The interdisciplinary master’s degree in global studies gives graduate students access to the expertise of diverse, nationally and internationally recognized researchers from a variety of faculties and disciplines in a coherent, thematic framework.

Graduates of the program will come away with a nuanced understanding of:

• Interdisciplinary approaches to the study of global studies
• Theoretical and practical aspects of global studies
• The value of collaborative research across disciplines

Program milestones

• Establishing a faculty supervisory committee
• Completing coursework
• Preparing, presenting, and defending a thesis research proposal
• Completing thesis research and writing, and defending the work

Coursework requirements

18 credits of coursework are required, including:

• Proseminar in Interdisciplinary Studies (IGS 524)
• Theme Seminar in Global Politics, Culture and Theory (IGS 587)
• Theme Seminar in Global Studies Panorama (IGS 588)
• One research methods course
• Additional coursework, selected in consultation with the student’s supervisor

The PhD degree is centred on conducting original, cutting-edge research in areas related to global studies. Graduates of the PhD program are prepared for careers requiring advanced independent research and teaching in academia, government, and industry.

Program milestones

• Establishing a faculty supervisory committee
• Selecting and completing coursework
• Preparing, presenting, and defending a dissertation research proposal
• Passing an oral candidacy exam
• Completing dissertation research and writing, and defending the work

Coursework requirements

12 credits are required for the PhD degree, including:

• Proseminar in Interdisciplinary Studies (IGS 524)
• Theme Seminar in Global Politics, Culture and Theory (IGS 587)
• Theme Seminar in Global Studies Panoram (IGS 588)
• Methods course (3 credits, selected from the following: IGS 501, IGS 503, IGS 505, IGA 515, or another methods course approved by the student’s supervisory committee).

Felix Amoh-Siaw

PhD Student 

Felix Amoh-Siaw is an enthusiastic and pragmatic young man who hails from Southern Ghana, West Africa. He holds a BA Degree in Political Science and an MA in International Relations from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Shanghai University, respectively.  Coming from Africa, Felix is very particular about the incessant negative connotation of the continent in international media and dares to make a difference through every necessary means. This reason underlies his decision to pursue a PhD in Global Studies. He believes he can draw synergies from his experience and knowledge of the multidimensionality of the program to attempt to address some of the most pressing developmental challenges that Africa is confronted with. With this in mind, his current research project focuses on Armed Conflict, Mass Atrocity Crimes, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 16 in Africa.

Eric d. de roulet

PhD Student 

Eric is currently investigating the impact of governance issues, political stability, and changing international relations on the life courses of skilled migrants from mainland China and Taiwan to North America, including the incidence of, and reasons for, return migration within this population.  His academic background is mainly in Sociology and Sociolinguistics, and he developed his interest in this research topic through his work experience teaching English as a second language, first in the U.S. and then for two years in northeast China. In the summer of 2019, he also conducted fieldwork with ACMS (American Center for Mongolian Studies) in rural and urban Mongolia, where he met several current and former international students who were torn between their love of their country and their desire to pursue upward social mobility abroad.

karyann dorn

MA Student 

Karyann Dorn is a Registered Pharmacy Technician who works in outreach pharmacy practice. Her recent experiences contributed to ASIS (Assisted Self Isolation Shelter) for vulnerable people who have COVID and do not have shelter for self-isolation. Pathways to Housing assisting people in returning to community settings after a period of homelessness. Camp Team, a labour of love project that connects patients living on the street who are palliative to medical support.  She graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a BA in Anthropology. She is passionate about global policies on harm reduction for displaced and vulnerable populations. Her research interest includes global models for housing, medication, education and human rights.

