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Public policy
Develop knowledge and expertise valued by government, the private sector, and civil society organizations as you learn to tackle society’s most urgent and complex public policy issues, including those surrounding health care, housing, labour markets, supply chains, economic inequality, Indigenous rights, and climate change.
The School of Public Policy offers a Master of Public Policy program that trains graduate students on both the academic and applied dimensions of public policy. Our students work closely with each other, with faculty experts, and with policy organizations. This program features a paid, co-op job placement in a government agency or policy organization, as well as joint projects undertaken with external policy agencies.
The School is also home to the undergraduate Minor in Public Policy that offers students the opportunity to learn applied policy skills and practical analysis. Students within the Minor must take three core courses that teach policy concepts and applied and transferable skills; these are taught by faculty members within the School of Public Policy, who are renowned for their work with local, provincial, and federal government agencies as well as global policy organisations like the United Nations.
Our graduates are experts at scrutinizing a problem, analyzing relevant data, and evaluating alternative paths of action, and go on to tackle society’s most challenging issues, including climate change, inequality, poverty, housing, social inequity, and global governance.
Career pathways
Public Policy is for students who wish to serve the public interest. This includes at the local, provincial, national, and global levels, and across a range of issue areas— from drug use to forced labour and human trafficking to housing affordability. Our students graduate with well-rounded knowledge of contemporary policy problems as well as the skills to solve them, including: policy analysis skills; independent research collaboration; compelling writing; and a strong grounding in the qualitative and quantitative research methods sought after by employers.
Our alumni are leaders within government, the private sector, international and civil society organizations. Our students succeed in a wide variety of careers, including:
- Policy analyst within city, provincial, and national government agencies
- Researcher for government, industry, and think tanks
- Senior planner for city and provincial agencies
- International development analyst
- Administrator for advocacy and civil society organizations
- Consultant for the public sector, NGOs, and international organizations
“SFU’s MPP program challenged me to analyze and address the most pressing public policy challenges facing Metro Vancouver, B.C., and Canada. I commend the program for providing its students with such a diverse curriculum as it helped to expand my own policy analysis and critical thinking skills. I am grateful for the MPP program as it equipped me with the foundational tools needed to start a career in the public service.”
Katherine Chang
Graduate Student | Master of Arts in Public Policy
Program Options
Learn more about the different degrees and programs available to you at Public Policy
Undergraduate options
Minor
Graduate options
