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Curriculum

Like all programs at Toronto Metropolitan University, the Public Administration and Governance curriculum structure was developed in order to ensure that all TMU students are exposed to a body of material from within their own discipline, a body of material relevant to their own discipline but delivered by other disciplines, and "breadth" in the form of material deliberately not from their own discipline. The goal is a well-rounded total package intended to emphasize a particular base of applied knowledge, but also to broaden the horizons of the student. Each level of the Public Administration and Governance program requires courses from each category of the tripartite curriculum.

Fire Services personnel looking for curriculum information should refer to information specific to your situation.

First Nations' personnel looking for curriculum information should refer to information specific to your situation.

Checklists and Informal Progress Audits

The structure of the Public Administration and Governance program has been amended a few times throughout its history. Students’ individual graduation requirements are established by the curriculum in effect at the time of admission, unless a “Requirement Term Change Form” (available in the Department) has been completed and submitted.

A  (excel file) checklist for the CURRENT Public Administration and Governance curriculum is provided here.  The checklist is in MS-Excel format so it can be completed electronically and saved for future reference and additions.  Students who were admitted to the program before Fall 2011 should contact the Department for guidance. 

Schedule of Course Offerings

Schedule of Program (Professional) courses offered on TMU campus:

Evening, Continuing Education, Open Electives and Liberal Studies Offerings.

A listing of spring course offerings will be posted here in March of each year;

A listing of Fall and Winter course offerings will be posted here in June of each year

Level 1 comprises eight one-semester courses* which introduce the fundamentals of public administration. The program focuses on the organization of government; the unique institutional role of government in society; the structure, processes, and issues characterizing Canadian public administration; and human rights and employment equity issues.

NOTE 1: Students intending to proceed to further levels of the program should familiarize themselves with prerequisites pertaining to professionally related elected courses at all levels of the program, including options leading to a minor.

NOTE 2: Upon successful completion of the courses making up Level 1, students may apply for a Level 1 Certificate in Public Administration and Governance.

* A one-semester course typically consists of a three-hour class one evening per week for 12 or 13 weeks, during the fall, winter, spring or summer terms. Some intensive mode, online, and hybrid options are also available. For online offerings, consult the Chang School Certificate listing (opens in new window) .

Level 2 of the program emphasizes public policy through eight one-semester courses.* Required courses analyze public policy, public sector union-management relations, research methodology, and the ideological basis of administrative institutions. Students also have the opportunity to continue their study of specific administrative functions and skills.

NOTE 1: Students intending to proceed to Level 3 of the program should familiarize themselves with prerequisites pertaining to professionally related elected courses at all levels of the program, including options leading to a minor.

NOTE 2: Upon successful completion of the courses making up Level 2, students may apply for a Level 2 Certificate in Public Administration and Governance.

* A one-semester course typically consists of a three-hour class one evening per week for 12 or 13 weeks, during the fall, winter, spring or summer terms. Some intensive mode, online, and hybrid options are also available. For online offerings, consult the Chang School Certificate Listing (opens in new window) .

Successful completion of the three levels (Level 1, 2 and 3) leads to a Bachelor of Arts - Honours [B.A.(Hon.)] in Public Administration and Governance.

Specific requirements of Level 3 (opens in new window)  for students admitted in or after Fall 2011:

  • Course Option
  • Practicum Option
  • Practicum Option – Admission through a First Nations partnership

Normally, Level I consists of 24 one-semester courses, Course Option.  However, students with significant public sector experience may be eligible to enroll in the Practicum Option (PPA50A/B (opens in new window) ), which reduces the number of coursers required at this level to 17 one-semester courses.

To determine eligibility to enrol in the Practicum Option, please complete a Work Experience Assessment Form (in either . (PDF file) pdf (opens in new window)  or . (word file) docx (opens in new window)  format) AND a  (excel file) Checklist (opens in new window)  (which serves as an Academic Assessment Form) and submit them to the Undergraduate Program Director (UPD), who will advise as to whether the cited work experience satisfies the criteria of the Practicum Option.  This should be done following successful completion of the Level II Certificate. Although the Practicum should be the last thing taken in the Public Administration and Governance program, eligibility must be determined early, in order to plan the orderly satisfaction of the degree requirements.

Please note that eligibility for the Practicum Option requires evidence of at least three (3) years of paid, full-time, work experience appropriate and relevant to the application of knowledge and skills in public administration.  To enrol in PPA50, students must also have a CGPA of at least 2.67, have completed PPA333 and at least eleven of the total number of Required Group 1 courses at all levels [at least six (6) of the eight (8) “Required Group 1” courses at Level 3].

  • If you have enrolled in any CE courses using a Continuing Education (CNED) career, a manual calculation of CPGA will be necessary as those courses will not be included in the system-generated CGPA. 
  • If you have enrolled in any CE courses using an undergrad (UGRD) career, no further calculation is necessary, as the courses will be included in the system-generated CGPA. 

The post-baccalaureate Certificate in Public Administration and Leadership may be of interest to those who already have a baccalaureate degree, possibly in another discipline.  This Certificate is not part of the BA (Hon.) program in Public Administration and Governance, but it is comprised of courses that also form part of the BA program.

Click here for details of the post-baccalaureate Certificate in Public Administration and Leadership (opens in new window) .

Effective Fall 2011, some changes to the Public Administration and Governance program took effect. Please consult the Calendar for details.

  • Courses in the program have been renumbered so that they all have a “PPA” prefix, and so that they follow a more traditional University nomenclature, with 100, 200, 300, and 400 indicating (approximately) the “year” in a 4-year BA program in which they should be taken
  • View a summary of  (PDF file) course renumbering

In terms of program structure, features of the restructuring include:

  • Slight changes to what is required and what is elective at Level 1 and Level 2
  • Some relocation of courses between Level 2 and Bachelor of Arts (Hon.), and an expansion of courses that can satisfy the Economics requirement at Level 2
  • Separation of Bachelor of Arts (Hon.) into three distinct “options” (Research Paper, Practicum, and Practicum – First Nations)

Students admitted prior to Fall 2011 who wish to follow the new curriculum should contact the Department of Politics and Public Administration and complete a Term Requirement Change Form. The form is available in hard copy only from the Program Administrator in the Department.