Segun fatudimu

PhD Student 

An international development expert with over nine years of experience working on youth development, social entrepreneurship, healthcare, and education projects in West Africa. Segun founded sozonetworks.com and impacttoolbox.org and has received several local and international recognition including U.S. Department of States’ 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow, Associate Fellow of the United Kingdom Royal Commonwealth Society, and one of African Youths Award Top 5 Leaders of the year 2018. Segun also received special recognition from the U.S Consular General to Nigeria-John F. Bray in 2018 and was the 2019 Obama Foundation Scholar and Clinton Global Initiative Scholar. He is the Winner of the 10th John Edwardson Social New Venture Challenge organized by Chicago Booth Business School and Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation. Segun’s research focuses on comparative trends and advances in social sector management in North America and Sub Saharan Africa.

Sandamali Kanchana Jayakody

MA Student

From 2017 to 2021, Sandamali Kanchana was an undergraduate at the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka and earned a First Class Honours Bachelor of Arts Specialized in International Relations. Sandamali completed her internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka and worked as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 2021 to 2023. Sandamali is a volunteer-driven individual who wants to work in multi-communal environments to positively impact society. Her research interests include global civil society, non-state actors, environmental governance, and human security.

Mohammad morad hossain khan

MA Student

Morad has recently completed his BA in International Relations at UBC Okanagan. His first undergraduate degree was in History from the University of Dhaka in 2004. Morad completed a Master of Arts in Asian Studies at Aarhus University in Denmark in 2017, a Master of Science in Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden in 2014, and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2005. Morad taught at various institutions, such as North South University, University of Liberal Arts of Bangladesh, Northern University Bangladesh, and BRAC University in Bangladesh as an Assistant Professor and Lecturer between 2005 and 2018. He has received various grants, scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, and awards from Sweden, Denmark, and Canada. Morad’s research interests include Canada’s Arctic affairs, current world order under the US, and China’s recent Arctic policy. Morad’s MA research is especially supported by SSHRC and MINDS, among others.

Samira Kheirdariyar

MA Student

Samira, from Iran, graduated from Tehran University of Medical Sciences with a Bachelor of Science degree in Midwifery. After graduation, she visited patients in a private office and worked at MOM Fertility and Infertility Center as a midwife consultant and marketer for one and a half years.

Currently, Samira is a graduate student in the Global Studies theme, focusing on global health.

Samira’s research, under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Keys, focuses on infants’ sleep problems and its effects on parents’ lives. This project is called “Better nights, better days,” which helps parents and infants to have normal sleep and interaction. Samira believes that every parent should have a healthy lifestyle and sleep even after having a child.

Mhamoda Akter Moli

MA Student

Mhamoda Akter Moli is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. Her research interests focus on international development, the role of civil society and NGOs, and gender discrimination. With a strong academic background, including a Master of Development Studies from the University of Dhaka, Mhamoda has worked on various impactful research projects. Notably, she contributed to initiatives aimed at improving the sexual and reproductive health of disabled individuals in Bangladesh.

Her diverse experiences also include organizing events and advocating for sustainable development practices. As a Graduate Student Representative, she continues to engage with her academic community, promoting inclusion and social justice.

Brian murphy

MA Student

Brian is an Irish citizen, has lived in the UK, and is now a proud permanent resident of Canada. Brian previously worked in the IT industry before pursuing academia, and now holds a BA, double major in English and Philosophy from UBCO, graduating in 2020. His research straddles the nexus of the philosophy of language; the philosophy of history; and political philosophy, theory, and ideology; with a particular focus on the way in which language can be coded to mediate, sublimate, or merely hide any political or social intent, from propagandistic to progressive, and how historical examples of this type of multi-meaning language is rampant in the fraught landscape of contemporary political ideology and social discourse. Encompassed in this project, is the examination of the degree to which speech, as understood in both free speech and hate speech, is related to the described type of coded language, and whether or not any meaningful and usefully unmediated understanding can be produced.

Bukunmi Mary Okoduwa

MA Student

Bukunmi Mary Okoduwa is a student in the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies – Global Studies program at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus. Bukunmi holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Philosophy, with a focus on ethics, philosophy of law, and social justice.

Bukunmi’s passion for social justice was ignited while mentoring high school students who faced significant hardships. This inspired her to explore the application of philosophical concepts to real-world issues. Her research interests include the theory of social justice, particularly in developing regions, and the ethical implications of policies affecting marginalized communities.

