School of Policy Studies
Queen's UniversityAdmissions
Professional MPA admission candidates must make formal application to the School of Graduate Studies and Research. Applicants should read the general information, provided by the School of Graduate Studies and Research, before completing the pre-application and application stages to clarify application procedures.
Admission Qualifications
Admission candidates to the Professional MPA are expected to meet two qualifications:
- PMPA candidates should hold a four-year undergraduate degree or its equivalent, with a minimum B+ (or 75 percent or 3.3 GPA) average standing in their last two years of study;
- PMPA candidates should also have a minimum of five years experience in the public sector or related activities where that work experience has provided substantive experience in areas that relate to the MPA program's curriculum;
- Candidates with significant employment experience, who do not meet the normal minimum academic qualification, must provide additional evidence of strong academic potential. This evidence normally involves either:
- Completion of two courses at the fourth-year undergraduate or graduate level, with a minimum B+ standing in each course. Additional courses taken for this purpose (i.e. to obtain admission) are not eligible for advanced standing; or alternatively,
- Applicants may complete the Graduate Admission Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), attaining a minimum score at the 75 percentile in both the verbal and analytical writing categories.
The School of Policy Studies and Queen's University are committed to equality in education, and invite applications from Aboriginal and visible minority candidates.
Recommended Application Submission Date: 1 June
We continue to accept applications through the summer months, so long as places are still available in the program.
Review of Applications
Admission decisions are made on a competitive basis among qualified applicants each year. As the number of applications greatly exceeds the number of available places, not all qualified candidates will be offered admission. An applicant should note that no decision on admission can be made until the applicant's file is complete. It is the responsibility of the applicant to verify that Queen's has received all documents. You may check online to see if your file is complete.
The review of MPA applications begins in the late spring. PMPA candidates who submit their application by the recommended deadline may expect to receive notice of their admission status by the end of June. Other applicants will normally receive notice on their admission status within four weeks of the completion of their application.
Formal offers of admission are issued by the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
Advanced Standing
Students admitted to the PMPA program may apply for advanced standing for degree credit for a maximum of two graduate courses completed prior to their enrolment to the PMPA program. Applications for advanced standing should be made at the time of application and no later than at the beginning of the first term of a student’s enrolment in the program. Courses credited towards another academic degree will not be considered for advanced standing. [Read more...]
Program Readmission
Students returning to the PMPA program, who voluntarily withdrew from the program for five or more years, may apply for readmission to the program. Each case will be reassessed on its own merits. Such candidates will normally, however, be required to complete all of the core courses which they have not completed and a minimum of two terms of study (i.e. four courses) on their readmission. A revised formal program of study will be determined when the decision for readmission is made.
For further information, please contact:
Fiona Froats, MPA/PMPA Program Coordinator
Rm. 221, Robert Sutherland Hall
138 Union Street
Queen's University
Kingston, ON K7L 3N6
CANADA
Tel: 613.533.6000 ext. 77006
Fax: 613.533.2135
Email: fiona.froats@queensu.ca