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Indigenous Governance

MA in Indigenous Governance

Gain governance and leadership skills with our Master of Arts in Indigenous Governance program. This program is known globally for its accountability and relevance to Indigenous communities.

Our 2-year degree combines community-engaged learning with strong mentorship. In the first year, students complete in-person coursework as a cohort. In the second year, students complete either a community governance project or a thesis, followed by an oral defence.

Through their studies, students:

  • engage with Indigenous ways of knowing and being
  • explore governance, nationhood and self-determination
  • develop governance, leadership and research skills
  • learn from diverse perspectives and knowledge systems
  • prepare for leadership roles and future academic study

Program requirements

Our curriculum combines coursework, mentorship and applied learning opportunities.

For a full list of courses and degree requirements, see our program requirements.

Pathways

Students can complete their master's degree through 1 of 2 options:

  1. Community governance project (CGP): apply learning through a community-based project developed with community partners.
  2. Thesis: conduct independent research and complete a written thesis.

Both options allow students to build on the knowledge and skills developed through our program and produce work that is relational, reciprocal and respectful.

For full details about program requirements, pathways, supervisory committees and graduation, refer to the IGOV Student Handbook.

Research strengths

Our faculty members are engaged in diverse areas of Indigenous governance research. Students benefit from opportunities to learn, collaborate and contribute to community-engaged research that supports Indigenous communities and nations.

Learn about our faculty members’ research.

Admissions

Applicants are normally expected to have a background in Indigenous governance, politics, law or related experience.

Applicants do not need to identify a supervisor when applying. Students are assigned a temporary supervisor before being matched with a permanent supervisor after 2 terms.

Learn about admissions and how to apply.

Funding

Graduate students may be eligible for:

Learn about graduate student funding.

Questions

Have questions about our program? Contact our graduate secretary at igov@uvic.ca.