Wilfrid Laurier University
AC-4: Graduate Program

The MA program aims to refine critical, scholarly and professional skills. Students are expected to acquire critical understanding of issues and insights in all main areas of geography or environmental studies, as well as an in-depth knowledge of one area of specialization. This objective is achieved through advanced coursework, seminars, and substantive research (i.e., thesis or research paper) which emphasize independent knowledge generation and current research methodologies.

For those students interested in Environmental and Resource Management or some aspects of Human Geography or environmental applications of Geomatics. Master of Environmental Studies (MES) is a two-year program offered by the Waterloo-Laurier Graduate Program in Geography. The collaboration between our universities makes us the third-largest graduate geography program in Canada, and our program is enhanced by a number of research centres and groups, including the Laurier Institute for Water Science, the Cold Regions Research Centre and the International Migration Research Centre.

For those students interested in the science sub-disciplines of geography including Environmental Science (earth surface processes) and the technical and scientific aspects of the field of Geomatics. Successful applicants normally have a BSc degree, and must demonstrate that they have the necessary science background to pursue graduate work in their field of specialization.

Doctor of Philosophy in Geography https://uwaterloo.ca/waterloo-laurier-graduate-program-in-geography/graduate-programs/masters-programs

The PhD program in Biological and Chemical Sciences is research-based, and works on an apprenticeship model, where students work closely with a faculty supervisor. Student research falls within one or more of three areas of identified research strength: environment and health, biotic interactions, and structure and reactivity. The research component of the program is complemented by coursework, which is designed to emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to biological and chemical research. The program prepares students for 21st-century careers in research and teaching, or other career opportunities in industry or government. Environment and Health: The environment and health area encompasses research directed at issues affecting the environment that may ultimately impact global health on a broader scale. Fundamental and applied research from various perspectives in both biology and chemistry are required to address the increasing concerns surrounding environmental and human health. Research in this area may focus more specifically on the environment itself, related health issues, or other aspects of their complex relationship.

The PhD in Global Governance, offered jointly by Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, is a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary examination of power and authority in the global arena. Graduate students in the program examine the variety of actors, institutions, ideas, rules, and processes that contribute to the management of global society. In addition to international organizations and inter-state relations, the study of global governance examines the various non-state actors as well as the realities of contemporary life that contribute to the establishment and functioning of global rules, norms and institutions. The Global Governance PhD program interrogates the concepts, tools, and assumptions that have served scholars in the past and assesses new approaches for addressing contemporary and future challenges. The Global Governance PhD program is committed to providing students with training for a wide range of careers in the field of global governance. In addition to the academic curriculum, we offer supplementary “professionalization” programming, and are normally able to offer funds to support field research and travel to academic conferences. We also provide students with opportunities to gain relevant international work experience, whether as a visiting scholar at a top-ranked university, a fellow at a leading think tank, or an intern with an internationally recognized non-governmental organization or in the UN system. Specialization: Global Environment This field is concerned with the global governance of environmental issues. Courses in this stream examine contemporary dilemmas relating to the ways in which environmental challenges are being addressed and managed by multiple agents through a range of transnational institutions and governance structures, both existing and proposed. Conceptual issues and debates, set within the context of a variety of internationally significant sustainability challenges, are investigated. Multilevel governance of these challenges at the international, regional, national and local levels are examined. Key topics covered include: global climate change, agriculture and food security, international water resource management and environmental aspects of the global economy.

The PhD in Global Governance, offered jointly by Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, is a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary examination of power and authority in the global arena. Graduate students in the program examine the variety of actors, institutions, ideas, rules, and processes that contribute to the management of global society. In addition to international organizations and inter-state relations, the study of global governance examines the various non-state actors as well as the realities of contemporary life that contribute to the establishment and functioning of global rules, norms and institutions. The Global Governance PhD program interrogates the concepts, tools, and assumptions that have served scholars in the past and assesses new approaches for addressing contemporary and future challenges. The Global Governance PhD program is committed to providing students with training for a wide range of careers in the field of global governance. In addition to the academic curriculum, we offer supplementary “professionalization” programming, and are normally able to offer funds to support field research and travel to academic conferences. We also provide students with opportunities to gain relevant international work experience, whether as a visiting scholar at a top-ranked university, a fellow at a leading think tank, or an intern with an internationally recognized non-governmental organization or in the UN system. Specialization: Global Justice and Human Rights This field is concerned with the study of the relationship between global governance and issues of global justice and human rights. Courses in this stream explore themes such as: the practical and ethical challenges that international human rights and relief organizations encounter when operating in the global south; theoretical approaches to understanding global justice as a contemporary social justice issue, with a particular focus on the cultural constructs relating to conceptions of freedom, obligation, and community; and contemporary debates in the field of human rights, such as those related to cultural relativism and universal human rights, human rights and foreign policy, the place of economic rights, the relationship between gender and human rights, and human rights and retrospective justice.

PhD of Global Governance - Specialization in: Conflict and Security; Global Social Governance; or Global Political Economy https://www.balsillieschool.ca/degree-programs/phd-in-global-governance/ Master of International Public Policy - Concentration: Global Governance; International Economic Relations; International Environmental Policy; or Human Security. https://www.balsillieschool.ca/degree-programs/master-of-international-public-policy/