Master of International Public Policy

• Admission Requirements
• Program Requirements
• Format Options

In order to be admitted to the master's program, a student must meet the general admission requirements of the university. Applicants are expected to have an undergraduate degree at the honours level with a minimum of second class honours or B standing. All candidates are expected to have completed the equivalent of a one term undergraduate course in microeconomic theory, a one term undergraduate course in macroeconomic theory, an introductory statistics course and a relevant political science course. Applicants with inadequate preparation in any of these areas will normally be required to complete additional undergraduate courses before they are admitted to the master's program. Successful completion of the Foundations of International Public Policy non-credit certificate offered through the Balsillie School of International Affairs may be accepted as a substitute for one or more (but not all) of the required undergraduate courses.

Students with undergraduate degrees in economics or political science or whose training and interests involve significant interdisciplinary research pertinent to the area of international public policy are encouraged to apply.

Each student is required to complete 12 one-term courses over three academic terms (Fall/Winter/Spring). In term one, students complete the four required core courses, IP601, IP602, IP603 and IP604. In each of the second and third terms, students select  one of the two fields offered in that term and take two courses required for that field; the interdisciplinary seminar offered that term (IP605 in the Winter, IP606 in the Spring); and one elective course approved by the MIPP director. The courses required for each field are:

The core courses in the first term provide students with knowledge in political science, public sector economics, and quantitative and research methods necessary for public policy analysis in the global context. This common core also helps to ensure that students have a similar graduate experience.

The two required courses in each field provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of that area of international public policy. The team-taught interdisciplinary seminars give students the opportunity to undertake in-depth projects in their chosen fields of international public policy and to develop professional skills, including effective writing, communication, presentation and professional network building. 

The Master of international public policy program is available through two options - a regular and an internship stream. Students in the regular stream complete all program requirements over three consecutive academic terms and do not participate in an internship program during their studies. Sequencing of courses for both regular and internship streams are illustrated below.

Students in the internship stream participate in an approved internship program after the successful completion of their first two academic terms. Students pursuing this option return to campus the following winter term to complete their second field term and finish the program. For students in the internship stream, the program takes 20 months to complete. Students should be aware that their field choices may be more limited since the same two fields (for example, global governance and human security) could be offered in the winter term in consecutive years.

The internship is optional and is undertaken at the initiative of the student. To pursue this option, students must: 

• submit a cover letter providing information on the internship program under consideration and a résumé to the MIPP Program Director by the end of the second week of the winter term, and 
• must have a minimum of an A standing overall in the fall term.