Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies

The Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies (MA-IS) Program invites applications from candidates who possess a baccalaureate degree and strong analytical, writing, and critical-thinking skills. Admission is open, in keeping with Athabasca University's mandate to remove barriers that restrict access to, and success in, university-level studies, but additional preparatory work in composition and analysis may be required of some candidates prior to admission.

If the potential applicant does not have a degree, but believes their education and experience is equivalent to an undergraduate degree, then it is the responsibility of the applicant to put forward this position in writing as part of the application process.

English language proficiency

There are minimum English language proficiency requirements for admission to a graduate program at Athabasca University. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they meet the minimum requirements.

All students applying for admission into the MA-IS program must complete an Academic Writing Assessment as part of the application process.

Success at the graduate level requires reading and writing skills that many MA-IS applicants may not have had an opportunity to develop or practice for a number of years. To help applicants determine their level of proficiency in this area, we have developed an Academic Writing Assessment (AWA) writing diagnostic test. The AWA helps us determine whether applicants are prepared to commence graduate studies, if they first need to develop writing skills, or if they can refine their skills in the early stages of the program. We are committed to helping our students succeed by making appropriate assistance available for those who need to develop or refine their writing and composition skills.

For more information on the Academic Writing Assessment, please go to the AWA website.

Transfer credit

Some students may have completed work at other post-secondary institutions that is applicable to the MA-IS program. After being admitted to the MA-IS program, students may request a review of such course work. The Program Director will review such work to determine if the student should be awarded transfer credit to apply towards the MA-IS program.

Students seeking transfer credit are required to submit to the MA-IS program office: official transcripts (if these were not submitted in support of their application for admission), detailed course descriptions for the courses, the appropriate Transfer Credit Evaluation fees, and a written statement outlining a study plan and rationale for transfer credit. Failure to supply either the transcript or the detailed course description(s) shall result in no transfer credit being awarded.

Letter of permission

Students enrolled in the MA-IS program may take up to five graduate-level courses (15 credits) from other post-secondary educational institutions in fulfillment of the program requirements, provided such courses are applicable to the Athabasca University MA-IS program. Students wishing to take courses from other institutions must obtain and submit:

• a Letter of Permission Request Form,
• a written statement outlining the reasons for pursuing studies elsewhere and an explanation of the course(s) relevance to the MA-IS program, and
• detailed course outline(s) and the appropriate Letter of Permission fees,

to the MA-IS program office for review. If approved, the Office of the Registrar will issue a Letter of Permission.

To allow for mailing time, requests for a Letter of Permission should be made at least one month before the registration deadline at the institution where the student will be taking the course. Upon completion of the course, the student must submit an official transcript to the MA-IS program administrator in order to obtain credit for the course.

Non-program applications will be received and reviewed on a continuous admission basis. Non-program students must complete the MA-IS Non-Program Application process, and include the non-refundable application fee, if applicable. 

Non-program students are encouraged to apply to become an MA-IS program student. Courses taken as a non-program student may also be applied towards the MA-IS program, according to the regulations. Acceptance as a non-program student does not guarantee or imply future acceptance as a program student.

Enrolment

Once enrolled, students will be permitted to register in MA-IS courses on a first-come, first-served basis, space permitting. Program students will have priority with respect to paced study courses (over non-program students). Reading courses are reserved for senior program students only.

Program structure

Study plan

Upon completion of the two MA-IS core courses (MAIS 601 and MAIS 602), and two elective courses, students are required to submit a study plan to the MA-IS Office for approval by the Program Director. Students transferring in credit from other universities will be required to submit their study plans upon admission to the program.

Refer to MA-IS Courses.

Independent track

Students may choose to embark on an independent program of study by completing the two core courses (MAIS 601 and MAIS 602), one project course, MAIS 701 or MAIS 700, plus eight elective courses woven across the MA-IS curriculum in a comprehensive plan of study.

Depending on their undergraduate preparation, students will identify a strategy for developing their own plan of study. The independent track is designed for highly motivated students who have shown excellence at the undergraduate level. Students should contact the MA-IS office for advice on planning their studies.

Focus areas

Students who choose to study a focus area will successfully complete a minimum of four courses in a focus area (see below), MAIS 701 or MAIS 700, and four electives from across the curriculum. Students should contact the MA-IS Office for advice on planning their studies.

To qualify as a focus area, students must complete four courses within the focus area, plus four elective courses or a second focus area, before commencing their integrated project.

Students will be required to declare their focus area upon completion of the two core courses (MAIS 601 and MAIS 602) and two elective courses (i.e., focus area or independent track).

Students wishing to complete two focus areas, may apply to the Director (in their Study Plan) for approval of a second area if they:

1. demonstrate plans to complete four courses in each area; and
2. provide a rationale as to how they will integrate course work across both areas in the final project.

