Admission Requirements
- A four-year undergraduate degree (a variety of disciplines are permitted; PACS graduates are not granted advanced placement) with a minimum average of at least 78% in the final 20 courses;
- The Admissions Committee reserves the right to require additional preparation for students without significant academic background in PACS or a related discipline. This additional preparation may involve completion of required an e-learning course or module, undergraduate course(s) or other appropriate requirement;
- Previous experience in the field, while not required, will be looked upon favourably;
- References and an interview will be required for entrance into the program;
- Applicants whose first language is not English must meet minimum English language capability as determined by normal uWaterloo graduate Arts requirements;
- Deferrals for admission and delayed entries will not be permitted;
- Full-time and part-time studies are available. Part-time students will be obligated to complete their requirements within five calendar years from the date of their initial registration.
Alternative Admission Requirements
PACS may grant alternative admission to a limited number of mature students who do not meet the regular academic admission requirements of a four-year Bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Standardized graduate entrance examinations are not equitably accessible and appropriate as the basis for such admission. Therefore the admissions committee will be guided by the following alternative admission standards:
- Minimum eight years of field experience related to peace and conflict issues. In order to show an appropriate level of academic and intellectual capacity for the program, the applicant will be asked to submit copies of reports, documents, manuscripts, or creative media that he/she may have prepared in relation to his/her field experience;
- Evidence of successful participation in post-secondary education as documented by transcripts and other records;
- References will be asked to comment on the applicant’s academic and intellectual capacity and on the applicant’s ability to do graduate work in English;
- Applicants will be interviewed to assess the potential of their success in graduate studies and their contribution to the program;
- Some applicants may be required to complete a specified qualifying program of PACS or related courses deemed helpful to prepare them for their proposed program of studies;
- Probationary admission may be granted for a specified time to confirm the applicant’s ability to succeed in the program;
- Applicants whose first language is not English must meet minimum English language capability as determined by normal uWaterloo graduate Arts requirements.
Admission procedure
All applications to the MPACS program are made through an on-line application, through the uWaterloo Graduate Studies Office. Please use the link applying online.
Application deadline
The deadline for applications will normally be February 1st (Fall admission) each year.
Program structure
The MPACS program will be an interdisciplinary program that integrates scholarship with opportunities for practical experience. The program will consist of PACS courses and diverse electives (either cross-listed with PACS that draw on four other graduate departments or offered only by another department).
Degree Requirements
Course requirements and overall structure
The MPACS degree requires successful completion of 5.0 units (ten courses) plus two milestones. Full-time students will normally be expected to complete these requirements over a consecutive four-term period, enrolling in three courses for the first two terms and at least two courses in the last two terms. Part-time students are expected to complete at least two courses per academic year and must complete the program within five years.
To complete the requirements necessary for graduation, students must complete:
- 2.5 units of:
o PACS 601 Systems of Peace, Order, and Good Governance
o PACS 602 The Practice of Peace
o PACS 603 Building Civil Society
o PACS 604 Conflict Analysis
o PACS 605 Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding
- At least 1.0 units of:
o PACS 610 Contemporary Nonviolent Movements
o PACS 611 Reconciliation
o PACS 612 Culture, Religion, and Peacebuilding
o PACS 620 Special Topics in Peace and Conflict Studies
o PACS 621 Peace Research
o PACS 625 Internship
o PACS 626 Conflict Resolution Skills Training
- An additional 1.5 units that can be chosen from:
o Additional courses from PACS 610 - 626
o PACS 630/GGOV 610/PSCI 688 Governance of Global Economy
o PACS 631/GGOV 612/PSCI 612 Theories of Globalization
o PACS 632/GGOV 632/PSCI 654 Post-War Reconstruction and State Building
o PACS 633/GGOV 640/PSCI 658 Human Rights in the Globalized World
o PACS 634/GGOV 630/PSCI 678 Security Ontology - Theory
o PACS 635 /GGOV 631/PSCI 679 Security Governance: Actors, Institutions, and Issues
o PACS 650/INDEV 604 Sustainable Cities
o PACS 651/INDEV 605 Economics for Sustainable Development
o PACS 652/INDEV 608 Water and Security
o PACS 660/PSCI 624 Justice and Gender
o PACS 661/PSCI 655 Ethnic Conflict and Conflict Resolution I
o PACS 662/PSCI 659 Conflict and Conflict Resolution
o PACS 670/TS 637 War and Peace in Christian Theology
o PACS 671/TS 619 The Bible and Peace
o PACS 672/TS 731Christianity’s Encounter with Other Faiths
o Students may request permission from the PACS Graduate Advisor to enrol in elective courses in other uWaterloo or Wilfrid Laurier University graduate courses that will complement their program of study. Permission must also be granted by the department or program in which the courses are offered.
- Milestones
o Non-credit Academic Integrity Workshop
All students will be required to complete a non-credit Academic Integrity Workshop for graduate students offered by uWaterloo within their first two terms of study. Once completed, this milestone will be shown on each student’s academic record.
o Research Colloquium
The second milestone will be completed towards the end of the student’s program. All students will be required to present publicly, at a Colloquium of MPACS faculty, students and guests, one of the papers they have written for an MPACS course. Length will normally be 25-30 pages (7,500 words). Each student will consult with the professor for whom the original paper was written to identify the core issues to emphasize and the best methods to employ to present the paper. The presentation will be followed by a formal peer response and open discussion. In addition to presenting his/her own Research Paper, each student will be required to read and present an oral evaluation of one of the other Research Papers presented at a Colloquium.
Notes on non-traditional course offerings
The MPACS program offers three non-traditional courses which will be managed as follows:
• PACS 621 Peace Research –
An agreement between the student and the supervising faculty member about research expectations, length of paper, format, topic, types of sources that can be used, and anticipated outcomes is required. Students will be required to prepare a detailed proposal prior to registration in this course that will fully explain the proposed research as well as provide a short bibliography to ensure that adequate sources exist to successfully complete the research. Students will meet periodically with their instructor throughout the term to ensure that milestones are reached. Written work will be evaluated per normal academic criteria.
• PACS 625 Internship
Students will be required to submit a petition outlining the details of the proposed internship such as place, position, cost, academic work expectations, security concerns, etc. Students will be expected to engage in substantial research on issues related to the host agency as part of the internship. While PACS has the agreement of over ten organizations who are interested in hosting interns, it is anticipated that internships will be negotiated to fit the unique long-term goals of each student. Host agencies will be expected to submit a reference evaluating the student intern at the end of the internship. Written work submitted by the student (evidence of research and reflective report) will be evaluated per normal academic criteria.
• PACS 626 Conflict Resolution Skills Training
This course offers an opportunity for students to take skills-training workshops. Program consent is required to ensure that workshops selected by students, plus the expected additional assigned academic work, are appropriate.