The program for which approval is sought is entitled "The Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM) Program".

The Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM)

The program will be a stand-alone professional Graduate Program in Public Policy and Management, located in the Department of Political Science at Simon Fraser University. The program will be headed by a Director nominated by a Steering Committee composed of one representative from each participating Department, School or Faculty. The program will employ a small core of permanent faculty and will utilize course buy-outs to access the teaching time of senior faculty members present in four university faculties: Arts, Applied Science, Education and Business Administration. Offices would be located in a new Centre of Public Policy Education and Research within the Political Science Department.

Simon Fraser University is currently home to several of Canada's outstanding experts in fields such as labour-market, environment, trade, social policy, immigration, money and banking, Canadian and international political economy, international development policy, housing, land use, gerontology, communication, demographics, foreign policy, national and international security policy, among others. SFU faculty have authored widely-used texts in public policy processes and analysis as well as within specific policy fields. At present, this expertise is fragmented. Although many faculty members at Simon Fraser currently teach in the areas of public policy, public administration and public management, no specific research centre or professional degree in public policy analysis or management is currently awarded.

The current proposal provides for the establishment of a new credential - the degree of Master of Public Policy and Management - which would serve to bring existing faculty expertise together in a new and innovative program. Combined with a to-be-created Institute of Policy Studies within a new Centre of Public Policy Education and Research, the MPPM program will provide opportunities for leading edge research and training in the fields of policy analysis and public sector management.

The MPPM program will emphasize new policy concerns associated with the management of government in an era of increasingly sophisticated and complex government-society relations. The program will enable administrators to deal with the challenges posed by the evolution of the administrative practices in which numerous government functions are implemented via contracting-out, partnerships, and various other forms of non-traditional service delivery - and by the need to manage public programs in an era of increased citizen's concerns for open government, public participation, consultation and other forms of "collaborative government". The program will stress how government organizational management, communication, and policy processes are adapting to a dynamic policy environment, requiring a new set of management skills in so doing. A focus on managing innovation in the public sphere and dealing with the need for more complex management of conflict and fragmentation among the clienteles of government will be hallmarks of the program. With the faculty expertise currently at SFU, it is possible to offer an exceptional programme at little cost.

The 2000 SFU Strategic Research Plan establishes ten research priority areas. These areas were singled out due to their actual record of, or potential for, research excellence, their ability to foster innovative research, their ability to promote intra-and extra-university collaboration, their ability to create research niches within British Columbia, and their overall ability to meet the criteria set out in the overall university research plan. Plans for creating an MPPM credential accord with the priorities established by the SFU University Research Plan which establishes "Policy, Management and Leadership" as one of ten priority areas for University advancement.

Creation of an MPPM program would:

• "build upon our existing strengths and research excellence and maintain our reputation as the best comprehensive university in Canada"; by creating a nodal point for already existing but scattered SFU faculty expertise in areas such as labour-market, trade, environment, social, health, education, economic, housing, immigration, land use, technology, foreign policy, national and international security policy, international development policy, Canadian and international political economy and other policy areas.. The creation of an MPPM degree would also increase the visibility of SFU faculty and research through seminars, public lectures, workshops, speakers series, regular conference activity and enhanced publication of policy-relevant research.

• "support and create opportunities for the pursuit of new knowledge, discovery and innovation"; by bringing together existing SFU expertise in policy analysis, policy implementation and evaluation in a number of University units in several faculties, including Political Science, Criminology, Economics, Sociology, and Philosophy within the Faculty of Arts, Communications and Resources Management within the Faculty of Applied Science, and the Faculties of Business and Education.

• "promote strategic alliances and cross-disciplinary research within the University and seek new collaborations with all our communities to foster intellectual, social, cultural, and economic development in the province of BC"; by developing a graduate level professional credential for the BC public sector in the Lower Mainland area;

• "recruit and retain outstanding faculty to enhance research capacity and provide leadership for new initiatives and key research programs"; by selecting an excellent candidate to lead the SFU initiatives; and

• "enrich the learning experience of our students through participation in, and exposure to, the ground-breaking research and new knowledge being generated by our outstanding researchers so they can fully participate in the knowledge society of the 21st Century"; through the creation of the new teaching and research opportunities listed above.

Creation of a graduate-level professional program in public policy and management is of direct benefit and use to client groups in the community such as local, regional, provincial and federal agencies and Crown Corporations, as well as NGOs, think tanks, community associations, and other non-government actors, and furthers University priorities in these areas such as those set out by the President's Committee on University Planning and others. The program will enhance the learning experience of our students through participation in, and exposure to, ground-breaking research and provide increased student understanding of diverse research approaches, paradigms, and perspectives.

Graduates of the MPPM program can expect to find employment in a variety of public, private and not-for-profit enterprises and organizations who partake in public policy-making in the local community, the province and the country as a whole. The establishment of such a program will improve the capacity of SFU to train future participants in public administration and public policy-making in British Columbia, Canada, and abroad and provides obvious benefits to the University and University community in so doing.

