Master of Arts in English and Cultural Studies - Gender and Women Studies (Course)

The English Department offers MA students a program that best suits their interests and goals. We provide a valuable learning experience to those students interested in the MA as a terminal degree, while also providing those students interested in further study with the skills and knowledge they need to pursue doctoral studies. Graduates with a BA, HBA or Concurrent Education degree majoring in English have a number of good reasons to continue their study of literature with us. Our MA program offers students the opportunity to pursue their scholarly interests in the way that best suits them, as we offer a number of different program options: the traditional thesis option for those students who want the experience of writing an in-depth study on their topic of choice, a coursework option that provides students with coverage of many fields and the experience of working with a larger number of professors, and a research-project option that combines the two.
The Department of English offers a Masters in English and Cultural Studies with a range of options for completing the program. We welcome both Canadian and international applicants with undergraduate degrees in English literary studies, cultural studies, and related disciplines. Please watch the following video for an introduction to the program and follow the links below for further information.
The aim of the program is to encourage the development and integration of gendered teaching, learning, and research within the university community and the community at large. This Collaborative Master's program allows students to combine advanced disciplinary research with gendered scholarship from the interdisciplinary field of Gender and Women's Studies. Upon completion of the program, the degree awarded specifies the discipline of the participating academic unit and notes the Specialization in Gender and Women's Studies.

Applicants for admission must be graduates of a recognized university, college, or institute as well as show evidence of scholarly achievement. Except where otherwise stated in the Admission Requirements of a particular program, degree students must have a four year bachelor's degree or its equivalent with at least second class standing (B) based on their last 20 half courses or equivalent.

An applicant holding a degree other than one in the discipline area to which admission is sought will be considered on the basis of courses taken and academic standing. A Qualifying Year at the undergraduate level may be required to meet the admission standards. Courses taken as part of a Qualifying Year can not be used as credit towards a graduate degree.

In addition to the general admission requirements for Master programs, the following requirements also apply:
Theory Requirement - As prerequisites and/or co-requisites for graduate work, candidates must have taken/be taking at least one FCE in literary and cultural theory, such as English 2913 or its equivalent. Should the candidates be lacking in this area, they must take one FCE in literary and cultural theory, normally English 2913, in addition to the other courses in order to qualify for the Master of Arts degree.
Candidates should communicate with the Graduate Coordinator of the Department of English concerning offerings for the ensuing year.
Thesis, research-project, and creative-project program candidates should also discuss possible thesis, research-project, or creative-project topics with the Graduate Coordinator of the department in order that a thesis, research-project, or creative-project supervisor may be assigned.
Graded English Essay - International applicants must provide a graded English essay from their undergraduate studies, as part of the application process.


Our minimum admission requirement for international applicants is 75% or 3.0 on a 4 point Canadian scale, with an accredited university degree equivalent to a Lakehead University 4 year degree.

IELTS - Minimum Score: 6.5 (no individual score less than 6.0).
TOEFL - Minimum Score for Internet Based Test (iBT): 80 (no component score less than 19).Minimum Score for Computer Based Test (cBT): 213 (no component score less than 17. Minimum Score for Paper Based Test (pBT) when Speaking is present: 550 (no component score less than 50.The revised pBT is not accepted as Speaking is no longer a category.
DuoLingo English Test - Minimum Score 110
Michigan English Test (MET) - Minimum Score 85