Specializations and variants
Program Requirements M.A. Political Economy (5.0 credits)
M.A. Political Economy with Concentration in Work and Labour (5.0 credits)
M.A. Political Economy with Collaborative Specialization in Accessibility (5.0 credits)
M.A. Political Economy with Collaborative Specialization in African Studies (5.0 credits)
M.A. Political Economy with Collaborative Specialization in Climate Change (5.0 credits)
M.A. Political Economy with Collaborative Specialization in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (5.0 credits)
Ph.D. Anthropology with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (3.0 credits)
Ph.D. Canadian Studies with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (3.0 credits)
Ph.D. Geography with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (2.0 credits)
Ph.D. History with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (5.0 credits)
Ph.D. Communication with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (5.0 credits)
Ph.D. Legal Studies with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (4.5 credits)
Ph.D. Political Science with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (5.0 credits)
Ph.D. Public Policy with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (4.5 credits)
Other information gathered
Ph.D. Social Work with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (5.5 credits) Note: Admission to the Ph.D. Social Work with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy is currently closed. Please contact the department if you have any questions. Requirements: 1. 1.0 credit in: 1.0 SOWK 6101 [0.5] Theoretical Foundations SOWK 6102 [0.5] Ethical Foundations 2. 0.5 credit in: 0.5 PECO 6000 [0.5] Political Economy: Core Concepts 3. 0.5 credit in a relevant political economy course from the approved list 0.5 4. 1.0 credit in: 1.0 SOWK 6201 [0.5] Theory and Methods SOWK 6202 [0.5] Research Design 5. 0.5 credit in: 0.5 SOWK 6401 [0.5] Critical Pedagogy 6. 1.0 credit in: 1.0 SOWK 6301 [0.25] Ph.D. Seminar SOWK 6302 [0.25] Ph.D. Seminar SOWK 6303 [0.25] Ph.D. Seminar SOWK 6304 [0.25] Ph.D. Seminar 7. 0.5 credit in: 0.5 SOWK 6600 [0.5] Practicum in Advocacy Research or 0.5 credit in an approved research course at an equivalent level in another discipline 8. 0.5 credit in: 0.5 SOWK 6800 [0.5] Qualifying Examination 9. 0.0 credits in: 0.0 SOWK 6909 [0.0] PhD Dissertation (in the specialization) Total Credits 5.5 Ph.D. Sociology with Collaborative Specialization in Political Economy (3.0 credits)
Program pathways and conditions
These tables reproduce the source requirements for the indicated period. Official interpretation is the responsibility of the university.
Pathway 1
| Requirements - Thesis option (5.0 credits) | ||
| 1. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| PECO 5000 [0.5] | Theories of Political Economy | |
| PECO 5001 [0.5] | Methodologies of Political Economy | |
| 2. 2.0 credits in thesis (and an oral examination of the thesis) | 2.0 | |
| 3. 2.0 credits in approved graduate level electives (see Selection of Courses, below) 1 | 2.0 | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 |
Pathway 2
| Requirements - Thesis pathway (5.0 credits) | ||
| 1. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| PECO 5000 [0.5] | Theories of Political Economy | |
| PECO 5001 [0.5] | Methodologies of Political Economy | |
| 2. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 5002 [0.5] | Political Economy of Work and Labour | |
| 3. 0.5 credit from: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 5503 [0.5] | Special Topics in Work and Labour I | |
| PECO 5504 [0.5] | Special Topics in Work and Labour II | |
| 4. 0.5 credit from: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 5904 [0.5] | Placement in Political Economy | |
| PECO 5905 [0.5] | Reflective Practice in Work and Labour | |
| 5. 0.5 credit in approved elective | 0.5 | |
| 6. 2.0 credits in: | 2.0 | |
| PECO 5909 [2.0] | M.A. Thesis (on a Work and Labour topic) | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 |
Pathway 3
| Requirements - Thesis pathway: | ||
| 1. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| ACCS 5001 [0.5] | Critical Disability Studies | |
| ACCS 5002 [0.5] | Accessibility and Inclusive Design Seminar | |
| 2. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| PECO 5000 [0.5] | Theories of Political Economy | |
| PECO 5001 [0.5] | Methodologies of Political Economy | |
| 3. 2.0 credits in: | 2.0 | |
| PECO 5909 [2.0] | M.A. Thesis (in the specialization) | |