At UBC, she aims to conduct interdisciplinary research to address inequality and promote sustainable development.

F M Tunvir Shahriar

MA Student

With an academic background in interdisciplinary social science, Tunvir focuses his ethnographic and mixed-method research on the intersection of politics, religion, and crime. He is particularly interested in studying the sociopolitical and religiocultural dynamics of South Asia and the Middle East. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies, a Postgraduate Diploma in Genocide Studies, and an MPhil in Criminology from the University of Dhaka with outstanding educational attainments. An Assistant Professor now, he has been working as a permanent faculty member at the University of Dhaka for about ten years and also has previous professional experience as a desk and field researcher at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies.

shorif sonia

MA Student

Sonia is passionate about digital diplomacy and advocacy, and her research is looking into the role of internet and connectivity on the global governance of “forcibly displaced people” which includes refugees, internally displaced, and asylum seekers. She completed her undergraduate degree with a major in Asian Studies with double minors in Development Studies and Gender Studies. Before starting her master’s at UBC, she was working with the United Nations World Food Programme as a Reports and Communications Officer, for the Rohingya refugee response under the highest level of emergency. She possesses diverse professional expertise, previously working with radio, newspapers, NGO, INGO, and corporations such as Radio Foorti, Médecins Sans Frontières, Chemists without Borders, Marriott International, VF Corporation, etc. For her academic and professional achievements, She has received PEO International Peace Scholarship 2020-21 and IKEA Scholarship for Academic Excellence 2013-2017.

rene roger tissot

PhD Student 

Research Interests: governance of extractive commodities and political settlement; artisanal mining in the global south. Professional experience: Local content in the energy sector; energy and regulatory economics; political risk analysis. Organizations: King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (Kapsarc, Saudi Arabia), PFC Energy (Washington DC), Encana, Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI, Calgary).
Education: MA Economics, Universite Laval; MBA Calgary University; Current affiliation: Energy Fellow Institute of the Americas, La Jolla, California.

cassie van camp

MA Student 

Cassie Van Camp (she/her) is a master’s student in the Global Studies theme with undergraduate degrees in both Global Studies through the University of Saskatchewan and Social Work through the University of Regina. Fueled by her passions for social justice, human rights and gender equality, Cassie has extensive frontline and research experience working with survivors of gendered sexual violence and sexual exploitation both domestically and internationally. She has researched numerous topics addressing sexual trauma, such as federal and international policies and laws on prostitution and the benefits of decriminalization, the increase of sexual exploitation through the use of media and technology and the involvement of law enforcement in the exploitation of Indigenous girls and women in Canada. Her research proposal is currently focused on the correlation between government, law enforcement and the exploitation of underage girls in Latin America.

To examine the work of previous UBC Okanagan graduate students, search on cIRcle, the University’s digital repository for research and teaching materials.

As a domain of scholarship, creative activity, and teaching, Global Studies is wide-ranging and interdisciplinary in nature. Global Studies encourages graduate students to become well-rounded scholars, educators, and public intellectuals. During their degree, students will have the opportunity to conduct original research, learn to become effective educators, and work as Teaching Assistants, as well as acquire knowledge in the professional practices of writing for publication, academic CV development, grant writing, networking, and community-engaged research skills.

MASTER OF ARTS (MA) APPLICANTS 

Applicants to the master’s program are expected to hold:

• the academic equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree from UBC, with a B+ (76%) average or better in their third- or fourth-year classes, or
• at least 12 credits in third- and fourth-year classes in their intended field of study, with an A (80%) or better average.

Applicant background training must be sufficient for advanced work in their chosen field.

DOCTORAL (PHD) APPLICANTS 

PhD applicants will normally have a master’s degree in a related field, with a B+ (76%) average or better, and clear evidence of research ability or potential. Applicant background training must be sufficient for advanced work in their chosen field.

