Admission Requirements
All applicants must meet the entrance requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (University of Regina) or the College of Graduate Studies and Research (University of Saskatchewan), depending on the campus they are applying to.
University of Regina campus
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
All applicants must meet the entrance requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Applicants must have completed a four-year undergraduate degree in any area with a GPA of at least 70 percent. In addition, students will be required to complete a course in statistics if it was not taken as part of their undergraduate program.
Master's Certificates
Applicants interested in entering the master's certificate program must have completed a four-year undergraduate degree with a minimum overall GPA of 70%. Please note that the Public Policy Certificate also requires that applicants have completed introductory courses in micro and macro economics. There is also a mid-career option for admission, in which prospective students with at least five years of government or non-profit organization management experience may be admitted without an undergraduate degree.
University of Saskatchewan campus
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Applicants must have completed a 120-credit-unit bachelor's degree from a recognized university. An average of 75 percent or better must be maintained during the final two years (60 credit units) of the undergraduate program or in the graduate program if students are entering the MPA after a graduate degree. Students from a wide variety of disciplines - for example, everything from the fine arts to the social sciences to the physical sciences to professional college disciplines - are eligible. While it is not necessary, some knowledge of economics, statistics and social science is generally an advantage.
Master of Public Policy (MPP)
Applicants must have completed a 120-credit-unit bachelor's degree from a recognized university. An average of 75 percent or better must have been maintained during the final two years (60 credit units) of their undergraduate program, or in their graduate program if applicants are coming to the MPP after a graduate degree. Students will enter the program from a wide variety of disciplines - for example, students from the fine arts to the social sciences to the physical sciences to the professional college disciplines - are eligible. Because concepts derived from microeconomics and statistics are used in parts of the program, students without a background in these areas are encouraged to take additional non-credit instruction, which the school may offer in the first part of the fall term.
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy (PhD)
Applicants to the PhD program must have a master's degree in public policy, public administration, or in a cognate discipline such as economics, political science, political sociology, or educational administration, with a minimum average of 75 percent in that program.
To apply to the program, applicants are required to submit a research program statement that outlines the research that they would like to pursue in the area of public policy. This should include a well-defined problem statement, a review of the appropriate literature, an initial methodology, and a statement indicating the significance/relevance of such a research program. While students will not be held to the research program that they outline, the document will serve to guide the student and their committee with the courses and the material they explore through their course work.
Students with a master's degree (with thesis) in public policy will be required to take a minimum of nine credit units (three courses) of course work at the PhD level. Each student will have their own faculty advisory committee. Students accepted into the program without this public policy background will be required to complete additional courses, as deemed necessary by their committee, for their successful completion of the program. In certain cases, students may be admitted on condition of satisfactory completion of all or a specified core of MPA/MPP courses and/or a qualifying examination of their prerequisite background for doctoral studies in public policy.
Exceptional students may be considered for a transfer from the school's MPP or MPA program to the PhD program, following completion of at least 15 credit units of the core courses required for the MPP (MPA students who wish to be considered must take MPP core courses through their electives). Students seeking a transfer will be required to pass a qualifying exam. Three letters of recommendation (typically from faculty in the school) in support of the transfer must be provided.
Master of International Trade (MIT)
All applicants must have completed a bachelor's degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university before beginning the program. Students from a wide variety of disciplines-e.g., from the liberal arts, to commerce, to law-are eligible. Please note that equivalent academic and experiential preparation or academic preparation in other disciplines may also be considered for the program.
A cumulative weighted average of 70 percent or better must have been maintained during the final two years of course work (60 credit units) of undergraduate and/or graduate study before application to the program. Applicants are required to have academic credit for one introductory course in both micro-economics and macro-economics before commencing their course work.