| 4. 1.0 credit in approved graduate-level electives (see Selection of Courses, below). Up to 1.0 credit may be taken at the 4000-level. | 1.0 | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 |
Pathway 4
| Requirements - Thesis pathway (5.0 credits) | ||
| 1. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| AFRI 5000 [0.5] | African Studies as a Discipline: Historical and Current Perspectives | |
| 2. 0.0 credit in: | ||
| AFRI 5800 [0.0] | Scholarly Preparation in African Studies | |
| 3. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| PECO 5000 [0.5] | Theories of Political Economy | |
| PECO 5001 [0.5] | Methodologies of Political Economy | |
| 4. 2.0 credits in: | 2.0 | |
| PECO 5909 [2.0] | M.A. Thesis (in the specialization, including an oral examination in the thesis) | |
| 5. 1.5 credits in approved graduate level electives (see Selection of Courses, below) 1 | 1.5 | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 |
Pathway 5
| Requirements - Thesis pathway (5.0 credits) | ||
| 1. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| CLIM 5000 [1.0] | Climate Collaboration | |
| 2. 0.0 credit in: | ||
| CLIM 5800 [0.0] | Climate Seminar Series | |
| 3. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| PECO 5000 [0.5] | Theories of Political Economy | |
| PECO 5001 [0.5] | Methodologies of Political Economy | |
| 4. 2.0 credits in: | 2.0 | |
| PECO 5909 [2.0] | M.A. Thesis (in the specialization, including an oral examination) | |
| 5. 1.0 credit in approved graduate level electives (see Selection of Courses, below) 1 | 1.0 | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 |
Pathway 6
| Requirements - Thesis pathway (5.0 credits) | ||
| 1. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| LACS 5000 [0.5] | Interdisciplinary Approaches to Latin American and Caribbean Studies | |
| 2. 0.0 credit in: | ||
| LACS 5800 [0.0] | Scholarly Preparation in Latin American and Caribbean Studies | |
| 3. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| PECO 5000 [0.5] | Theories of Political Economy | |
| PECO 5001 [0.5] | Methodologies of Political Economy | |
| 4. 2.0 credits in: | 2.0 | |
| PECO 5909 [2.0] | M.A. Thesis (in the specialization) | |
| 5. 1.5 credits in approved graduate level electives (see Selection of Courses, below) 1 | 1.5 | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 |
Pathway 7
| Requirements: | ||
| 1. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 6000 [0.5] | Political Economy: Core Concepts | |
| 2. 0.5 credit in relevant political economy course from the approved list | 0.5 | |
| 3. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| ANTH 6000 [1.0] | Doctoral Seminar: Theory and Method in Contemporary Anthropology | |
| 4. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| ANTH 6002 [0.5] | Research Design | |
| ANTH 6100 [0.0] | Thesis Writing Seminar | |
| 5. 0.0 credit in (two terms satisfactory participation in): | 0.0 | |
| ANTH 6100 [0.0] | Thesis Writing Seminar | |
| 3. 0.5 credits in SOCI or ANTH courses at the 5000 or 6000 level. | 0.5 | |
| 4. A satisfactory research preparation portfolio | ||
| 5. A satisfactory thesis proposal and (when required) Research Ethics Board clearance to undertake thesis research | ||
| 6. Satisfactory thesis research | ||
| 7. 0.0 credit in: | 0.0 | |
| ANTH 6909 [0.0] | Ph.D. Thesis (in the specialization, including successful oral defence) | |
| Total Credits | 3.0 |
Pathway 8
| Requirements: | ||
| 1. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 6000 [0.5] | Political Economy: Core Concepts | |
| 2. 0.5 credit in a relevant political economy course from the approved list or the comprehensive in the major field of Policy, Economy and Society. | 0.5 | |
| 3. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| CDNS 6900 [1.0] | Ph.D. Core Seminar: Interdisciplinarity in Canadian Studies: Concepts, Theories and Methods | |
| 4. 1.0 credit in the successful completion of two 0.5-credit written comprehensive examinations. Students will be examined in two areas of research. (See note) | 1.0 | |
| 5. Language requirement: satisfactory demonstration of an understanding of a language other than English. | ||
| 6. A public defence, in English, of a written thesis proposal. Following the completion of their comprehensives, students will be expected to defend a proposal of the research and analysis they plan to undertake in completing their Ph.D. thesis. The thesis proposal defence should normally occur within six months after completion of a student's comprehensive examinations and within the first 27 months of registration in the program. The thesis committee will be composed of three faculty members. | ||
