The State of Public Administration Education in Canadian Colleges

A Research Report Commissioned by the

Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration

with the support of

The Canada School of Public Service

February 29, 2008

Submitted by:

Ted Glenn, Principal Investigator

Larissa England, Research Assistant

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Introduction

Public Administration Programs

Law Enforcement

Criminal Justice

Legal Studies

Government Administration

Location of Programs

Credentials

Cooperative Education

Transfer Agreements

Conclusion & Recommendations

CAPPA

Membership

Membership Value

Accreditation

CSPS

Appendix One: Canadian College Public Administration Programs

Executive Summary

  • There are currently 170 colleges in Canada, 60 of which offer a total of 151 hands-on, vocationally-oriented educational programmesin public administration;
  • Almost two-thirds of colleges that offer public administration programming are located in either Ontario (49%) or British Columbia (13%);
  • College-based public administration programs can be organized into four categories: Law Enforcement programs (49 total); Criminal Justice programs (43 total); Legal Studies (32 total);and Government Administration programs (27 total);
  • the largest number of Law Enforcement programs are Police Foundations/Police Studies diploma programs (40 out of a total 49 programs);
  • Correctional Servicesdiploma programs make up the largest proportion of programs in the Criminal Justice category (13 out of a total 43 programs);
  • Law & Security Administration programs make up the largest proportion of Legal Studies programs (15 our of a total 32 programs);
  • Municipal Administration programs make up the largest proportion of Government Administration programs (15 out of a total 27 programs);
  • Canadian colleges issue a range of credentials upon completion of their public administration programs, from to diplomas (99), to certificates (25), to applied bachelor degrees (9);
  • Almost 40% of all college programs (58 of 151) offer a cooperative education opportunity for students; and
  • Most colleges have signed articulation agreements with universities in Canada and abroad to allow graduates of their public administration programs to transfer into bachelor-level programming with advanced standing.

Introduction

In 2007, the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA), with the support of the Canada School of Public Service, commissioned two studies on the state of undergraduate public administration education in Canada – one on programming offered by Canadian colleges and the other on programming offered by Canadian universities at the undergraduate level. Dr. Ted Glenn of Humber College was named Principal Investigator of the colleges project and Dr. Lorna Stefanick of Athabasca University was named Principal Investigator of the universities project.

As a starting point for both studies, we adopted Barker’s definition of public administration as "the system of authority, people, offices and methods that [public] executives use to achieve defined objectives."[1]For us, the critical feature of this definition is that it distinguishes public administration from general business administration in the support given to publicly-elected executives and their delegates in achieving public goods.

Working from this definition, we next identified the key functions of public administration as follows:

  • Policy Development includes the following functions: primary and secondary research, verbal and written communications, critical analysis, policy design, evaluation, coordination, stakeholder engagement, legislative support, administrative support, negotiation;
  • Human Resource Management includes the following functions: organizational behaviour; occupational health and safety; labour relations; compensation; HR planning; recruitment and selection; and training and development;
  • Finance/Business Planning includes the following activities: finance; budgeting; accounting; business planning; quality service and program evaluation;
  • Communications/Public Relations includes the following activities: researching and writing briefing/issue notes; identifying the critical issues in media reports and developing appropriate responses; developing and implementing marketing strategies (including advertising plans) for new and existing government initiatives; event planning and management;
  • Operations includes the following activities: project management; information technology; customer service; e-commerce;
  • Legal Affairs can include the practice of law in at least the following areas: administrative law; constitutional law; criminal law; environmental law; human rights; immigration and refugee law; international law; and taxation law.

Using these definitions, we conducted an initial environmental scan of programs that prepared students to administer the public good in some way and included a nominal number of courses in the specific areas of public administration outlined above. Not surprisingly, we found that Canadian colleges and universitiescurrently offer literally hundreds of programs in the field, including: nursing (174 programs), social work (107 programs), police foundations (40 programs), criminal justice (16 programs), and local/municipal administration (15 programs).

Obviously, not all of these programs have a strict focuson public administration, many offering only one or two courses related to understanding or preparing students to help publicly-elected executives define and achieve the public good. What we needed was a more rigorous definition. After consultation with our respective Advisory Committees, we determined that in order to be considered a program in public administration (ie, dedicated to supporting publicly-elected executives in their definition of the public good and implementation of programs dedicated to achieving the public good), a program would have to have:

a)as one of its primary goals (as stated on a website or brochure) preparing students to provide support to publicly-elected executives and their delegates in their efforts to define the public good and implement programs in support of achieving the public good;

b)20% of courses specifically designed to prepare students to understand and define what public goods are (political science, urban sociology, Canadian justice system, etc.); and

c)20% of courses specifically designed to prepare students to provide support to publicly-elected executives in at least one of the categories outlined above (ie. policy, HR, finance, communications/public relations, operations, and legal).