At the present time there are 10 graduate level professional programs in public administration in English in Canada (See Figure I below). Three programs exist in Western Canada with the only current program in British Columbia located at the University of Victoria.

The general trend in North American universities has been away from the establishment of traditional MPA programs emphasizing organizational issues in public administration towards programs emphasizing specific skills in public policy analysis and management.

The program likely to be closest to the proposed SFU program in structure and content is located at Queen's University. This program emphasizes the links between public administration and public policy studies and is structured to allow students to take advantage of expertise in the subjects located in various Departments throughout the University.

The focus on public policy analysis, the core/specialization format of the program, and the use of a range of interdisciplinary senior faculty sets the degree proposed for Simon Fraser University apart from that of the University of Victoria and makes it distinctive in Western Canada.

The University of Victoria program draws students from the middle ranks of the Victoria-area provincial civil service and emphasizes training to meet the traditional concerns of middle-managers with subjects such as personnel relations and financial management. The proposed Simon Fraser program intends to focus on issues of public policy management rather than traditional public administration and will draw from a much larger pool of students in the private and non-governmental sectors as well as the federal, provincial, local and regional public sectors of whom the overwhelming proportion in British Columbia are located in the Vancouver-Lower Mainland area. It will offer training related to the understanding of the workings of policy processes in government as well as the social, economic, cultural and organizational contexts in which these processes occur. This orientation towards public policy will set the SFU MPPM program apart from the MPA credential offered at the University of Victoria.

Also distinctive in the SFU proposal is the structure of the program which is based in a small continuing faculty utilizing many existing courses throughout the university rather than a centralized and self-contained School. Faculty areas of teaching and research among interim steering committee members are set out in Figure II below for illustrative purposes. Brief resumes and full CVs of contributing faculty are set out in Appendix I.

The program is intended for students desiring a professional career.

Students are normally admitted to the MPPM program with a four year Bachelor's degree. Depending upon the nature of the degree, the successful completion of qualifying courses may be required prior to admittance to the program.

Graduate courses will be offered within a three-semester academic year. It is expected that two streams will be developed in the program; one for full-time entrants, the other for part-time entrants. Entrants may opt for a co-op internship component to their program. Full-time Students are expected to complete the MPPM program within 6 consecutive semesters.

The program will feature core courses intended to cover the basic foundations of policy analysis and ensure students have the requisite background in the politics and economics of public policy making, as well as the necessary quantitative and qualitative research skills required to undertake analyses of specialized policy fields. Once these core courses are completed, students will choose program specializations from those offered by faculty members seconded to the program or already offered in existing courses at SFU. Specializations are expected to change over time but will include course offerings in areas such as democratic governance, political communications, family and gender issues and others. Upon the approval of the Director, students may also include advanced language training opportunities available at SFU as part of their program.

Depending upon their educational and experiential backgrounds, students may be granted advance credits towards their degree. In no case, however, shall the degree be awarded with students taking less than 7 courses at SFU.

Courses are divided into 5 core courses students are expected to take in their first year in the program and 5 courses in two areas of program specialization in year two. A Research Project is also required to complete the degree.

The five new five-credit core courses which will be created for the MPPM program are:

Students are expected to choose a major and a minor area from among the following Program Specializations. Three courses will be taken in the Major area and two in the Minor. Most of the courses contained in each proposed area of Program Specialization already exist at the graduate level at SFU. Others are suggestive of the types of new courses that could be developed in future years in conjunction with existing Departments and Schools, subject to student enrollment and demand. The areas of program specialization for which multiple courses at Simon Fraser University currently exist include:

The research project will involve the analysis of an aspect of the public policy and administrative process under the supervision of a faculty member. A co-op internship option for the programme is also available.

Proposed Calendar language is set out in Appendix II.

It is expected that the first entrants would begin the program in the fall of 2002. First year anticipated enrollment is 20 students.

Graduates may seek employment in the public services of Canada and abroad. Although overall levels of employment in the clerical area have stabilized over recent years, growth continues to occur at the managerial ranks. This is expected to be augmented by a retirement bulge over the next two decades, resulting in increased demand in these professional ranks. The provincial work futures data base reveals that senior management occupations (Major Group 00) made up of about 16,540 workers in B.C. in 1998. The Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) projects employment in this group to grow at an annual rate of 2.2%, faster than the average for all occupations. According to this projection, a total of 7,770 positions will become available from 1998 to 2008. Slightly more than half these openings will result from growth in the number of new positions, and the rest will result from retirements.

It is also important to note that the academic credentials for employment and promotion in the managerial ranks continue to increase. Employment opportunities in the non-profit sector are also significant and are expected to increase over the next decade. Opportunities in private sector organizations with an interest in public policy issues and business-government relations also exist.

Library and other start-up costs for the new program will be minimal as instruction in most of the areas covered in the program already exist in the University.