| 7. 0.0 credits in a Thesis (in the specialization which must be successfully defended in English at an oral examination): | 0.0 | |
| CDNS 6909 [0.0] | Ph.D. Thesis (in the specialization) | |
| Total Credits | 3.0 |
Pathway 9
| Requirements: | ||
| 1. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| GEOG 6000 [0.5] | Doctoral Core Seminar: Geography, Society and the Environment | |
| GEOG 6001 [0.5] | Doctoral Core Seminar: Research and Professional Practice | |
| 2. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 6000 [0.5] | Political Economy: Core Concepts | |
| 3. 0.5 credit from: | 0.5 | |
| GEOG 6003 [0.5] | Field Seminar: Geography of Societal Change | |
| GEOG 6004 [0.5] | Field Seminar: Geography of Societal Change | |
| 4. 0.0 credit in: | 0.0 | |
| GEOG 6906 [0.0] | Comprehensive Examination: The Geography of Societal Change | |
| 5. Presentation and oral defence of the thesis proposal as outlined below | ||
| 6. 0.0 credits in: | 0.0 | |
| GEOG 6909 [0.0] | Ph.D. Thesis (in the specialization, must be defended at an oral examination) | |
| 7. In addition to the formal requirements, Ph.D. students are required to attend the Departmental Seminar series and the Graduate Field Camp. | ||
| Total Credits | 2.0 |
Pathway 10
| Requirements: | ||
| 1. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 6000 [0.5] | Political Economy: Core Concepts | |
| 2. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| HIST 6701 [0.5] | History and Political Economy | |
| Or 0.5 credit in a relevant political economy course from the approved list. | ||
| 3. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| HIST 6808 [1.0] | Doctoral Seminar in Historical Theory and Method | |
| 4. 1.5 credits in: | 1.5 | |
| HIST 6906 [0.5] | Ph.D. Tutorials (in the candidate's field; taken three times) | |
| 5. 0.5 credits in: | 0.5 | |
| HIST 6907 [0.5] | Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination | |
| 6. 1.0 credit in Professional Development courses: | 1.0 | |
| HIST 6805 [0.5] | Professional Development Project I | |
| HIST 6806 [0.5] | Professional Development Project II | |
| Or another approved course. | ||
| 7. 0.0 credits in: | ||
| HIST 6909 [0.0] | Ph.D. Thesis (in the specialization) | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 |
Pathway 11
| Requirements: | ||
| 1. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| COMS 6000 [1.0] | Doctoral Seminar in Communication Studies | |
| 2. 1.0 additional credit from the list of optional courses below: up to 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School; students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to 0.5 credit in directed studies: COMS 6010 Directed Studies | 1.0 | |
| 3. 2.0 credits in: | 2.0 | |
| COMS 6101 [0.5] | Comprehensive Exam: Field I | |
| COMS 6102 [0.5] | Comprehensive Exam: Field II | |
| COMS 6908 [1.0] | Ph.D. Thesis Proposal | |
| 4. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 6000 [0.5] | Political Economy: Core Concepts | |
| 5. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| A relevant political economy course from the approved list. | ||
| 6. 0.0 credits in: | 0.0 | |
| COMS 6909 [0.0] | Ph.D. Thesis (In the Specialization. Must be successfully defended at an oral examination.) | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 |
Pathway 12
| Requirements: | ||
| 1. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| LAWS 6000 [0.5] | Doctoral Seminar in Legal Studies | |
| 2. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| LAWS 6001 [0.5] | Proseminar in Legal Studies | |
| 4. 2.0 credits in: | 2.0 | |
| LAWS 6095 [1.0] | Field Comprehensive | |
| LAWS 6096 [1.0] | Thesis Proposal | |
| 5. 0.5 credit from: | 0.5 | |
| LAWS 6002 [0.5] | Law, Regulation and Governance | |
| LAWS 6003 [0.5] | Human Rights, Citizenship and Global Justice | |
| LAWS 6004 [0.5] | Crime, Law, and Security | |
| 6. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 6000 [0.5] | Political Economy: Core Concepts | |
| 7. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| A relevant political economy course from the approved list | ||
| 8. 0.0 credits in: | 0.0 | |
| LAWS 6909 [0.0] | Ph. D. Thesis (In the specialization. Must be successfully defended at an oral examination.) | |
| Total Credits | 4.5 |
Pathway 13
| Requirements: | ||
| 1. 2.0 credits in courses at the 6000 level in each of the candidate's two major fields of study | 2.0 | |
| 2. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| PSCI 6900 [0.5] | Ph.D. Field Examination I | |
