Program Description
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) provides students with opportunities to conduct research and contribute to the study of public policy and the application of policy expertise in the real world. Students graduating from this program possess the research skills necessary to play integral roles in the civil service, research organizations and industry associations. Top students from this program may go on to doctoral programs in public policy.
Following the School's recommended pace, the program can be completed in two years, studying full time. Upon entry into the program, each student is assigned a research advisor and an advisory committee.
Students entering the MPP program are required to participate in the Get Connected! academic orientation for new students, which is held in early September.
The Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) made changes to the MPP program, which takes effect for students enrolled in the fall 2018 semester. Those MPP students who started the program prior to then will be required to meet the program as it was constructed when they were admitted.
Research
As one of Canada's leading schools for policy analysis and research, the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy is making a difference by concentrating its research capacity on three main priority areas:
JSGS faculty are committed to encouraging student involvement on research projects, grant applications, seminar series, and other opportunities for knowledge translation. As such the school has on average three to five fully funded fellowships to support Master of Public Policy and doctoral students.
Reseach Supervisors
It is not necessary to find a potential supervisor before you begin an application. The list below though may be helpful to learn about the individual research interests of our faculty.
| JSGS faculty | Areas of research interest |
| Cheryl Camillo | Public administration; Health administration; Comparative health policy; Health system reform; Canadian and United States public policy; Social policy; Inequality and inequity |
| Ken Coates | Regional innovation;University education and higher education generally; Aboriginal rights and land claims; Science and technology policy; Japan and Canada-Asia relations; Northern development/Circumpolar affairs |
| Bruno Dupeyron | Comparative politics; Multilevel governance; Processes of regional integration; Public action in the international and transnational fields; Border governance; Strategies of institutional building in the European Union, NAFTA and the Mercosur; Immigration policy |
| Murray Fulton | Behavioural economics, Governance, Co-operatives and the social economy, Agricultural and resource policy |
| Robert Hawkins | Administrative law (public inquiries, bias, standards of review), Constitutional law (crown prerogative and conventions), Post-secondary education policy |
| Margot Hurlbert | Law, Government policy, Aboriginal governance, Environment and sustainability, Social justice |
| Tarun Katapally | Population health interventions; Active living research; Child and youth health; Built environment and health; Aboriginal health; Health policy |
| Iryna Khovrenkov | Economics of charities, Foundation and leadership giving, Applied microeconomics, Public economics and tax policy |
| Justin Longo | Digital governance; policy analytics; public sector implementation of artificial intelligence and robotics; social and environmental impacts of technology. |
| Kathleen McNutt | Digital government; Social Media; Policy Analysis; Program Evaluation |
| Haizhen Mou | Health policy; Fiscal policy |
| Peter Phillips | Science, technology and innovation policy; International political economy; Regulation, governance and trade policy; Decision making theory and behavioural experimentation |
| Marc-Andre Pigeon | Co-operatives; Behavioural economics and psychology; Money, banking and the financial sector; Fiscal and monetary policy |
| Ken Rasmussen | Public enterprise management; Administrative reform; Administrative history; Non-profit organizations; Ethics and leadership; Provincial politics |
| Jeremy Rayner | Global forest governance; Resource, environmental and energy policies; Policy theory (especially institutionalism and problems of policy change) |
| Peggy Schmeiser | Secularism/Religion law and policy, Science and innovation policy, Culture and heritage policy |
| Amy Zarzeczny | Health law, Health and science policy, Governance of emerging, unproven and experimental medical interventions and biomedical technologies, Medical tourism |
Courses
The MPP is a research-based degree that involves a combination of course work, research, and the writing of a thesis. Students are required to complete a minimum of 15 credit units of course work. Once an applicant has been admitted, the program of studies (i.e., selection of appropriate courses) will be determined.
Minimum two courses (6 credit units) from the following:
- JSGS 805 - Economics for Public Policy Analysis
- JSGS 862 - Political Economy
- JSGS 865 - Decision Making in Organizations
- JSGS 869 - Ideas in Public Policy Analysis
Minimum one course (3 credit units) from the following:
- JSGS 806 - Public Policy Analysis
- JSGS 867 - Advanced Policy Analysis
- or another course on policy analysis as recommended by the Advisory Committee and approved by the Graduate Chair
Minimum one course (3 credit units) from the following:
- JSGS 803 - Quantitative Methods
- JSGS 851 - Qualitative Methods
- or another methods course as recommended by the Advisory Committee and approved by the Graduate Chair
Minimum one course (3 credit units) from the following:
- JSGS 817 - Health Policy
- JSGS 846 - Co-operatives in the New Economy: Institutions, Policy and Sustainability
- JSGS 849 - Social Economy and Public Policy
- JSGS 854 - Higher Education Policy
- JSGS 859 - Innovation Policy
- JSGS 863 - Indigenous Peoples and Public Policy
- JSGS 864 - Social Policy: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
- JSGS 870 - Water Policy in an Age of Uncertainty
- or another policy course as recommended by the Advisory Committee and approved by the Graduate Chair
Students at the U of R campus must also complete:
- JSGS 990AB - Public Policy Seminar Series (continuous registration required)
- JSGS 901 - Research (registration is required after coursework completion)
- GRST 800AA - Academic Integrity Tutorial This is a non-credit, online course required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research and is at no cost to the student. Students are required to complete the course in their first term of study.
Students at the U of S campus must also complete:
- JSGS 990 - Public Policy Seminar Series (continuous registration required)
- JSGS 994 - Research (continuous registration required)
- GPS 960 - Introduction to Ethics and Integrity This is a non-credit, online course required by the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and is at no cost to the student. Students are required to complete the course in their first term of study.
Application Qualifications
Students will enter the program from a wide variety of disciplines - including everything from the fine arts, to the humanities, to the social sciences, to the physical sciences, to the professional college disciplines - are eligible. Because concepts derived from micro-economics 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 may be offered by the school.
Admission to the MPP program is very competitive. Please note that because the number of applications received greatly exceeds the number of available places (we typically admit six to eight students a year), not all qualified applicants will be offered admission. Successful candidates will typically have an average in excess of 80 per cent (or lower first class).
University of Regina
To meet the entrance requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, all applicants must have completed a four-year undergraduate degree in any area with a GPA of at least 75 per cent.
University of Saskatchewan
To meet the entrance requirements of the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, applicants must have completed a four-year undergraduate degree from a recognized university. To meet the basic program requirements, an average of 75 per cent 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 MPP after a graduate degree.
Funding and Tuition
Funding
Highly qualified MPP students who are engaged in the program on a full-time basis will automatically be considered for funding at a competitive rate.
In addition to potential funding from the school, there are scholarships and awards available for students at the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan.
Tuition
University of Saskatchewan campus
Effective September 1, 2019, to August 31, 2020, the tuition rate for the MPP program at the University of Saskatchewan campus is $1,527.49 (per term), plus graduate student fees, as well as an international surcharge (if applicable). Continuous registration for all students in the MPP program is required - that is, students must register in all three terms each academic year until their program is completed.
University of Regina campus
The tuition rate for MPP program at the University of Regina campus is $1,527.75 (per term) for the 2019/20 academic year, plus graduate student fees, as well as an international surcharge (if applicable). Continuous registration for all students in the MPP program is required - that is, students must register in all three terms each academic year until their program is completed.
Tuition and fees are subject to change. Should there be a discrepancy between the information posted on the institution's website and information posted on the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy website, the institution website should be viewed as accurate.