Certificate in Public Policy and Administration
About the Certificate in Public Policy and Administration
The five-course Certificate in Public Policy and Administration is designed to provide a solid base in key concepts and foundations of Canadian government, policy and administration by bringing together a number of Canadian political science and public policy courses.
This certificate will be of interest to you if you are an undergraduate student or are currently working or seeking employment in the public sector or quasi-public sector.
How to Register
University of Guelph Degree Students
If you are a University of Guelph degree student, please register for your courses through WebAdvisor.
Open Learning Program Students
For your convenience, you can register for courses using OpenEd's new secure online registration system.
Visit our How to Register page for alternative ways to register and for methods of payment.
Please note that some courses and programs have an approval process that must be completed prior to confirming enrolment. See specific individual course description pages for details.
If you have any questions about registration, please email our main office or phone us at 519-767-5000.
Courses
All courses are delivered entirely online through CourseLink, the University of Guelph's online learning management system. Courses may be taken individually or as part of the certificate program. It takes approximately two years to complete the program.
Successful completion of five of the following six degree-credit courses is required for the Certificate in Public Policy and Administration:
Required Courses
The following two courses are required:
| POLS*2230DE - Public Policy |
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The course introduces students to public policy, including the differences between applied and explanatory policy analyses, within the larger context of politics and government. Case studies of different policy areas are used to illustrate the challenges of developing, implementing, and explaining policy in various (and often interrelated) contexts from the local to the global. |
| POLS*2250DE - Public Administration and Governance |
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The course explores, from both practical and theoretical perspectives, planning and implementation of programs and services through government departments and agencies and "alternative" processes and structures, sometimes involving non-governmental actors. The course critically evaluates the changing role of bureaucracy; financial and human resource management; and the evolving concepts of responsibility and accountability. |
Elective Courses
Choose three of the following five courses:
| POLS*2300DE - Canadian Government and Politics |
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This course explores the core institutions of Canadian government, including parliamentary government, federalism, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and electoral systems. How these institutions shape and are shaped by political parties and social forces, as well as current issues like Quebec nationalism, identity politics and Aboriginal governance, are covered. |
| POLS*3250DE - Public Policy: Challenges and Prospects |
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This course covers the dominant theories that explain the origins and character of public policy in Canada, and other countries. The focus will be on both governmental and nongovernmental actors. |
| POLS*3300DE - Governing Criminal Justice |
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The course provides an overview of the policy process and outcomes of the Canadian criminal justice system. Particular emphasis is placed on examining, using various public policy and public management perspectives, the practices and interactions of governmental agencies within the system, such as police agencies and boards, departments of Justice, Solicitor-General, corrections and parole agencies, courts and the legal profession. |
| POLS*3370DE - Environmental Politics and Governance |
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This course examines environmental politics and governance in Canada as well as in comparative and international contexts. This is accomplished by surveying how various political, legal, administrative, and private-public actors and processes influence the development and implementation of environmental policy. |
| POLS*3440DE - Corruption, Scandal and Political Ethics |
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This course will introduce students to the phenomenon of political corruption and the study of its incidence. Attention will be paid to historical examples, contemporary scandals, and analytical articles, dealing with the nature, causes and effects, and proposed cures of political corruption, and the ethical dilemmas inherent in political life. |
Additional Information
When you have completed all the requirements for this certificate, you can request your parchment through the OpenEd Student Portal.
If you would like additional information on distance education, please visit our Online Learning at U of G page. For specific program-related inquiries, please email the Open Learning program Counsellor.