Welcome to the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) Program

The Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) at the University of Prince Edward Island is a unique, interdisciplinary, and policy-driven graduate course that critiques islands on their own terms.

The program is open to students from around the world. They come out of undergraduate programs from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and diverse degrees, or with professional workplace experience in the public, private, or resource sectors.

The program offers a challenging opportunity for students

  • with a special interest in researching islands: their societies, economies, histories, cultures, and governments
  • a primary interest in public policy and administration
  • career aspirations within local, regional, national, and international governmental and non-governmental organizations
  • career aspirations in the private and resource sectors
  • a desire for the challenge of graduate education

The program’s basis in comparative study will prepare students with the practical research skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a world increasingly defined by interconnections and interactions among peoples and regions.

Students will

  • study in small classes at the world’s top island studies institution, hosting an Institute of Island Studies, a Canada Research Chair in Island Studies, and the internationally peer-reviewed Island Studies Journal — in one of North America’s smallest island jurisdictions
  • benefit from grants and research assistantships made available to students by faculty
  • be considered for the Chancellor Bill Andrew & Denise Andrew awards (www.upei.ca/awards)
  • participate in a challenging scholarly and interdisciplinary environment, with expert professors based at UPEI or visiting from other parts of the world The program involves six taught courses (three hours per week for twelve weeks) and a 50,000-word thesis under supervision (spread over three academic terms).
    Tuition, fees, and other costs for both Canadian and international students can be found here.

    "We are headed toward understanding the whole planet as a world of islands..."

    — David Quammen, Song of the Dodo