2025-2026 Academic Year
Coordinator
James Sawler, BComm, MA, PhD (Dalhousie), Professor
This Bachelor of Arts program is primarily intended to prepare students as administrators with governments and non-governmental organizations in Canada. It orients students toward the public policy profession by combining core coursework in political studies and economics, with electives in a diverse array of disciplines. Political Studies courses provide knowledge about the unique environment within which government personnel work, both within Canada itself, and outside in terms of the changing international context. Economics courses provide background in the fundamentals of economic processes and the constraints within which policy decision-making operates. The liberal arts electives encourage students to experiment with the public policy knowledge they acquire from a variety of academic fields and perspectives. Internship placements with government and/or not for profit organizations provides the student with the practical experience necessary to perform well in future occupational settings. The specific goals of the program are as follows:
1. To provide sufficient coursework to ensure that students develop capacities in such skill areas as critical thinking, policy analysis, and communication.
2. To allow students an opportunity to pursue related courses in other programs and to develop areas of substantive expertise.
3. To help prepare students for potential careers in public service and to be effective participants in democratic society.
Students may count courses from a major, concentration and/or minor towards a second major, concentration and/or minor; however, students must complete a minimum of 50 percent of unique courses toward the second major, concentration and/or minor, unless otherwise stated in the Undergraduate Academic Calendar.