Collaborative Graduate Specialization

Admission Requirements

Students who wish to enroll in the Collaborative Specialization must first apply to a participating graduate program.

Students who have been admitted to a participating graduate program are then eligible for admission to the collaborative program. Students who have been admitted may enter the Collaborative Specialization at either the Master's or Ph.D. level.

Master's students must enroll by the drop date of the core course in Transitional Justice in their first year of study. Ph.D. students must enroll by the drop date of the core course in Transitional Justice in their third year of doctoral studies.

Doctoral students who completed the Collaborative Specialization in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction as Master’s students may apply to join the program again as doctoral students.  There are separate guidelines for these students.

In order to apply for admission to the program, please complete the Application form and the SGPS Admission form and return them to TJ Graduate Chair Scott Schaffer at scott.schaffer@uwo.ca:

Information Session 2024

Course Requirements

Master's Level:

Core course - TJ 9501B: Foundations in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Instructor: Dr. Samar El-Masri
Winter Term 2024
One half course in a Transitional Justice-related area, possibly including one from a program other than the student’s home program—subject to the requirements of the student’s home department or faculty.
Thesis or major paper (as specified by student’s home program) in the area of Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
  • In the case of a thesis, the thesis advisor must be associated with the Specialization.
  • In the case of a major paper, the advisor must be associated with the Specialization.

In a coursework-only Master’s program, 30% of the courses completed by the student must be TJ-specific, and must be selected from the list of SGPS-approved “Eligible Courses”.


Doctoral level:

Core course - TJ 9502B: Foundations in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
OR for doctoral students who completed the Collaborative Specialization in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction as Master’s students
TJ 9502B: Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Instructor: Dr. Samar El-Masri
Winter Term 2024
Two half courses in a Transitional Justice-related area, possibly including one from a program other than the student’s home program—subject to the requirements of the student’s home department or faculty.
The student may take the core course at any time during the first three years of his or her doctoral studies.  Ideally, the student would take the core course in his or her first semester so that a foundation is set right away.  However, we recognize that, due to requirements of the student’s home department, this may not be possible.

Doctoral Comprehensive Examination in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction(as specified by student's home program)
  • A brief proposal for the format and nature of the comprehensive examination must be submitted to the Director of the Collaborative Specialization in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction for approval at least two weeks prior to commencement.  Students must complete their home program’s comprehensive examination requirements, first and foremost.  Where there is no option for the completion of a comprehensive examination in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction, then the student may consider other options, as follows:
  • In the case where a home program has comprehensive examination(s) (or equivalent) that can be tailored so that the terms of reference include Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction, subject to approval by the student’s home department or faculty:
    • the comprehensive examination in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction will be one of the major themes of the comprehensive examination(s) required by the home program, as determined by the student’s home department or faculty 
    • at least 1/3 of the examination committee must be faculty members of the Collaborative Specialization in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction 
    • a common comprehensive examination reading list will be provided by the TJ program from which a comprehensive examination committee may select readings for a specific examination and add additional readings as appropriate
  • In the case where a home program has comprehensive examination(s) that can not be tailored so that the terms of reference include Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction:
    • the comprehensive examination in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction will be a separate, additional component, appearing on the student's transcript as a non-credited requirement  
    • two other options are available: 
      • students may prepare a review paper based on selected readings from the common reading list plus additional readings selected by a committee comprising faculty members of the Collaborative Specialization within the home department and/or outside of the home department: the reading list and paper should go into a particular topic in depth; it is expected that the review paper would be potentially publishable and, as a rough guide, should be approximately 40 pages, double-spaced
      • students may complete a research apprenticeship project under the direction of a faculty member of the Collaborative Specialization from outside of the student's home program: the project should provide training in the theories and methods used in examining Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction in a discipline other than the student's home program; it is expected that the project would involve research over at least one term of study
Thesis in the area of Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. 
  • The thesis advisor must be associated with the collaborative program.

Eligible Courses