Public Administration - on-campus (MPA)
Our thesis-based on-campus MPA program will challenge you with a curriculum that focuses on strategic awareness, analytical thinking, communication and leadership.
You’ll complete coursework and two co-op work terms. These experiences and your research will prepare you to create an original thesis. You can create your thesis in collaboration with a client organization.
| Expected length | Project or thesis | Course-based |
|---|---|---|
| 2 years, 6+ academic terms, depending on completion of thesis | Yes | No |
Quick facts
- Program options:
- Master's
- Study options:
- Full-time study
- Program delivery:
- On-campus
- Dynamic learning:
- Other: Mandatory co-op
Outcomes
MPA thesis-based (on-campus) students will build competencies in strategic awareness, analytical thinking, collaboration, engagement, communication, research-design, professionalism and leadership.
Your thesis will involve researching problems and considering strategic options to address a policy or management challenge for a government agency, non-profit organization or community client. You’ll reviewing literature, undertake empirical work, best practices, and develop options and recommendations.
Find a supervisor
You are not required to find a supervisor before applying to our programs. We recommend that you list three potential supervisors in your letter of intent.
Astrid Brousselle
Professor Evaluation approaches and methods, planetary health, theory-based evaluation, ecological transition, public health, health system analysis, collaborative/participative/community-based approaches, qualitative methods
Accepting graduate students
Astrid V. Pérez Piñán
Associate professor Decolonial feminism, transnational and Indigenous feminisms, global sustainable development, diverse economies/economic development and wellbeing, colonization and decolonization, reproductive justice, food sovereignty, global South/Latin America, the Caribbean/Puerto Rico, Africa
Bart Cunningham
Professor Human resource issues, leadership, organizational behaviour and change, insight problem solving, stress and mental health, action learning and research
David Castle
Professor Science, technology and innovation policy, focused on open science, data governance, and biodiversity conservation
Accepting graduate students
Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly
Professor Border studies: border disputes, border security, border management, management of cross border regions, European Union: regional and urban policies, immigration and border security policies, Canada-United States border policies
Evert Lindquist
Professor Public sector and public service reform, designing and implementing policy interventions, digital and collaborative governance, horizontal governance and administration to support policy interventions, organizing for policy and administrative innovation, role and influence of think tanks in policy networks, competing values in public sector leadership and reform
Heather Castleden
Professor, Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health Transformative governance, planetary health, decolonizing energy, decolonizing the academy, climate change, climate justice, climate displacement, renewable energy water, social justice, environmental racism, health equity, Indigenous-settler relations, research ethics, relationality, accountability, Indigenous rights, critical methods, anti-colonial, anti-racist, participatory methods, qualitative inquiry, community-based participatory research
Helga Hallgrímsdóttir
Professor and deputy provost citizenship and citizen participation, governance and participatory governance, collective bargaining and dispute resolution in the public sector, social movements, protest and contentious politics, welfare states and social policy, gender and sexuality, work and social vulnerability, labour movements, labour and union politics
Jill Anne Chouinard
Professor and director Program evaluation, developing/adapting culturally responsive methodologies, evaluator engagement and community change, teaching evaluation, critiques of epistemology in evaluation/social sciences, ethics & collaborative practice, equity & community coalitions
Katya Rhodes
Associate professor Multi-attribute climate policy analysis, political economy of climate policy, pro-environmental behaviour, survey-based methods, energy-economy modelling, comparative climate policy
Kim Speers
Associate teaching professor Performance measurement, project and program management, food policy and politics, animal policy and politics, business and strategic planning in government, local government and administration, management consulting and the public sector
Richard Marcy
Associate professor Public and non-profit sector, leadership and management, cognition in organizations, social innovation, non-violent avant-gardes on the left and right, autism and employment
Accepting graduate students
Robert Lapper
Lam Chair in Law and Public Policy, MPA program lead Justice system policy and reform, access to justice, Indigenous law and legal issues, technology and design in law and policy
Sarah Wiebe
Assistant professor & graduate adviser Environmental justice, public engagement, critical policy studies, climate emergencies and displacement, states of emergency, interpretive research and arts-based methods, community development, Indigenous community engagement and governance
Tamara Krawchenko
Associate professor Comparative public policy, regional development, sustainability transitions
Walter Lepore
Assistant professor Organizational analysis and design, organizational performance assessment, program and policy monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, transparency, accountability, corruption and conflict of interests in the public sector, public sector reforms, mixed methods research, experimental research designs, community-based participatory research, capacity development in participatory research, community-university research partnerships, community development
Program details
Providing you accurate admission requirements, application deadlines, tuition fee estimates and scholarships depends on your situation. Tell us about yourself:
Program details
Application deadlines
September entry – apply by January 31
September entry – apply by January 31
Admission requirements
- completion of a 4-year bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an institution recognized by UVic
- equivalent of a minimum B+ (6.0 G.P.A.) average in the final two years of your undergraduate degree
If your first language is not English, you must provide proof of language proficiency. Learn more about language requirements, including allowable exemptions and tests.
Review our general admission requirements for more information.
Program specific requirements
As part of your application, you must submit:
- references letters from two academic referees
- If it has been more than five years since you last attended a post-secondary institution, you may have three professional references in place of academic referees.
- In your application, include the names and email addresses of your referees.
- Graduate Admissions will send your referees a link to complete an assessment report and/or upload their reference letters.
- unofficial transcripts all post-secondary institutions
- a letter of intent describing why you are seeking an MPA and how the degree relates to your career plans, personal values and goals
- a professional résumé
Note: If you do not have a Canadian undergraduate degree, you will need to write and submit your official GRE (Gradute Record Examination) or GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test) scores.
- completion of a 4-year bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an institution recognized by UVic
- equivalent of a minimum B+ (6.0 G.P.A.) average in the final two years of your undergraduate degree
- GMAT or GRE results from the last two years
If your first language is not English, you must provide proof of language proficiency. Learn more about language requirements, including allowable exemptions and tests.
Review our general admission requirements for more information.
Program specific requirements
As part of your application, you must submit:
- references letters from two academic referees
- If it has been more than five years since you last attended a post-secondary institution, you may have three professional references in place of academic referees.
- In your application, include the names and email addresses of your referees.
- Graduate Admissions will send your referees a link to complete an assessment report and/or upload their reference letters.
- unofficial transcripts all post-secondary institutions
- a letter of intent describing why you are seeking an MPA and how the degree relates to your career plans, personal values and goals
- a professional résumé
Note: If you do not have a Canadian undergraduate degree, you will need to write and submit your official GRE (Gradute Record Examination) or GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test) scores.
Completion requirements
View the minimum course requirements for this program.
View the minimum course requirements for this program.
Funding & aid
Tuition & fees
Estimated minimum program cost*
* Based on an average program length. For a per term fee breakdown view the tuition fee estimator.
Estimated values determined by the tuition fee estimator shall not be binding to the University of Victoria.
Ready to apply?
You can start your online application to UVic by creating a new profile or using an existing one.
Faculties & departments
Need help?
Contact Darian Sernoski at paservice@uvic.ca or 250-721-6448.