MORE INFORMATION

Visit the UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar* for full admission and program requirements information. The calendar is a comprehensive guide to all programs, courses, services, and academic policies at the University of British Columbia.

* In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct. 

MASTER OF ARTS (MA) APPLICANTS 

Applicants to the master’s program are expected to:

• hold the academic equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree from UBC
• demonstrate superior academic standing

Applicant background training must be sufficient for advanced work in their chosen field.

Applicants from a university outside Canada at which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language prior to being extended an offer of admission. Acceptable English language proficiency tests for applicants to graduate studies are listed in the Academic Calendar.

DOCTORAL (PHD) APPLICANTS 

PhD applicants are expected to hold the academic equivalent of a two-year master’s degree from UBC in a related field and to demonstrate superior academic standing. Applicant background training must be sufficient for advanced work in their chosen field.

Applicants from a university outside Canada at which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language prior to being extended an offer of admission. Acceptable English language proficiency tests for applicants to graduate studies are listed in the Academic Calendar.

MORE INFORMATION

Visit the UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar* for full admission and program requirements information. The calendar is a comprehensive guide to all programs, courses, services, and academic policies at the University of British Columbia.

* In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.

Required Grades and Credential Guide

Grades and degree credentials required by UBC vary by country. Search the Required Grades and Credential Guide—a guide to assist international students in estimating their eligibility.

International Advisors

An international student advisor can answer questions about immigration, medical insurance, and the transition to UBC’s Okanagan campus in Kelowna, BC. Visit the Global Engagement Office’s website to meet the team.

DYNAMIC CITY

UBC’s Okanagan campus borders the dynamic city of Kelowna, a hub of economic development with a population of about 150,000 people—the fourth fastest growing population in Canada. In fact, the Okanagan Valley is rated one of the best communities in Canada to grow your business.

More than 160 buses travel daily from campus to key locations such as Kelowna’s cultural district and thriving downtown waterfront. The campus is two minutes from the Kelowna International Airport, one of the top 10 busiest airports in Canada.

UBC Okanagan is situated within the First Nations territory of the Okanagan Nation, whose spirit of stewardship for the land is reflected in the university’s respect for sustainability.

NATURAL BEAUTY

A diverse natural region with sandy beaches, beautiful farms, vineyards and orchards, and snow-capped mountains, the Okanagan Valley features sweeping stretches of lakeside and endless mountain trails for biking and hiking.

Check out this 360-degree video: Kelowna From Above (best viewed using desktop Chrome or Firefox or YouTube’s mobile app).

CAMPUS HOUSING

Full-time UBC Okanagan students can live in residence, which offers modern living with easy access to academic and personal support. Residences are surrounded by hiking and biking trails, plus panoramic views of the campus and valley.

• Student Residence
• Important Housing Dates

OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING

• Living Off Campus Resources
• Kelowna Off Campus Student Housing Facebook group*

* UBC does not verify or endorse information shared on this third-party website, which is offered here as a public resource only.

College of Graduate Studies: CoGS offers orientation events to support you in your first steps as a graduate student at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

Stay active: Take advantage of the many opportunities to get involved and play—from workout space in the new Hangar Fitness and Wellness Centre and our 1,561 square-metre gymnasium, to athletic courts, intramurals, fitness classes, and nationally ranked varsity athletics. Have a ball in Sports and Recreation.

Relax: The Graduate Collegium is a gathering place where grad students can hang out, eat lunch, spend time with their fellow students, and attend or host special events. The lounge-style room is open seven days and week and is outfitted with comfortable furniture, kitchen facilities, and individual and group-work spaces.

College of Graduate Studies: Your hub for administrative support and such things as graduate workshops for professional development and for assisting you from the admissions process through to your graduation.

Centre for Scholarly Communication: Supports graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, staff, and faculty in disseminating their research. The Library’s CSC provides one-on-one consultations and workshops, including writing support for theses, dissertations, journal articles, and grant proposals.

Centre for Teaching and Learning: Provides support related to teaching, TA training, and use of technology in educational programming.