Graduate Studies

A graduate in green convocation gown holding his degree while 2 professors in red and brown gown stand on either side of him

The mission of our School of Graduate Studies is to define and support excellence in graduate education at Nipissing University. To achieve this goal, the primary roles and functions of the School of Graduate Studies are to articulate a vision of excellence for the graduate community, to provide an inter-university perspective on graduate education, to enhance the intellectual and research community of scholars among graduate students and graduate faculty and to serve as an advocate for graduate education and graduate students within the institution.

Thesis Defence Dates

Please contact the School of Graduate Studies at sgs@nipissingu.ca for information on upcoming defences.

Upcoming Events

Graduate Student Orientation 2026

For a full schedule, visit: Graduate Student Orientation

Programs in our School of Graduate Studies

Master of Arts in History Master of Arts in Sociology - Applied Social Research Master of Education Master of Environmental Science/Studies Master of Science in Kinesiology Master of Science in Mathematics PhD in Education (Educational Sustainability)

Graduate Admission

Graduate Studies Application Guide

Use the link above to find important information on admission requirements, deadlines to apply and application instructions.

Finding a Graduate Supervisor

Use the link above to explore a guide for finding a graduate supervisor for your program

Time-to-Completion

Academic Year

The School of Graduate Studies operates on a trimester basis, with three terms defined as: Fall Term (September to December); Winter Term (January to April); and Spring/Summer Term (May to August).
The academic year begins with a Fall Term followed by a Winter Term.
In the following table, a year is based on three terms: fall, winter, spring/summer. Many of our programs offer a flex-time completion option.

Program	MRP Route Full-Time	Thesis Route Full-time	Flex-time
Doctor of Philosophy in Education	N/A	4 years	not available
Master of Arts in History	1 year	N/A	1 year + 6 flex terms (Total: 3 years)
Master of Arts in Sociology	1 year	2 years	MRP: 1 year + 6 flex terms (Total: 3 years) Thesis: 2 years + 6 flex terms (Total: 4 years)
Master of Science in Mathematics	1 year	2 years	2 years + 6 flex terms (Total: 4 years, thesis route only)
Master of Science in Kinesiology	N/A	2 years	2 years + 6 flex terms (Total: 4 years)
Master of Environmental Science / Master of Environmental Studies	1 year	2 years	MRP: 1 year + 6 flex terms (Total: 3 years) Thesis: 2 years + 6 flex terms (Total: 4 years)
Master of Education	2 years	2 years	2 years + 6 flex terms (Total: 4 years)

Awards

Robert Olajos, MA History Candidate, Wins Best Paper Prize (2021)

Congratulations to Robert Olajos on winning the Best Paper Prize at the 1st Annual Convergences Graduate History Conference, University of Toronto. Robert's paper, "Too Nomadic for Real Results: Seasonality at the Bear Island Summer School, 1903-1951" will be published in Past Tense Review of History, University of Toronto, 2021.

Michael Crant, PhD in Education Graduate (2020) Received the President's Gold Medal

Congratulations to Michael Crant, PhD in Education graduate (2020) on receiving a President's Gold Medal at Convocation (June 2020). The President's Gold Medal is awarded to the student who achieves the highest academic standing in their degree program.

Michaela Benwell, MEd Graduate (2020) Receives Award from CATE

Congratulations to Michaela Benwell, MEd graduate (2020) from Nipissing University who received a Canadian Association for Teacher Education (CATE) Thesis and Dissertation Award of Recognition (June 2020) for her thesis work titled, "Critical Race Theory and White Privilege Awareness Among Bachelor of Education Alumni." Michaela's thesis committee included Dr. Christine Cho (Supervisor), Dr. Carlo Ricci (Committee Member), and Dr. Leanne Taylor (External Examiner, Brock University).

Melissa Corrente, PhD in Educational Sustainability Candidate Receives Canadian Federation of University Women North Bay 100th Anniversary Scholarship (2019)

Congratulations to Melissa Corrente on receiving the CFUW North Bay 100th Anniversary Scholarship of $1,000. The CFUW was established in 1919 to raise the social, economic, and legal status of women, and to improve education, the environment, peace, justice and human rights. CFUW represents almost 9000 members in about 100 clubs across Canada. To celebrate the 100th anniversary, CFUW North Bay members made special efforts to fundraise for a new one-time award for a female PhD student in Education at Nipissing University who has been working on an innovative research project. Melissa presented her research at the CFUW's monthly meeting on November 20, 2019.

Randi Ray, PhD in Educational Sustainability Candidate Receives Graduate Student Scholarship from the Indigenous Mentorship Network of Ontario (2019)

Congratulations to Randi Ray for receiving one of nine graduate scholarships to Indigenous graduate students pursuing research in applied community-based Indigenous health at an Ontario institution. Randi is Anishinaabe from Flying Post First Nation. Randi's PhD research focuses on sustainable leadership development with First Nations Chiefs using Indigenous framework and methodologies.

Cara Song, MEd Graduate (2019) Receives Award from CATE

Congratulations to Cara Song, an MEd graduate (2019) from Nipissing University who received the Annual Award of Excellence by the Canadian Association of Teacher Educators (CATE). Cara received her award at the Canadian Society for the Study of Education conference in June 2019 for her thesis titled, "Parental Perceptions of Grit: First Steps Towards Building Effective Character Education Programs." Cara's thesis committee included Dr. Nancy Maynes (Supervisor), Dr. John Allison (Committee Member), and Dr. Jim Brandon (External Examiner, University of Calgary).

Publication

Do you have a graduate student achievement to share? Please send the details to sgs@nipissingu.ca

Ashley Locke, MSc Kinesiology Candidate Published Article in Evolutionary Psychology (2020).

Arnocky, S., Locke, A. (2020). Jealousy Mediates the Link Between Women's Upward Physical Appearance Comparison and Mate Retention Behavior. Evolutionary Psychology, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704920973990

Ashley Locke, MSc Kinesiology Candidate, and Jessica Desrochers, Master of Environmental Science Graduate (2019) Publication Featured in Psychology Today.

Locke, A., Desrochers, J., & Arnocky, S. (2020). Induced mate abundance increases women's expectations for engagement ring size and cost. Evolutionary Psychological Science, 6, 188-194. doi:10.1007/s40806–019–00214-z
Link to original publication.

Jordan Sutcliffe, MSc Kinesiology Graduate, Published Article in the Journal of Psychology of Sport and Exercise (2019)

Jordan T. Sutcliffe, Alex J. Benson, Mark W. Bruner. “Parents value competence more than warmth in competitive youth ice hockey coaches: Evidence based on the innuendo effect.” Journal of Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 34 (2019) 82-89.

Laurel Ann Muldoon, Master of Environmental Science Graduate (2019), Published Article in Global Change Biology (2018)

Elizabeth Fleur Nicklen, Carl A. Roland, Adam Z. Csank, Martin Wilmking, Roger W. Ruess, Laurel Ann Muldoon. “Stand basal area and solar radiation amplify white spruce sensitivity in interior Alaska: Evidence from carbon isotopes and tree rings.” Global Change Biology. (2018)

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