About the Master of Public Service program

A collaborative program within the Faculty of Arts, Waterloo’s Master of Public Service (MPS) was created to fulfill the need for specialized applied public sector training.

The program’s first class of graduate students began the program in September 2010. Since then many of our students have developed strong connections with various governmental departments and are now graduating with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to work at federal, provincial and local levels of the public service in Canada.

As of October 2016, the program introduces its first MPS Advisory Group comprised of honourable public servants with extensive experience in the Canadian political sphere. The goal of the board will be to create opportunities for students to learn from and collaborate with politicians seasoned in public policy administration and implementation.       

Canada’s comprehensive co-operative education program for tomorrow’s public servants

MPS students complete ten advanced graduate courses from September to April, taught by instructors from a range of academic disciplines, such as Accounting, Economics, English, French, Political Science, and Sociology. They also benefit from the participation of senior-level public servants, who give special seminars and lead classes. From May to December, they complete eight months of co-operative education employment with a government department or agency. The final program component is a Major Team Project, in which teams of students simulate a realistic public service assignment, leading to a professional, thorough analysis of a salient public issue.