Applying these criteria to our inventory of college programs, we found that of the 170 colleges in Canada, 60currently offer 151 programs in public administration. For the most part, these programs have very specific vocational mandates, meaning they are designed primarily to prepare graduates to undertake particular kinds of work in defined areas of public administration. As the first part of this report shows, these areas are:

  • Law Enforcement, which includes 49 programs like Police Foundations that prepare graduates to work in the field of law enforcement as officers or administrators;
  • Criminal Justice, which includes 43 programs like Criminology and Correctional Services that prepare graduates to work as correctional officers, immigration officers, and by-law enforcement officers;
  • Legal Studies, which includes 32 programs like Law & Security Administration and Paralegal Studies that prepare graduates to work as paralegals as well as in support of law enforcement operations; and
  • Government Administration, which includes 28 like including Municipal Administration and Public Administration that prepare graduates to work as relatively-specialized municipal administrators and entry-level public administrators.

To get a sense of how many students are enrolled in college-based public administration programs in Canada, we contacted each of the 60 colleges that offer public administration programming and requested information about their enrolment levels over the past five years. Unfortunately (but not surprisingly) we received responses back from only five institutions – one large college (>15,000 full-time students), three medium-sized colleges (5,000-15,000 full-time students), and one small college (<5,000 full-time students). In order to get a (very) rough idea of how many students are currently enrolled in Canadian college PA programming, we calculated the average proportion of PA students as a total of full-time enrolments at the institutions that responded to us (0.04%) and multiplied that figure by the total number of full-time enrolments currently reported by Canadian colleges. Based on these calculations, we estimate that approximately 16,000 students are currently enrolled in college PA programs across Canada.

As diplomas are the standard terminal credential conferred by colleges in Canada, it is not surprising that diplomas represent two-thirds of the credentials conferred upon completion of college-based public administration programs. Befitting the vocational mandate of most diploma programs, we found that almost 40% of all college programs feature cooperative education as part of their curriculum. And consistent with the college’s role as a first point of contact for many students with the Canadian postsecondary education system, most colleges have signed articulation agreements with universities in Canada and abroad to allow public administration graduates to transfer into bachelor-level programming with advanced standing. In this connection, it is interesting to note that Canadian colleges now offer nine applied bachelor’s degrees in various areas of public administration with more on the way.

Public Administration Programs

Law Enforcement

Canadian colleges offer 49 Law Enforcement programs. The largest number of programs in this category is Police Foundations/Police Studies diploma programs, which make up well over half of the programs in this category (40). These programs are “primarily designed to provide individuals seeking a career in policing with a combination of academic and generic skills training as preparation for potential employment with a police service.”[2] Military Arts & Sciences programs, the next largest subgroup, are designed to “provide Non-Commissioned Members of the Canadian Forces and those interested in military affairs, a comprehensive knowledge of leadership, critical thinking, security studies, resource management, and communication skills deemed essential to the functioning of modern military.”[3]

The following table provides examples of course titles in selected Law Enforcement programs that prepare students to understand and define what public goods are and those that prepare students to provide support to publicly-elected executives in at least one of the functions of public administration outlined above (i.e., policy, HR, finance, communications/public relations, operations, and legal):

Program / Courses that prepare students to define a public good / Courses that prepare students to support implementation of a public good
Police Foundations
Durham College, ON
4 terms/2 years
Online option, no placement
Diploma
$4,040.00/term /
  • Political Science
  • Sociology and Canadian Society
  • Canadian Criminal Justice System
  • Youth in Conflict with the Law
  • Diversity & First Nations
/
  • Criminal & Civil Law
  • Public Administration
  • Community Policing
  • Investigation & Evidence
  • Police Powers

Police Studies
Assiniboine Community College, MB
2 terms/1 year
No placement
Certificate
$2,897.06/term /
  • Criminal Code
  • Criminal Justice System
  • Provincial Statutes
/
  • Community-based Policing
  • Major Crimes Investigations
  • Managing the Police Function

Advanced Law Enforcement & Investigations
Durham College, ON
2 terms/1 year
Placement
Graduate Certificate
$2,500.00 /
  • Advanced Criminal Code
  • Conflict Management- LawAuthority & Liability
  • Race, Religion & Diversity
  • Public Safety
  • Technology and Justice
/
  • Security Leadership & Operations
  • Media Communications
  • Investigation, Evidence & Court Procedures
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution,Mediation, Negotiation Techniques & Practices
  • Applications, Search Warrant Procedures

