete the Graduate Studies Online Application which opens in November each year and submit the above supporting documents to complete the application. Hard copies of the transcripts and English Language Proficiency exam results are to be sent to:
Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition
C/O Leigh-Ann Sepe
L.R. Wilson Hall Room 2021
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1
Canada
Application Deadline:
- February 15 to be guaranteed consideration
- We continue to accept and review applications after this date until all of the spaces in the program have been filled. However, students are encouraged to apply in sufficient time to meet the scholarship deadlines
The majority of our students receive competitive funding package that may include:
- Graduate scholarship range from $3000 to $5000
- A teaching assistant-ship involves 130 (a half TA or for one course) or 260 (a full TA or for two courses) hours of work over the academic year and valued $5800 or $11600.
Additional Scholarships (on a competitive basis)
Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents
The Harry Lyman Hooker Senior Scholarship:
- Given to students who are entering the first year of a Master's or Doctoral program at McMaster in those Humanities or Social Sciences disciplines or fields of study that receive funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (or its successor)
- Master's award is valued at $18,000 for one year
- Students are nominated for the competition in March
CGS-M (Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s):
- CGS-M supports students in all disciplines and is administered jointly by Canada's three federal granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
- The selection process and post-award administration are carried out at the university level, under the guidance of the three agencies.
- Valued $17,500 for 12 months, non-renewable
- Application Deadline: December 3rd, 2018
OGS (Ontario Graduate Scholarships):
- Master's students, who apply for a CGS-M and choose McMaster as one of their institutions, will be considered for McMaster’s central competition for the OGS award, no separate application is needed.
- By answering Yes to the question, “Do you wish to be considered for the OGS” on the Graduate Program Application form, applicants are considered for faculty OGS awards no matter if they applied for SSHRC or not.
- Valued $15,000
Wilson Leadership Scholar Award (NEW)
- Recognizes and cultivates leadership potential and prepares undergraduate and graduates students to serve as Canada’s next generation of leaders.
- Graduate winners can hold the award in any year of graduate study and earn up to $25,000 in a combination of direct scholarship and experiential funding.
- The award will involve an estimated 15 hours/month commitment from September to November and January to March
- Application open in September 2018 and close at 11:59pm on May 1, 2019
International (VISA) Students
OGS:
- One per faculty
- No separate application needed
- Valued $15,000
Tuition Scholarship:
- Tuition scholarship are available to VISA students on a competitive basis
- These are awarded to help off-set the cost of tuition
- No separate application needed
For information about other major scholarships and awards competitions, please visit School of Graduate Studies: Awards & Funding
Academic Advising
- The Graduate Advisor (Director of IGHC) provides academic advising to students for course selection, MRP topics and supervisors, and any other academic related questions.
MRP Workshops
- IGHC hosts two MRP workshops in the beginning of the winter term to help students start with their MRPs.
MRP work-in-progress Colloquium
- IGHC hosts an MRP work-in-progress colloquium in May for the students to talk about their MRPs as works in progress, and to receive feedback and suggestions from their peer students and professors on how they might make improvements as they go forward with their projects. Incoming students are invited to this event for them to connect with the professors and current students early and to learn about the program in a more in-depth way.
Globalization MA Student Research Support Fund
- An Institute fund is available to support the research activities of its Globalization MA students. The fund’s primary function is to contribute toward the costs of expenses that are incurred in field research for the Major Research Paper. Other research activities (e.g. conference presentation) will also be considered, depending on available funds. Students are expected to pursue additional funds from other sources.
All courses are half courses, and not all courses will be offered annually.
Core Courses:
- Globalst 708 / Major Research Paper
- Globalst 709 / Designing Global Research: Approaches, Methods, and Techniques
- Globalst 710 / Globalization: An Introduction
Courses Offered by IGHC:
- Globalst 701 / Topics in Globalization Studies I
- Globalst 702 / Topics in Globalization Studies II
- Globalst 704 / Global Social Policy
- Globalst 712 / International Trade and Development
- Globalst 715 / Globalization and China
- Globalst 718 / Global Actors Beyond the State: Methods and Cases
- Globalst 732 / Global Health and Environment Policy
- Globalst 749 / Global health crises: An interdisciplinary perspective
Courses Cross Listed with Other Programs:
- Globalst 703 / Acts of Global Citizenship
- Globalst 705 / Global Public Policy (same as Pol Sci 705)
- Globalst 707 / Religion and Globalization (same as Relig St 768)
- Globalst 716 / Liberalism and Imperialism (same as Pol Sci 715)
- Globalst 719 / Comparative Authoritarianism (same as Pol Sci 716)
- Globalst 720 / The Politics of Desire: Engaging the “Present” through Various Domains (same as Anthrop 720)
- Globalst 723 / Global Environmental History (same as History 723)
- Globalst 725 / Political Economy of Global Climate Change (same as Pol Sci 768)
- Globalst 730 / Work and Democracy in the Global Society (same as Labrst 730)
- Globalst 731 / Anxiety Disorders: The Cultural Politics of Risk (same as Cultr St 731 and English 731)
- Globalst 741 / Theories of Political Community (same as Pol Sci 757)
- Globalst 747 / Discourses of Empire 1700-1820 (same as Cultr St 747 and English 747)
- Globalst 748 / The Qur’an in a Global Context (same as Relig St 748)
- Globalst 755 / Neoliberalism and the Limits of the Social (same as Cultr St 755 and English 755)
- Globalst 757 / The British Empire & Global Integration 1815-1960 (same as History 757)
- Globalst 758 / Cosmopolitanism and Its Critics (same as Pol Sci 758)
- Globalst 764 / Global Power, Local Cultures: Comparative Colonialism in African (same as History 764)
- Globalst 765 / Biopolitics: An Introduction (same as Cultr St 765 and English 765)
- Globalst 766 / Islamic Fundamentalism (same as Relig St 766)
- Globalst 767 / Islam in a Global World (same as Relig St 767)
- Globalst 768 / Imperialism and Medicine (same as History 766)
- Globalst 770 / Globalization and the Canadian State (same as Pol Sci 770)
- Globalst 771 / Politics of the Global South: an International Relations Perspective (same as Pol Sci 767)
- Globalst 774 / Global Political Economy (same as Pol Sci 774)
- Globalst 777 / Global Governance (same as Pol Sci 777)
- Globalst 779 / The Times We Live In (same as Cultr St 779 and English 779)
- Globalst 782 / Diasporas, Transnationalism, and Religious Identities (same as Anthrop 782 and Relig St 782)
- Globalst 784 / Decolonizing Bodies (same as Cultr St 784 and English 784)
- Globalst 786 / Global Futures: Theory, Practice and Possibility (same as Anthrop 786)
- Globalst 789 / Global Finance (same as Pol Sci 789)
*Not all these courses are offered annually.
- For more information:
-
Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition
L.R. Wilson Hall Room 2021
905-525-9140 ext. 27556
globalhc@mcmaster.ca
- Length:
- 1 Year
- Required Credential:
- Honours Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent, usually in Humanities or Social Sciences
- Program Type:
- Course-Based plus Major Research Paper
- Program Options:
- Full-time, Part-time
- Typical Entry:
- September
- Current Deadline:
- Domestic: March 1 International: February 15