Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Global Governance
The Master of Arts (MA) in Global Governance program is offered at the University of Waterloo through the Faculty of Environmental Studies and the Faculty of Arts. The Doctoral of Philosophy (PhD) in Global Governance program is a Joint program between the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.
The world faces increasingly complex problems that have taken on global significance - including conflict and peace-building, humanitarian crises and intervention, international economic inequality and instability, and global environmental change. How are these problems addressed at the global level? And are the mechanisms adopted to address them effective and just?
The MA and PhD programs in Global Governance grapple with these important questions through an interdisciplinary examination of power and authority in the global arena. Governance is conceived in a broader way than in fields such as Public or Business Administration where the focus is on public management or organizational design issues. Global Governance research examines the variety of actors, institutions, ideas, rules, and processes that contribute to the management of global society, exploring their origins, their evolving roles, as well as their political, economic, social, environmental, and ethical consequences. It is focused not just on international organizations and inter-state interactions. Also important are the various non-state actors, formal and informal networks, and broader trans-national, supra-national, and sub-national realities of contemporary life that increasingly contribute to the establishment and functioning of global rules, norms and institutions. The study of Global Governance investigates whether the concepts, tools, and assumptions that have served scholars in the past require modification given contemporary challenges and, if so, what form should that modification take.
Detailed program information is available through the Global Governance website