PhD in
Arctic and Subarctic Futures (4 Years) at
Memorial University of Newfoundland
The Labrador Campus of Memorial University (Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador) was officially established in January 2022, building on the 42-year presence in the region. The Labrador Campus is situated on the homelands of the Innu and Inuit and, as such, has a special obligation to the Indigenous Peoples of the region and to working in partnership on Indigenous-driven and Indigenous-led research and education initiatives.
The Labrador Campus is home to the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies (SASS). SASS works in partnership with Northern and Indigenous governing organizations and communities to provide accessible, place-based, Northern-focused, and Indigenous-led educational and research opportunities, guided by priorities for education, research, and socio-cultural wellbeing of the diverse peoples of Labrador and throughout the North. SASS is governed by an Academic Council which has, for the first time at Memorial University, voting representatives from the Nunatsiavut Government, Innu Nation, and NunatuKavut Community Council, ensuring Indigenous needs, priorities, knowledge, languages, and cultures guide our programming and our campus.
The Arctic and Subarctic Futures graduate programs at the Labrador Campus are interdisciplinary, flexible, and modular, and offer diverse pathways at the Master’s, PhD, and diploma levels (full-time and part-time). Each of these pathways provides students with the opportunities to pursue graduate learning that emphasizes land-based learning, Indigenous pedagogies and research methods, and focuses on the needs and priorities of the North. Our faculty cover a diverse range of Northern-focused research topics, including (for example): Indigenous pedagogies and methodologies; cultural resources management; archaeology; education; governance and self-determination; climate change; Indigenous health and wellbeing; language and cultural reclamation; food security; co-management; and natural resources management.
Studying at the Labrador Campus in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, provides the rare and unique opportunity to pursue graduate education and research immersed in a stunning Northern location, studying at a Northern-led and Indigenous-focused campus, connecting with and learning from Innu and Inuit lands and cultures, and working closely with an interdisciplinary group of faculty, researchers, Indigenous leaders, Elders, communities, and organizations. This program begins in the spring semester (each May), to allow for an exploration of academic, cultural, and personal learning across all seasons in Labrador.
All research conducted through the Arctic and Subarctic Futures program must directly respond to and address Northern and Indigenous-led research priorities and work in partnership with Northern and Indigenous government, organizations, communities, and/or leaders. As such, this program makes a strong contribution to understanding and addressing the most pressing needs and priorities of the North, and to training a network of learners and leaders who will contribute to Northern social, cultural, and economic growth, development, and prosperity and support healthy and flourishing futures.
Part-time and full-time options are available. While normally an undergraduate degree is required for entrance to graduate studies, consideration of prior learning, professional background, and lived and cultural experiences will be considered for acceptance.
Graduates from this program will be well-trained to pursue diverse career paths, particularly in Northern locations and for Northern-focused and Northern-led organizations, including in government (Indigenous, municipal, provincial, territorial, federal), academia, business and industry, and the not-for-profit sectors.
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