Located in Ottawa, Carleton University's School of Public Policy and Administration is Canada's oldest multidisciplinary graduate school in the field. Established in 1953, SPPA produces leaders for the public and nonprofit sectors and high quality, innovative research in policy and public management. SPPA is the number one ranked policy school in Canada, as rated by Corporate Knights, for curriculum content and research related to sustainable development. It is accredited by CAPPA. The SPPA location in the nation's capital means that students have easy access to Parliament and federal government departments, archives and libraries, international embassies and the many national and international non-governmental organizations based in Ottawa.
Degree Programs
– established in 1992, this interdisciplinary program is the first of its kind in Canada and admits 6-9 students per year.
– this two year professionally relevant academic degree provides a strong foundation in both the theory and practice of public management and policy analysis. The very popular co-operative education option allows students to gain one or two terms of valuable experience in government or other organizations.
– Offered jointly with the Faculty of Engineering and Design, the program offers advanced training in all aspects of sustainable and renewable energy. It ensures that policy students understand some basics of energy technology and that they can work in teams with engineers.
– Launched in 2012, this program prepares graduates to be innovators and leaders in charities, nonprofits, advocacy organizations, social enterprises, philanthropic foundations, development offices, and in the governments, financial institutions and businesses that interact with them.
These course diplomas are targeted toward working professionals or those with advanced degrees already; they may be credited toward the Masters, although there is a separate admissions process:
The School is also a partner with the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank in the acclaimed International Program for Development Evaluation Training. This executive training program brings about 200 professionals from 80 countries to Carleton for up to a month every summer to acquire practical skills for conducting and managing evaluation in a development context.
Publications
How Ottawa Spends is a review of government policies and spending that has been produced annually since 1980.
Innovation, Science and Environment is a publication by faculty associated with CRUISE.
ISEMA: Perspectives on Innovation, Science & Environment] is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes a selection of the top papers produced by students in the MA program that deal with innovation, science and environment topics. Launched in 2005, it has produced annual issues since.
Northern Public Affairs is a public policy magazine for Northern Canada; its mandate it to create space for informed policy debate on the topics most relevant to Northerners. Founded in fall 2011, it publishes three issues a year, featuring articles written by, and for, an audience of academics, commentators, current and former politicians, business leaders, public servants, and engaged northerners.
History
In 1942 community leaders in Ottawa, recognizing the need for specialized education to meet the demands of a growing public service, created Carleton College with public administration and journalism as its first programs. The first graduate degree in public administration was awarded in 1946. With support from the Atkinson Foundation, the School of Public Administration was established in 1953. The PhD in Public Policy was created in 1992 – also a first in Canada – and in 2001 the school was renamed the School of Public Policy and Administration.
