program
program

The M.A. in Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies offers students two options to complete the degree: a one-year course- and research-based M.A. or a two-year thesis-based  M.A.

Masters candidates can choose one of the following two options:

1. Thesis-based M.A.(normally to be completed within 24 months)

  • Four half-courses (2.0 credits) including CSID 5000H, “Core Colloquium”, one course from List A (below), one course from List B (below), as well as one other graduate course from CSID offerings.
  • A written and defended thesis on an approved topic. Theses will be supervised by a committee consisting of a primary supervisor, who must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member of the Frost Centre, and two other committee members from the Frost Centre. Students are required to pass an oral defence of the thesis conducted by the committee and an external examiner.


2. Course-based M.A.(normally to be completed within 12 months)

  • Six half-courses (3.0 credits) including CSID 5000H, “Core Colloquium”, one course from List A (below), one course from List B (below), as well as three other graduate half-credit courses from CSID offerings.
  • A written major research paper, to be examined by a supervisor and one other Frost faculty member, from a different academic unit or program from the supervisor. Policies relating to the research paper are laid out at www.trentu.ca/canadianstudiesma/policies.php


List A:
CSID 5101H – Graduate seminar in Indigenous thought
CSID 5201H – Selected issues in Indigenous history
CSID 5103H – Social & cultural issues in Indigenous studies


List B:
CSID 5202H – Culture, literature & the arts: Canada and culture(s)
CSID 5301H – Policy, economy & society: approaches & contemporary issues
CSID 5401H – Environment & heritage: knowledge, society & the environment
CSID 5501H – Identities: the Canadian body & the body politic
CSID 5701H – Women & gender relations

Part-time students in the thesis-based MA are expected to complete their course requirements in eighteen months. Part-time students in the course-based MA are expected to complete their course requirements in two years.

All students must attain at least a second class standing in their work. Additional requirements appropriate to the candidate's field may be specified by the supervisory committee.

For more information, consult the Trent University Graduate Academic Calendar or contact the Frost Centre Administrative Assistant at frostcentre@trentu.ca.

The two-year thesis M.A. option has proven to be an excellent preparation for doctoral studies — Frost Centre M.A. graduates can be found excelling in Ph.D. programs across the country with many of them having noteworthy scholarship and publication records even before completing their doctoral programs.

Students interested in integrating community-based education and research into their degree program should visit the Trent Centre for Community-based Education.