The MA in Global Governance offered by the University of Waterloo, goes beyond the rigidities and formalities of established academic boundaries by drawing on a variety of disciplines, including economics, politics, history, sociology and environmental studies. Designed to be completed in sixteen months, the program typically consists of two terms of course work, a third term in which students complete a Major Research Paper (MRP) on a specific research topic of their choosing relating to the study of global governance, followed by a fourth term as an intern working on global governance issues in the public or private sector, a research institute or NGO. Students can also take advantage of a number of exchange opportunities. The world faces increasingly complex problems that have taken on global significance, including conflict and peace-building, humanitarian crises and intervention, international economic inequality and instability, and global environmental change.<br><br>The Conflict and Security Research Cluster includes researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including political science, history, geography, sociology, education and economics (with growing links to researchers in the STEM fields). The cluster undertakes to foster linkages among BSIA students and faculty with an interest conflict (and conflict resolution) research, facilitate debate and dialogue within the BSIA community on key contemporary issues of conflict and security, and encourage collaborative research across these areas. Through research, events, and publications, the cluster seeks to enhance the profile of the BSIA as a leading research centre recognized both domestically and internationally for the study of peace, conflict and security.