Military Arts & Sciences
Algonquin College of Applied Arts & Technology, ON
part-time/1-2 years
Online, no placement
Diploma
$4,080.87 /
  • The Law of Armed Conflict
  • The Canadian Forces and Modern Society: Civics, Politics and International Relations
  • Racism and Discrimination
  • Environmental Citizenship
  • Cults & Terrorism
/
  • Management: Principles and Practices in a Canadian Defense Setting
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Introduction to Project Management
  • Business Communications
  • Operations Planning Process

Criminal Justice

Canadian colleges offer 43 Criminal Justice programs, the largestsubgroup of which is Correctional Services diploma programs. These programs are designed to “develop students' understanding and skills necessary to effectively deal with and assist offenders and to provide students with a strong, practical knowledge of the Canadian criminal justice system.”[4] The next largest subgroup in this category is Criminal Justice. These diploma programs “provide students the knowledge and skills allowing them to pursue employment in the community and justice services field [and are] of interest to people who wish to become…police officers, correctional officers, youth workers, immigration officers, bylaw enforcement officers, customs inspectors, community service order officers, and sheriff's officers.”[5] Criminology diploma programs allow students to “study the criminal justice system, which is comprised of all those elements that attempts to manage, punish, and prevent crime such as private and public law enforcement agencies and corrections, the judicial system, and related domains like Customs and Excise, Immigration, and Social Services.”[6]

The following table provides examples of course titles in selected Criminal Justice programs that prepare students to understand and define what public goods are and those that prepare students to provide support to publicly-elected executives in at least one of the functions of public administration outlined above (i.e., policy, HR, finance, communications/public relations, operations, and legal):

Program / Courses that prepare students to define a public good / Courses that prepare students to support implementation of a public good
Community & Justice Studies
Canadore College of Applied Arts & Technology, ON
4 terms/2 years
Placement
Diploma
$5,700.20 /
  • Criminology
  • Canadian Correctional System
  • Criminal Law and Procedures
  • First Nations/Multiculturalism
  • Criminal Law and Procedures
/
  • Correctional Programming
  • Community Program Development and Intervention
  • Correctional Administration
  • Principles of Community Re-integration

Community & Justice Studies
Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, ON
4 terms/ 2 years
Placement
Diploma
$5,554.32 /
  • Sociology
  • Youth Justice System
  • Psychology
  • Diversity: Issues and Solutions Criminology
  • Humanities
/
  • Ethical Issues
  • Conflict Management Community
  • Institutional Correctional Practices
  • Restorative Justice
  • Community Correctional Practices

Criminal Justice
New Brunswick Community College, NB
4 terms/ 2 years
No placement
Diploma
$3,600.00 /
  • Sociology
  • Criminology
  • Criminal Justice System
  • White Collar Crime
  • Criminal Law
/
  • Communications
  • Policing Operations
  • Community Based Policing
  • Introduction to Law Enforcement
  • Community Justice Interventions

North Justice &Criminology
Yukon College, YK
4 terms/ 2 years
Placement
Diploma
$2,250.00 /
  • Intro to Criminology
  • Intro to Political Thought
  • Intro to Sociology
  • Canadian Law & LegalInstitutions
  • Canadian Criminal Justice System
/
  • Psychological Explanations-Crime/Deviance
  • Sociological Explanations-Crime/Deviance
  • Intro-Substantive Criminal Law

Legal Studies

Canadian colleges offer 32 Legal Studies programs, Law & Security Administration programs making up almost half (15 programs) the programs in this category. These provide students with “the knowledge and skills required to work in law enforcement and provide instruction that is appropriate for a wide range in careers including policing, private security and the Canadian Forces.”[7] Court & Tribunal Agent and Paralegal Studies programs make up the second largest grouping of programs this category. These programs are “directed at individuals who wish to become licensed paralegals and who wish to be self-employed, offering permitted legal services to the public, or, who prefer to work in paralegal firms, private and public sector law departments, law offices and legal clinics.”[8]

The following table provides examples of courses in selected Legal Studies programs that prepare students to understand and define what public goods are and those that prepare students to provide support to publicly-elected executives in at least one of the functions of public administration outlined above (i.e., policy, HR, finance, communications/public relations, operations, and legal):

Program / Courses that prepare students to define a public good / Courses that prepare students to support implementation of a public good
Law & Security Administration
Fleming College, ON
4 terms/2 years
Placement
Diploma
$5,942.00 /
  • Aboriginal Justice
  • Intro to Political Science & Public Administration
  • Introduction to Canadian Justice System
  • Sociology for Law and Justice
  • Issues in Diversity
/
  • Communications for Law and Justice
  • Business and Contract Law
  • Crime Scene Investigation
  • Emergency and Risk Planning
  • Labour Management for Security Professionals

