About Us
The Local Government Program offers two unique opportunities for studying the rapidly changing fields of local government and local government administration.
Western’s MPA:
Canada’s only MPA program exclusively focused on local government public administration.
- Western's Masters of Public Administration (MPA) is designed for mid-career local government administrators who wish to further their public management skills, as well as for future professionals looking to enter the field. Our Part-Time students are usually administrators in municipal government, but some are employed by separate boards, provincial ministries, not-for-profit organizations or in the private sector. Our Full-Time students usually come directly from undergraduate degrees in the social sciences. The resulting student mix creates a unique classroom environment that combines the energy of fresh academic minds with the experience of working professionals. The MPA is Canada’s leading public administration program with a local focus. MPA courses offer specialized education in local administration and policy analysis, thoroughly preparing our students for the challenges of modern community, urban and regional governance and administration.
Western’s GDPA:
Canada’s premier professional development program for local government administrators.
- Western's Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (GDPA) is designed especially for mid-career local government administrators who wish to further develop their public management perspectives and skills. Most such administrators are in municipal government, but some are employed by separate boards, provincial ministries, not-for-profit organizations or in the private sector. GDPA Courses offer specialized education in local administration and policy analysis, giving the experienced student the prospect of being better prepared for the challenges of modern community, urban and regional governance and administration.
- The Diploma has been offered annually since 1974. Thousands of municipal administrators across Canada, with widely vary backgrounds, have attended. Many medium-to-large Canadian municipalities consistently use Western's Graduate Diploma in Public Administration as part of their professional development program for senior managers.