| PSCI 6905 [0.5] | Ph.D. Field Examination II | |
| Field examinations normally take place once per year, in August. At the discretion of the Department, candidates may be required to take an oral examination following the written examination. Full-time students are normally required to complete the comprehensive examinations within 24 months of entering the program. | ||
| 3. Proficiency in a research skill, as outlined below under Research Skill Requirement | ||
| 4. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 6000 [0.5] | Political Economy: Core Concepts | |
| 5. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| A relevant political economy course from the approved list | ||
| 6. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| PSCI 6907 [0.5] | Thesis Proposal Workshop I | |
| PSCI 6908 [0.5] | Thesis Proposal Workshop II | |
| 7. An oral defence of a written dissertation proposal. Full-time students must normally complete the oral defence of the proposal, preceded by its formal acceptance by the supervisory committee, in the third year of their doctoral program. | ||
| 8. 0.0 credits in: | 0.0 | |
| PSCI 6909 [0.0] | Ph.D. Thesis (in the specialization) | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 |
Pathway 14
| Requirements: | ||
| 1. 2.0 credits in: | 2.0 | |
| PADM 6010 [0.5] | Current Issues in Public Policy | |
| PADM 6011 [0.5] | Theoretical Foundations of Public Policy | |
| PADM 6012 [0.5] | Policy Process and Institutions | |
| PADM 6013 [0.5] | Research Design for Public Policy | |
| 2. 0.5 credit in research methods, such as PADM 5218 or another research methods course at the 5000 or 6000 level (See Note 1, below) | 0.5 | |
| 3. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 6000 [0.5] | Political Economy: Core Concepts | |
| 4. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| A relevant political economy course from the approved list. | ||
| 5. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PADM 6900 [0.5] | Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination (See Note 2, below) | |
| 6. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PADM 6201 [0.5] | Doctoral Research Seminar (See Note 3, below) | |
| 7. Public defence of a written thesis proposal | ||
| 8. 0.0 credits in: | 0.0 | |
| PADM 6909 [0.0] | Ph.D. Thesis (in the specialization) | |
| 9. Language requirement (See Note 5, below) | ||
| Total Credits | 4.5 |
Pathway 15
| Requirements: | ||
| 1. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| PECO 6000 [0.5] | Political Economy: Core Concepts | |
| 2. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| A relevant political economy course from the approved list or part of comprehensive preparation in the subfield of political economy | ||
| 3. 0.0 credit in: | 0.0 | |
| SOCI 6101 [0.0] | Introductory Doctoral Seminar | |
| 4. 1.0 credit in: | 1.0 | |
| SOCI 6102 [0.5] | Doctoral Seminar Year 1: Comprehensive Exam | |
| SOCI 6103 [0.5] | Doctoral Seminar Year 2: Research Design | |
| 5. 0.5 credit in: | 0.5 | |
| SOCI 5008 [0.5] | Teaching Sociology | |
| Or one of the following | ||
| SOCI 5006 [0.5] | Thinking Sociologically | |
| SOCI 5308 [0.5] | Decolonizing Feminist Analyses | |
| SOCI 5400 [0.5] | Political Sociology | |
| SOCI 5401 [0.5] | Critical Disability Studies | |
| SOCI 5402 [0.5] | Queer Migrations | |
| SOCI 5404 [0.5] | Race, Ethnicity and Class in Contemporary Societies | |
| SOCI 5407 [0.5] | Genealogies of Politics and Governance | |
| SOCI 5408 [0.5] | Feminism and Materialism | |
| SOCI 5501 [0.5] | Phenomenology for Anthropologists and Sociologists | |
| SOCI 5804 [0.5] | Modern Marxist Theory | |
| 6. 0.5 credit in SOCI courses at the 5000- or 6000-level or, with the permission of the graduate supervisor, up to 1.0 credit of graduate level courses from another unit at Carleton | 0.5 | |
| 7. Written and oral comprehensive examination in one area of specialization | ||
| 8. Presentation of a thesis proposal | ||
| 9. 0.0 credits in: | 0.0 | |
| SOCI 6909 [0.0] | Ph.D. Thesis (in the specialization) | |
| 10. An oral defence of the thesis | ||
| Total Credits | 3.0 |
Courses
These courses were identified on the program source page. Their presence does not mean they are all required in every pathway.
Sources and references
Reference year : 2026-27
Dates and sources are retained to help you verify the information. Translations are provided to facilitate reading; the official source governs conditions and requirements.
Source reference : https://calendar.carleton.ca/grad/gradprograms/politicaleconomy/