Northern Studies

The interdisciplinary Northern Studies graduate program at Carleton emphasizes northern environments and societies, and the policies that are developed to govern them. Students can complete this program as a Master of Arts, Master of Science or as a Graduate Diploma

All of the programs are designed to give interdisciplinary training and experience in Northern Studies and all students are required to begin their studies with a field course of about one week in length. This is a residential field course that will take place too far from Ottawa for daily commuting. The introductory field course is a prerequisite for the core courses that are integral to the degrees and diplomas. Students in the degree program are required to take a work placement in Ottawa or the North, a second field course in northern Canada, and a comprehensive examination.

The Northern Studies program is a collaboration of six academic units:

• Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
• Department of Sociology and Anthropology
• Department of Earth Sciences
• Department of Biology
• School of Public Policy and Administration
• School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies

Capital Advantage

Being based in Ottawa has provided an opportunity for us to develop strong links with government departments, industry, businesses and non-profit organizations headquartered in the Ottawa area. Ottawa also has a significant and fast growing First Nations, Métis and Inuit population and many national and regional Indigenous organizations are located here. Research and career possibilities are just down the road.

Research Highlights

Due to the fact that faculty for this program comes from six different academic units, the research is varied. For a complete list of faculty profiles and their research, please visit the Northern Studies website.