Court & Tribunal Agent
Sheridan College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, ON
4 terms/ 2 years
Placement
Diploma
$4,016.00 /
  • Introduction to Sociology
  • Introduction to the Canadian Legal System
  • Tenant Protection Law
  • Immigration Law
  • Ethics and Professional Practice
/
  • Small Claims Practice/Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Case Law Research & Legal Writing
  • Administrative Tribunals & Public Law
  • Civil Trial Procedures & Advocacy
  • Software Applications for Paralegals

ParalegalStudies
Vancouver Community College, BC
4 terms/ 2 years
Placement
Certificate
$2,222.00 /
  • Personal Injury Practice
  • Estate Administration
  • Commercial Conveyancing
  • Property Law
  • Wills & Estate Planning
/
  • Creditors' Remedies
  • Family Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Litigation for Paralegals
  • Lending & Security

Law & Security Administration
Cambrian College of Applied Arts & Technology, ON
4 terms/2 years
Placement
Diploma
$5,504.80 /
  • Canadian Criminal Justice
  • Native And Diversity Issues
  • Social Issues & Welfare
  • Enforcement Agencies
  • Public Safety and Security
/
  • Communication Skills
  • Justice/Public Security
  • Principles of Ethical Reasoning
  • Interpersonal Communication & Trauma Response
  • Statute Law

Government Administration

Canadian colleges offer 27Government Administration programs, half of which (15) focus on municipal government. These prepare provide students with “the skills and knowledge needed for careers in public sector corporate management including the province, municipalities and the broader public sector (such as agencies, boards, commissions, and not-for-profit associations).”[9] General government administration programs are typically “designed to get graduates good jobs in the public sector, broadly defined…by providing the practical skills and knowledge graduates need to land and succeed quickly in a public sector job.”[10]

The following table provides examples of courses in selected Government Administration programs that prepare students to understand and define what public goods are and those that prepare students to provide support to publicly-elected executives in at least one of the functions of public administration outlined above (i.e., policy, HR, finance, communications/public relations, operations, and legal):

Program / Courses that prepare students to define the public good / Courses that prepare students to support implementation of a public good
Public Administration
Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, ON
3 terms/1 year
Placement
Postgraduate Certificate
$5,890.50 /
  • Machinery of Government
  • Current Issues in Public Administration
  • Managing Partnerships and Relationships
  • International Trends in Public Administration
  • Ethics and Values in Public Administration
/
  • Information Technology for Public Administration
  • Public Policy Research Analysis
  • Communications in Public Administration
  • Human Resources and the Learning Organization in Public Administration
  • Service Quality in Public Administration

Policy Studies
Mount Royal College, AB
8 terms/ 4 years
Placement
Applied Bachelor Degree
$18,103.00 /
  • Introduction to Government and Politics
  • The Canadian Economy
  • Model United Nations
  • The Canadian State
  • Women and Politics
/
  • Canadian Public Finance
  • Law, Politics and the Judicial Process
  • Politics and the Media
  • Introduction to Managing and Implementing Public Policy
  • Public Policy

Aboriginal Self-Government Administration
University College of the North, MB
4 terms/2 years
Placement
Diploma
$4,618.00 /
  • Tradition and Change: An Aboriginal Perspective
  • Structure of the Canadian Legal System
  • Issues in Aboriginal Self- Government
  • First Nations Languages and Governance
  • Aboriginal Politics
/
  • Aboriginal Law
  • Economics & Aboriginal Self-
  • Government I & II
  • Principles of Finance & Management
  • Research Methods in Aboriginal and Northern Studies

Municipal Corporate Administration
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
8 terms/4 years
Placement
Bachelor of Applied
Business
$24,256.00 /
  • Urban Studies
  • Canadian Politics and Government
  • Corporate Law
  • Policies and Procedures
  • Municipal Issues
/
  • Municipal Management
  • Introduction to Public Sector Accounting
  • Public Sector Financial Management
  • Public Law Administrative Tribunals
  • Foundations of Customer Service

Municipal Administration
AMCTO, ON
4 units/ 1 year
Correspondence, no placement
Professional Certificate
$1,296.00 /
  • Introduction to Local Government
  • Municipal Administration Structure
  • Municipal Financial Management
  • Management in the Municipality

Location of Programs

Sixty out of a total 170 colleges in Canadaoffer public administration programming, two-thirds of which are located in either Ontario (49%) or British Columbia (17%):