Faculty costs amount to two full-time faculty and ten course equivalent buy-outs. This includes a Director and associate director expected to be hired through the Canada Research Chair process who will teach four courses in the program. An annual budget to cover the cost of buying out existing senior faculty members to teach the remaining core courses and at least five of the specialized program courses is required. Administrative costs include secretarial and other clerical assistance. Other cost items include set asides for library purchases and research project supervision.

Infrastructure costs will be covered at least in part from CFI New Opportunities grants associated with the CRC positions.

MPPM Program

Department of Political Science , Academic Quadrangle, 604-291-3838, FAX 604-291-4293 http://www.sfu.ca/politics

Director

TBA

Faculty

TBA

This program offers the skills, insights and frameworks that public sector and non-profit managers need to prepare for their careers. The program focuses on the political and economic contexts of public policy and management and offers opportunities for specialized study in a number of policy areas. The program is designed to develop the strategic and global perspective required of tomorrow's senior policy managers. The program uses a cohort model where students take courses in the same sequence, and encourages student interaction and co-operation. A research project undertaken under the direction of a senior faculty member is an integral part of the program of study.

The MPPM program has the following core courses which must be successfully completed by all students in their first year of study:

1. Economic Foundations of Policy Analysis

2. Political Foundations of Policy Analysis

3. Policy Evaluation

4. The Policy Process

5. Research Techniques

Five additional specialized courses are selected with the approval of the MPPM Program Director from among existing graduate level course offerings in participating Departments, Schools and Faculties.

Admission

For admission, a student must have a bachelor's degree from a recognized university in an Arts or Social Sciences discipline. Students admitted with other credentials may be required to make up any deficiency without graduate credit.

Students are normally admitted in September. The maximum number of students directly admitted in any one year to the program is expected to be 15. The minimum undergraduate grade point average required for admission is 3.0 (or equivalent). Criteria for admission, in addition to undergraduate grades, include strong letters of reference, and for students whose native language is not English, acceptable TOEFL scores (570 minimum) and a score of 5 or above on the Test of Written English.

Courses are sequenced through the fall and spring semesters. The maximum course load is three courses per semester. With the addition of a research project it is expected that the full-time students will complete the degree programme within two years.

Application

Students must submit the following documentation when applying.

· Simon Fraser University graduate application form

· official transcript of undergraduate grades (mailed directly from the granting institution)

· three confidential letters of reference (mailed directly by the referees), at least two of which come from faculty members at universities. (Forms are supplied for references.)

· Students whose first language is not English and whose undergraduate degrees have not been obtained at an institution where English is the language of instruction, require scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Written English.

Degree Requirements

To qualify for the MPPM degree, the candidate must complete five core MPPM courses plus five additional courses approved by the MPPM Program Director. Students are expected to choose a major and a minor area from among the following Program Specializations. Three courses will be taken in the Major area and two in the Minor. In addition, students must complete a written research project. A project will generally represent successful original research regarding some practical problem. While students are expected to conduct a literature search regarding the problem, it will generally be less exhaustive in comparison with that of a thesis.

Core Courses

Specialization Courses

The MPPM Program Director, in consultation with the student, selects supporting courses, from graduate courses offered in units affiliated with the program. MPPM 810, MPPM 811, MPPM 812, MPPM 813, MPPM 825 and MPPM 826 may be used when appropriate to satisfy major and minor specialization requirements.

Co-operative Education Program

A Co-op Internship option is available to qualified MPPM students at the Burnaby campus. The goal of the co-op internship is to give students applied experience so that they can link concepts with practice, and advance their career opportunities. Students must be admitted to the MPPM program before applying for the co-op internship option and must have a CGPA and previous semester GPA of at least 3.0. Students must maintain these grade levels to continue in the MPPM co-op option. To qualify for an MPPM with a co-operative internship designation, students must complete at least one co-op practicum semester and receive credit for MPPM 820 - Co-Op Practicum I as well as satisfy other MPPM graduation requirements. These work terms are normally interlaced with study semesters. A pass/fail evaluation is assigned for each co-op practicum course by a co-op co-ordinator. The grade is based on an evaluation of a work term report and assessment of the student's work by both the MPPM Program Director and co-op co-ordinator. Arrangements for the work semesters are made through the Faculty of Arts Co-op Coordinator at least one semester in advance. For further details, students should refer to the Co-operative Education section of the calendar.

MPPM Course Descriptions

Examines the basic operation of a market economy and introduces students to key concepts and techniques in its analysis including market and government failure and aspects of marginal analysis.

Examines the basic institutions of government in Canada and their context in the evolving Canadian political economy. It introduces students to key actors in the policy process including state structures and agencies, and a variety of societal actors such as pressure groups and social movements.

Sets out the basic elements of common techniques of public policy evaluation carried out in governments and elsewhere, including cost-benefit analysis.

Outlines the stages through which public policies are developed and sets out the formal and informal institutions and rules which affect policy actors in their deliberations and decisions.

Covers the basic statistical and conceptual elements of techniques of quantitative and qualitative policy analysis.