Public Administration and Governance (Gr. Cert.) (15 credits)
Offered by: Administration & Governance
Program credit weight: 15
Program Description
The online 15-credit Graduate Certificate in Public Administration and Governance focusses on the core competencies and tools, including: analyzing legal and ethical issues relevant to public services; providing leadership in equity, diversity, and inclusion practices in the workplace; building processes and systems in public organizations; and responding as appropriate to current issues and practices that affect day-to-day operations and decision-making.
Required Courses (9 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CORG 651 | Behaviour in Organizations. | 3 |
Behaviour in Organizations. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026 Analysis of individual and group performance and behaviour within an organization. The implications for management and the essential concepts of social psychology, such as motivation, perception, working in teams, well-being, decision-making, communication, conflict management, power and politics, leadership, and organizational culture. | ||
| CPAG 610 | Current Issues in Public Sector Management. | 3 |
Current Issues in Public Sector Management. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Analysis of contemporary issues and challenges faced by public administration due to political, technological, social, and economic changes. Examination of current trends, successes, failures, and alternative solutions experienced by public administration in the past. | ||
| CPAG 615 | Public Regulations and Ethics in the Public Sector. | 3 |
Public Regulations and Ethics in the Public Sector. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Interpretation of legal and ethical issues relevant to public services. Examination of legal principles and legal reasoning, the role of law in public sector management, such as constitutional law, administrative law, and human rights law. Exploration of the principles that inform privacy and access to information legislation and their derivation form ethical theories. | ||
Complementary Courses (6 credits)
6 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CGM2 610 | Project Management: Tools and Techniques. | 3 |
Project Management: Tools and Techniques. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Analysis of the development, scheduling, and planning of projects in both public and private organizations. Focus on theories of project management from initiation of a project to close-out. Exploration of project life cycle, planning, scheduling, implementing, monitoring, controlling, close-out and ethics applicable to projects of various sizes, types and degrees of complexity. | ||
| CPAG 600 | Lean Operations in Public Services. | 3 |
Lean Operations in Public Services. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Analysis of lean principles and the processes needed to optimize cost and maintain or improve services levels in the public sector. Exploration of the particularities of the service operations and how process improvement methodologies can be used in the public environment. | ||
| CPAG 620 | Leadership and Governance in Public Organizations. | 3 |
Leadership and Governance in Public Organizations. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Analysis of leadership and governance issues, accountabilities, and responsibilities for public organization leaders; governance best practices; and administrative aspects of governance. Exploration of practical ways to improve service delivery and performance. | ||
| CPAG 625 | Public Finance, Budgeting and Reporting. | 3 |
Public Finance, Budgeting and Reporting. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Analysis of planning and budgetary processes, resource allocation, controlled delivery, and accountability in the public sector. Exploration of public funding and budgets, measuring and reporting, and managing and controlling. Comparison of public and private sector contexts. | ||
| CPL2 652 | Strategic Management. | 3 |
Strategic Management. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Analysis of strategic thinking, problem-solving, decision-making in organizations in response to changing conditions. Exploration of directions and goals of private and public organizations, environments (social, political, technological, economic, and global factors), industry, and market structures, and organizational strengths and weaknesses that are critical for success in a changing environment. | ||
Or another 600-level course offered by the School of Continuing Studies and approved by the program adviser or academic unit.