MPPA/MPA Ryerson v. Carleton

[Nunuc]

Dear All,

I am considering applying for an MPA in Canada for next year and have been reading this thread for quite a while to better inform myself. I am a Canadian citizen with a BA in Psychology, an MA in EU Studies (this was abroad) and more than 10 years of experience in international organizations. I would like to return home and work in government in either health, social or education policy. Is there a discernible difference between the Ryerson and Carleton programme's when it comes to these areas of interest? Also, what are the possibilities between moving between federal and provincial ministries or does the fact that you attend one school rather than the other assign you to a certain segment from the start (e.g. Fed govt in case of Carleton, OPS or City of Toronto in case of Ryerson)?

Would be grateful for any inputs from anyone here who has attended either of these two universities or has spent a considerable amount of time researching them.

Good luck for everyone applying for this year.

[Nunuc]

Just trying to bump this - if this is the wrong forum for this, anyone have any recommendations where I can engage in this sort of discussion?

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[ExponentialDecay]

There's not a lot of knowledge on this forum about programs that aren't prestigious/American, and I doubt you'll get good answers to questions about the specifics of local Canadian government hiring. you can try the reddit academic community, but tbh I'd talk to your contacts in this industry.

[newmem282]

I'm also considering these two and not quite sure which would be the proper fit. Having done some research it seems that Carleton offers more courses and their courses seem more specific. It has a lot of courses related to the economy and it has more courses in relation to health than Ryerson. 

[bureaucat]

Neither program will "assign" you to working for the nearest levels of government to that school, but it will certainly give you an advantage when it comes to finding your first public service job. Generally, as you pointed out, if you want to start your public service career with the feds, then without a doubt Carleton is the better choice. If you want to start your career with OPS or the City, then go to Ryerson. In each case, there will simply be more co-op/internship opportunities for local students at the nearest levels of government, which in turn will allow you to get relevant experience and make connections with managers who can help you land your first policy job after you graduate.

With the value of location in mind and considering your interests in social, education, and health policy -- mostly provincial domains -- I would say that Ryerson may be the better program for you. I wouldn't worry too much about each program's areas of specialty -- most Canadian MPA/MPP programs have the same basic slate of courses, and while electives vary, it's the policy work experience that will give you mobility between levels of government later on. In most cases, the point of a "professional" MPA/MPP program is to find a government job, so my advice is to take the program that will be most likely to land you a job at the level of government where you want to start your public service career. 

[Nunuc]

Sorry for the late thanks - I sort of gave up on the forum after the first response as I thought I may have missed the topic.

Thanks so much for this Bureaucrat - you are absolutely right, the courses seem almost identical but there is a lot of talk always about prestige or alumni networks and then it all gets kind of fuzzy. Do you think a one or two year course makes a big difference? As I am mid-career, I am a little skeptical about doing a 2 year course as it creates a bit of a gap on your CV.

 

Thanks for your help in any case.

[bureaucat]

On 3/4/2018 at 12:27 PM, Nunuc said:

Sorry for the late thanks - I sort of gave up on the forum after the first response as I thought I may have missed the topic.

Thanks so much for this Bureaucrat - you are absolutely right, the courses seem almost identical but there is a lot of talk always about prestige or alumni networks and then it all gets kind of fuzzy. Do you think a one or two year course makes a big difference? As I am mid-career, I am a little skeptical about doing a 2 year course as it creates a bit of a gap on your CV.

 

Thanks for your help in any case.

From the perspective of government employers, I don't think the length of the program makes a difference -- a master's is a master's as far as they're concerned. For someone who doesn't already have a graduate degree or much work experience, a two-year program is a good way to build a deeper inventory of skills and experiences that will give an edge when competing for a first govt job. Putting myself in your position for a moment based on the info you provided, you already have a master's and plenty of work experience, so I would assume that the purpose of doing an MPA/MPP is to add a few specialized skills and gain access to the program's government networks, in which case, a one year program may suit you better. 

I just want to re-iterate, however, that I don't know all the specifics of your work experience and I did not attend either of the 2 programs you're considering. If you want to make a more informed decision, you could reach out to a few recent alumni (especially mid-career folks like you) from each program to get credible insight.

[Nunuc]

Thanks a lot - I have emailed the alumni associations and am waiting for feedback. I worked in social services in Canada some 15 years ago but since then I have worked internationally, including as a consultant for the European Union, in Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe field missions, the Vojvodina provincial government in Serbia and the Open Society Institute in Budapest. I have a lot of experience but Canadian public institutions really do seem to prefer people that have specific training in public administration in Canada so I am looking at a degree that would help me bridge that 'Canadian experience' gap. I have to say that the Ryerson people have been far more responsive to my queries. It is a shame that there is no Reunion section in this forum where people actually rate their MPPA experience :-)