Public Policy and Administration

About

Government and the workings of the public sector impact us all.

Canadian governing bodies—Indigenous, federal, provincial, and municipal—rely on the expertise, experience and nonpartisan leadership of individuals working within its institutions and communities to investigate problems and options, design and implement solutions, and administer and evaluate programs that serve citizen needs. As communities and as individuals, we all benefit when they employ policy professionals from diverse backgrounds who are strategic, innovative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial in their thinking.

If you are interested in a fulfilling career that delivers community impact, we encourage you to explore graduate studies available through the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.

Academic (for credit) Programs

The school currently offers the following Academic (for credit) Programs:

Program name

Program Type

Delivery type

Standard length of time to program completion

Master of Public Administration

Course-based, master’s program

Offered in-person

Competitive internship program option available

2 years

Master of Public Policy

Research-based master’s program

Offered in-person

2 years

Master of Health Administration

Course-based, master’s program

Professional experience required.

Offered online

Option to major in Health Informatics and Information Management

2-3 years

Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy

Research-based doctoral program

Offered in-person

3-5 years

Master’s Certificates

Topics include:
Economic Analysis for Public Policy
Health Systems Management
Indigenous Nation-Building
Public Management
Public Policy Analysis
Social Economy, Co-operatives, and the Non-Profit Sector

Course-based, certificate programs

Offered in-person and online

Each certificate includes three graduate-level courses

*Students who complete a certificate can ladder into the MPA program.

1 year

Careers in Public Policy and Administration

Our MPA and MPP graduates have gone on to successful careers in the federal, provincial, municipal and Indigenous governments and private, non-governmental and nonprofit agencies, in roles including:

Senior Government Managers and Officials (Ministers, Assistant Deputy Ministers and Indigenous Chiefs, Executive Directors, Chief Administrator Officers, City Administrators)
Managers and Chief of Staff
Regional Program Officers, Program Managers, Senior Policy Advisors
Policy Analysts, Strategic Analysts and Research Analysts
Strategic Business Advisors and Strategic Business Development Officers
Economists
Public Affairs Counsellors
Chiefs of Police, Staff Sergeants and Parole Officers
Consultants

Professional Development Programs

In addition to its academic programming, the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy offers a variety of short professional development (non-credit) programs and workshops focused on governance, leadership, and policy. These programs and workshops are designed to address labour market priorities identified by public sector partners and Indigenous communities and are facilitated by former senior public servants now serving as JSGS Executives-in-Residence, and in some instances, partners such as First Nations University of Canada.

About the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy

With campuses at the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan, the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) delivers an innovative and practical education that meets the needs of students, employers and the greater public. Taught by respected scholars and former senior public servants, the school’s programs combine theoretical concepts and applied teachings, so that students gain the knowledge, skills, and a real-world understanding of the practical realities of policymaking and public administration.

Graduates leave career-ready with the professional, analytical, and technical skills required to successfully perform and lead in the public sector.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Doctoral Degree

Normally, applicants must have obtained a thesis-based Master's degree in the discipline to qualify as a doctoral student. Applicants must have academic credentials consistent with being fully-qualified to undertake graduate work at the doctoral level. The categories of probationary or qualifying student do not apply at the doctoral level. An applicant who does not have sufficient background training or courses prerequisite to scholarly work in the particular subject of study and research will not be admitted as a doctoral student. An applicant may be admitted as a Master's student and be required to undertake specific courses toward establishing appropriate credentials, but any graduate study undertaken for this purpose cannot be counted as time spent toward formal requirements for the degree. Alternatively, an applicant may be accepted at the Master's level as a means of illustrating suitability to enter a doctoral program, and after the first year may request, through the academic unit, a transfer to a PhD program. A comprehensive examination or equivalent is not a formal requirement of FGSR, but may be required by individual academic units.

English Program Requirements

English Proficiency Tests. International applicants, except those who attended universities where the language of instruction was English, must submit proof of English proficiency, usually in the form of recognized tests with the exception of applications to French language programs in La Cité universitaire francophone. The most common is TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Applicants must have a TOEFL score of at least 4 Internet-based, except as noted below. FGSR accepts the following tests:

TOEFL iBT : 4 each band

IELTS : 6.5 overall,6.0 each

PTE : 59

Duolingo: 125 overall, 120 each for Speaking, Writing, and Reading, 115 for Listening

Career

Senior Government Managers and Officials (Ministers, Assistant Deputy Ministers and Indigenous Chiefs, Executive Directors, Chief Administrator Officers, City Administrators)
Managers and Chief of Staff
Regional Program Officers, Program Managers, Senior Policy Advisors
Policy Analysts, Strategic Analysts and Research Analysts
Strategic Business Advisors and Strategic Business Development Officers
Economists
Public Affairs Counsellors
Chiefs of Police, Staff Sergeants and Parole Officers
Consultants

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

3,601 / per year