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Public Administration (BPA Specialized Honours and Honours)

Honours Degree Overview: Four Years

The best public management leaders have excellent critical thinking and a solid base of diverse knowledge. In this honours-only program, we will help you develop these skills–with an emphasis on social justice, ethics and good governance–so you can excel in today’s dynamic multicultural work environment.

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The Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) is an Honours-only interdisciplinary program. The first year courses provide foundational knowledge across a range of disciplines.

CORE REQUIRED COURSES (ALL PROGRAMS)

AP/PPAS 1110 3.0 Introduction to Public Administration (Fall term only)
AP/PPAS 2110 3.0 Canadian Government (Winter term only)
AP/PPAS 2195 3.0 Professional Skills and Communication (Fall term only)
AP/ADMS 1000 3.00 Introduction to Business
Accounting course - choose one of AP/ADMS 1500 3.0 or AP/ADMS 1550 3.0 or AP/ADMS 2500 3.0
AP/ECON 1000 3.0 Introduction to Microeconomics (this can also be taken over the Summer or in year two)
AP/ECON 1010 3.0 Introduction to Macroeconomics (this can also be taken over the Summer or in year two)

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

9.0 credit from Humanities or Social Science
6.0 credit from Humanities or Social Science (whichever is not taken in the line above)
6.0 credit from Natural Science (this can be 2x 3.0 courses)

*Please have your course selections checked by the academic advisor for the BPA program at least once per year to ensure that you meet the requirements for your specific program option/stream.

In the second year students can complete core courses that are common across all BPA program options (Specialized Honours and Honours), or if certain about chosen stream for specialization, start taking courses specific to one of three streams in the Specialized Honours BPA: Law, justice and public policy; Management or Policy Analysis.

CORE REQUIRED COURSES (ALL PROGRAMS)

AP/PPAS 3135 3.0 Public Law I
AP/PPAS 3136 3.0 Public Law II
AP/PPAS 3190 6.0 Public Administration

LAW, JUSTICE AND PUBLIC POLICY STREAM

AP/PPAS 2200 3.0 Communities and Public Law
AP/PPAS 2420 3.0 Community Policing

MANAGEMENT STREAM

AP/ADMS 2400 3.0 Introduction to Organizational Behaviour
AP/HRM 2600 3.0 Human Resources Management

POLICY ANALYSIS STREAM

AP/HRM 2600 3.0 Human Resources Management

Students can enrol in the optional LA&PS Co-Op Program as early as their second year.

*Credits outside the major vary by specialization/stream. Please have your course selections checked by the academic advisor for the BPA program at least once per year to ensure that you meet the requirements for your specific program option/stream.

In the third year BPA students specialize in one of three streams in the Specialized Honours program or continue in Honours.

CORE REQUIRED COURSES (ALL PROGRAMS)

AP/PPAS 3300 6.0 Statistics for Social Sciences

LAW, JUSTICE AND PUBLIC POLICY STREAM

6 credits selected from: SOCI 3810 6.0 or CRIM 3654 3.0, CRIM 3655 3.0, CRIM 3656 3.0

6 additional credits under the AP/PPAS or AP/POLS rubric at the 3000 or 4000-level (can be split over Years 3 and 4)

MANAGEMENT STREAM

AP/ADMS 3353 3.0 Project Management
AP/PPAS 3524 3.0 Public Sector Budget Process
3 credits under the AP/HRM course rubric at the 3000 or 4000-level
6 credits under the AP/ADMS or AP/HRM course rubrics at the 3000 or 4000-level (can be split over Years 3 and 4)

POLICY ANALYSIS STREAM

AP/PPAS 3524 3.0 Public Sector Budget Process

Additional credits at the 3000 or 4000-level, 12 of which must be in AP/PPAS and six of which can be in PPAS or POLS (can be split over Years 3 and 4)

HONOURS BPA

AP/PPAS 3524 3.0 Public Sector Budget Process

15 additional credits under the AP/PPAS rubric at the 3000 or 4000-level, at least 6 of which must be at the 4000 level (can be split over Years 3 and 4)

Students focus on completing their 4000-level requirements, including our key experiential education (EE) courses to ensure career readiness. Please visit our website for more information on our EE offerings at the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA).

CORE REQUIRED COURSES (ALL PROGRAMS)

AP/PPAS 4310 6.0 Program Evaluation - EE course

RECOMMENDED COURSES (ALL PROGRAMS)

AP/PPAS 4995 6.0 Practicum in Public Administration - EE course with placement, can be utilized towards 4000-level AP/PPAS credits as outlined below

LAW, JUSTICE AND PUBLIC POLICY STREAM

AP/PPAS 4070 6.0 Sociology of Law
AP/PPAS 4130 6.0 Politics, Law and the Courts

6 additional credits under the AP/PPAS or AP/POLS rubric at the 3000 or 4000-level (can be split over Years 3 and 4)

MANAGEMENT STREAM

AP/PPAS 4200 6.0 Applied Public Policy Analysis

Continue AP/HRM and AP/ADMS credits as outlined under Year 3

3 additional AP/PPAS credits at the 3000 or 4000 level

POLICY ANALYSIS STREAM

AP/PPAS 4200 6.0 Applied Public Policy Analysis

Continue additional credits at the 3000 or 4000-level, 12 of which must be in AP/PPAS and six of which can be in PPAS or POLS as outlined under Year 3

HONOURS BPA

Continue 15 additional credits under the AP/PPAS rubric at the 3000 or 4000-level, at least 6 of which must be at the 4000 level as outlined under Year 3

The Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) program is an Honours only program that offers diverse career paths in the public, non-profit as well as private sectors. The core curriculum is the same for all program options - Specialized Honours and Honours so that students can explore their interests and change specializations easily. The Specialized Honours BPA offers three streams to choose from: Law, Justice and Public Policy; Management and Policy Analysis.

Students can enrol in the optional LA&PS Co-Op Program as early as their second year.