6.18 Public Administration
Head: W.F.W. Neville
General Office: 532 Fletcher Argue
Telephone: (204) 474 9733
Fax: (204) 474 7585
Email: Political_Studies@UManitoba.CA
Web: www.umanitoba.ca/arts/political_studies/
Academic Staff
Program Information
This master's program is offered jointly by the Department of Political Science at the University of Winnipeg and the Department of Political Studies of the University of Manitoba. Unless otherwise specified by particular agreements attached to its own creation, it is governed by the general procedures and regulations devised by the two universities for joint masters' programs.
The objective of the program is to provide students, both full and part-time, with a sound knowledge of public administration. The approach is interdisciplinary; although courses in Political Science/Studies are emphasized. The core exposes all students to a common set of courses designed to encourage both innovative and integrative perspectives. The public administration emphasis allows those interested students to obtain knowledge of both the theory and the practice of government organizations, including knowledge of the political, economic, social and other contexts in which they operate.
Master of Public Administration
Admission
In addition to the admission requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this calendar, applicants for admission to the program must be one of the following:
- Persons holding a recognized three-or four-year General or Advanced Bachelor's degree (B.A., B.Sc., B.E.S., etc.)
or
- Persons holding a recognized four-year honours Bachelor's degree (or equivalent)
or
- Persons who do not hold an undergraduate degree, but have attained positions of marked responsibility in either public or private sector management, and who have a demonstrated record of outstanding performance in their career. Admissions in this category will normally be restricted to one or two students per academic year.
Applicants should normally have some formal course background in public administration or economics.
Admissions deadline: January 15
Contact the department for additional application procedures.
Program Requirements
Two-Year MPA Program
Students who are admitted as graduates of a general bachelor's degree program or who are admitted as exceptional candidates not holding an undergraduate degree are required to satisfactorily complete an academic program consisting of a minimum of 48 credit hours. Within the 48 credit hours, 30 hours of credit must be taken from among the Core Courses and a further 18 hours of credit from among the approved options. All students must complete at least 18 hours of credit at the 700/7000 level, including the 700/7000 level core courses. A student may elect, with permission, to write a Master's thesis in lieu of 12 hours or 700/7000 level credit.
One-Year MPA Program
Students who are admitted as graduates of an Honours bachelor's degree (or equivalent) are required to satisfactorily complete an academic program consisting of a minimum of 24 credit hours. Students who, prior to admission, have not completed 24 credit hours in courses equivalent to those designated as 400/4000 level Core Courses will normally be required to complete the appropriate course(s) in addition to the 24 credit hour program minimum. All students must complete at least 18 hours of credit at the 700/7000 level, including the 700/7000 level core courses. A student may elect, with permission, to write a Master's thesis in lieu of 12 hours of 700/7000 level credit. Students in the one-year M.P.A. program are required to take the Seminar in Theory and Practice of Public Administration (019.737 or 041.7333/041.7334). A student may elect, with permission to write a Master's thesis in lieu of 12 credit hours of 700/7000 level course-work.
Coop Education Option in Public Administration
The Cooperative Education Option in the Master of Public Administration program combines full-time academic study with the benefits of practical work experience, largely in the public sector. A full-time student who has completed one academic year in good academic standing will be eligible to engage in full-time employment. The program requires the successful completion of two work-terms of 13 weeks each. The work terms provide students with practical experience, enriched knowledge in an area of policy specialization, industry-standard remuneration, and guidance in career choices.
Students engaged in full-time study in the M.P.A. program are eligible to apply for the full-time co-operative education option on satisfactory completion of their first year of full-time M.P.A. studies (24 credit hours). The coop option consists of two 13-week work terms which can be taken consecutively or separately. Each work term carries three hours of course credit and each must be satisfactorily completed as part of the coop option. Students in the two-year M.P.A. program with a co-op option must therefore complete a minimum of 54 credit hours as part of their degree requirements. Students in the one-year M.P.A. program with a coop option must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours as part of their degree requirements. Students intending to apply for the M.P.A. coop option should read the detailed option description below.
Application and Eligibility
Application for the Cooperative Education Option in the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program is part of the normal application process for the M.P.A. program as a whole. The Cooperative Education Option is restricted to those who apply for full-time study in the M.P.A. Students who are accepted into the M.P.A. with a cooperative option must, in their first academic year, successfully complete required non-credit courses in addition to their full-time academic course load.
Work Terms and Continuance
On entry to the M.P.A. program, applicants accepted for the coop option must arrange their program with the director of cooperative education in the MPA program and take part in a competitive job-matching process conducted in an Employers' Forum. Students who are eligible for coop, but who are not matched with a coop work term, will be able to continue in the regular M.P.A. program. Coop students who have successfully completed one full academic year of coursework, and the required non-credit courses, and who have satisfied the M.P.A. requirements for continuation in the program, will be eligible to engage in their first work term placement.
Each work term is 13 weeks duration and each work term carries three hours of course credit for which registration is required. Coop students are considered to have full-time student status while engaged in a work term placement. Coop students must successfully complete two work terms in addition to their academic program. Work terms are evaluated in terms for job performance and assigned written work (project or practicum). The final grade for each work term will employ the GPA scale which is used by the M.P.A. program. The course and grade requirements ("B" average overall and no course less than "C+") for the cooperative education option are those which govern the M.P.A. program as a whole. If a coop student fails to maintain these requirements, s/he will be permitted one make-up work term attempt. If a student fails to meet the requirements on the make-up attempt, s/he will be required to withdraw from the M.P.A. program. Graduates of the M.P.A. program with the cooperative education option will have their cooperative education experience acknowledged on their M.P.A. (C.E.) parchment.
Coop Education Work Term Courses
Students in the cooperative education option must complete six credit hours:
019.650 Cooperative Education Work Term 1
019.651 Cooperative Education Work Term 2
Further Coursework
With the approval of the chair of the JDC, and other approval as may be required, courses may be chosen from the following list or from, for example, offerings in Economics, Geography, Psychology, Sociology, etc.
Ph.D. in Public Administration
Public Administration does not offer a Ph.D. Program
Course Descriptions
