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Details

Work Experience
Co-op
Cut off Range:
83-86%

Program Summary

Public policies affect every aspect of our lives. The decisions governments make (or do not make) affect the speed and extent of climate change and our ability to adapt to it. They affect society’s level of prosperity and degree of inequality. They influence our access to housing, education and medical care. Public policies also influence Canada’s role in the world and our response to global challenges. As a student in the Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management program (BPAPM) program, you will learn about how, and why, governments make public policies. You will develop the knowledge of government institutions and the skills in policy analysis to contribute to the policy-making process.

The BPAPM develops your knowledge and skills through a curriculum that combines interdisciplinary study of civic institutions and processes with rigorous study of public policy. A selection of courses in political science, economics, law, communications and history is combined with public policy courses. Together, these courses will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of what government, civil and business organizations do, why they do it and how they might do it better.

The BPAPM program is located in the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, which provides an academic home for our students who come from across Canada and abroad. You will belong to an academic community with access to a program adviser, a peer mentoring program, and to a BPAPM student gathering space.

With an average grade of B+ or better, after first year you become eligible for the co-op program (normally undertaken at the end of second year). This provides you with the opportunity to do paid work with government, the private sector or with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Our students have worked with federal government departments, such as Global Affairs Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Canada Revenue Agency; with local governments, such as the City of Ottawa; and with NGOs, such as WaterAid Canada. You may do one, two or three Co-op terms.

With an average of B or better, after first year you can apply for a student exchange to spend one or two terms studying public affairs at one of Carleton’s partner institutions around the world.
In your first year, you will have the chance to meet with and learn from public policy organizations in Ottawa through Kroeger Policy Connects.

Explore the Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management at Carleton University

Our program offers four specializations, each containing policy streams that reflect specific policy areas within the broader specialization field.

Communication and Policy Studies

  • Policy streams in Communication Technologies and Regulation, and Strategic Public Opinion
    Development Policy Studies

Development Policy Studies

  • Policy streams in Global Economic Relations, Indigenous Policy, and Rights and Human Development

International Policy Studies

  • Policy streams in International Relations and Conflict, and Security and Intelligence

Public Policy and Administration

  • Policy streams in Economic Policy, Environmental and Sustainable Energy Policy, Indigenous Policy, and Social Policy