MA-IS available focus areas

Adult Education

Community Studies

Cultural Studies

Educational Studies

Environmental Studies

Equity Studies

Global Change

Heritage and Social History

Independent Track

Literary Studies

Work, Organization, and Leadership

Writing and New Media

Refer to the MA-IS website for up-to-date information on course development.

Program status

Effective September 2005, students must complete six credits of course or project work during a one-year academic period (September 1 to August 31) in order to maintain program status. Failure to meet this requirement may result in an inactivation of a student's program status.

Students may also be asked to successfully complete additional remedial writing work in order to continue in the program. Students will be required to submit official documentation confirming the successful completion of their remedial work to the MA-IS office, in order to remain in the program.

Any student who receives a grade of "F" in one course, or a grade of "C" in more than one course, may be required to withdraw from the program.

Completion time limits

Students may study in the program on a full- or part-time basis. The degree can be completed in two years or extended over six years, from the program start date. The expected normal completion time is three to four years.

Program deferral

Students may defer their studies due to extenuating circumstances. Please refer to Program deferral requests.

Program withdrawal/reactivation

Students may withdraw from the program by submitting their request in writing to the MA-IS office. Students who withdraw may be reactivated in the program by requesting approval to the Program Director and paying a reactivation fee. Failure in two courses will result in the automatic removal of the student from the program.

Non-program students

Individuals who are not enrolled in the MA-IS program will be permitted to register as non-program students in up to a maximum of five courses, space permitting; however, no more than two courses per semester will be allowed. No exceptions.

Courses taken as a non-program student may be applied toward the program degree requirements, if and when the student becomes a program student.

The University is under no obligation to admit non-program students into the MA-IS program. 

Complete the course registration form and submit it by the deadline dates to the Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies (MA-IS) program office. Manual registration forms are provided by the MA-IS office for students who are sponsored or who are paying by cheque, money order, or student loan.

Incompletes for courses

Thirty-three (33) days after the course completion date, a grade will be assigned to the course. Students who have not submitted the required course work are assigned a failing grade (F).

Extensions

Students taking an individualized study course have the flexibility to determine their own timelines for completing it within their contract period. Should students experience time problems, they may extend the course contract by submitting a completed MA-IS Extension Request Form, along with the appropriate fees, to the MA-IS Office. Individualized study courses may be extended three times for a period of two months each. Contact the MA-IS office for more information on extensions.

Paced study courses cannot extend their course contract end date.

Re-registration

Students may re-register in a course only if they have received a final grade of 59 per cent or lower, or have withdrawn from the course in good standing. In re-registering, students must complete all course requirements and pay the full course fee. Both the initial registration and the re-registration will appear on the student’s transcript.

Course withdrawals

Students may withdraw from a course up until the contract end date (refer to MA-IS Academic Schedule) by completing and submitting an MA-IS Withdrawal Request Form. The date of withdrawal will be the postmark on the request, or if the notice is hand-delivered or faxed, the University date stamp.

If a student withdraws from a course within the first 30 days of the course start date, the record of registration will be deleted from their official transcript (see Course Refunds below). If a student withdraws from a course after the first 30 days of the course but before the contract end date of the course, the official record and transcript will show that the student withdrew without credit and without prejudice or academic penalty and no refund will be issued.

Course refunds

Students will only receive a refund of the full course tuition fees minus the course withdrawal processing fee (refer to Fees) if they withdraw from the course within 30 days of the course start date or before the first day of class. Do not return the learning resources. A refund is not granted to students who withdraw 30 days after the course contract start date.

Grading system

As the core courses (MAIS 601 and MAIS 602) will challenge students in areas of study that will most likely be unfamiliar to them, these two courses will be graded on a pass/fail basis. The rationale for pass/fail grading is to challenge students to risk working in integrated studies areas and to undertake assignment topics they might not consider if their performance was graded on a percentage (or Alpha) basis. All other courses will be graded using the Alpha/4.0 grading scale.

Please review the Graduate Grading Policy and Academic Records FAQ for more information on grading scales.

A non-refundable convenience charge will be charged when using Visa or Mastercard to pay student fees. American Express is no longer an accepted method of payment. For more information on the convenience charge, please visit the Financial Services website.

Course tuition fees (includes all required materials)

¹Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies (MA-IS) Course Tuition fees now include a Course Administration and Technology fee of $170 and a Course Materials fee of $37 per course, plus the Athabasca University Graduate Students Association (AUGSA) fees of $14 per credit.

Note: MA-IS students are now able to take Heritage Resources Management courses. Course tuition fees for HRM courses can be found on the HRM fees page.

Estimated program tuition cost (2025-2026):

The total tuition cost for a student living in Canada who takes all courses from Athabasca University, would be $22,143 ($2,013 x 11, three-credit course equivalents). AUGSA fees, Course Administration and Technology fee, and Course Materials fee are included in the above calculations. Application and admission fees are not included.

Other fees

¹ The course withdrawal processing fee is a mandatory administrative fee charged when a student withdraws from a course. For early withdrawal only, the student will be refunded the full course tuition fees (see above) less the course withdrawal processing fee.