Online City of London Program
In 2012 the Local Government Program began a partnership with the City of London to offer Western University's GDPA program to their employees. Following a hiatus for the pandemic, the partnership has resumed. City of London employees that are interested in the GDPA can reach out to the City of London Learning and Development and consult the criteria on our Application Process page.
The Online City of London GDPA courses are offered during fall (Sept-Dec) and winter (Jan-April) terms. They are fully online with asynchronous components and weekly synchronous Zoom classes.
Attendance and participation is expected and evaluated as part of the final grade for each course. On top of the scheduled weekly synchronous class mentioned above, significant asynchronous work in the form of readings, pre-recorded lectures, quizzes, and independent and group assignments take place outside of class time.
The Online City of London GDPA is completed in one year. Students take two courses in the fall term and two courses in the winter term. Students must get permission from both the City of London and the LGP Director to extend their progression beyond one year.
COURSES
PA 9901 - Advanced Local Government
This course provides an advanced overview of local government in Canada. It surveys the structures, functions, and financing of local governments, and examines their relations with federal and provincial governments. This course is also a gateway for the rest of the program. It will give students the foundational knowledge needed to understand many of the most important issues facing local governments in Canada.
PA 9902 - The Policy Process in Local Government
Building on PA9901, this course introduces students to selected aspects of the academic literature on public policy processes and applies these in the Canadian municipal context, with particular emphasis on Ontario applications and examples.
PA 9903 – Theories in Organizations
This course introduces students to select aspects of the academic literature on theories of public administration and organizational behaviour. Students will learn how public organizations and the behaviours of the people who inhabit them relate to individual, group, organizational, and societal outcomes. They will apply a theory-based lens to help them better understand how public organizations work.
PA 9904 - Local Government Management/Administration
Drawing upon theories and research findings in public administration and management, this course examines administrative approaches, issues, and debates arising in local government administration. Students will learn how the complex and unstable environment of public sector organizations produces both challenges and opportunities for public sector managers and will apply insights from the management and public administration literatures to real-world local government settings.
