Admission Requirements

Admission to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program requires that the student meet the admission requirements for the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the admission requirements of the School of Public Policy.

Faculty of Graduate Studies Requirements
Students must first satisfy the Qualifications for Admission into the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Calgary as set out in the Faculty of Graduate Studies Calendar.

Minimum requirements:

  • Completion of a four-year bachelor’s degree from a recognized university
  • A grade point average of 3.0 or better (on the University of Calgary four-point system) in the last two years of undergraduate study. Degrees and grades from foreign institutions are evaluated for their equivalency to those of the University of Calgary.
  • Proficiency in the English language

International students should visit the following website where the minimum requirements for admission into the Faculty of Graduate Studies are found for each country: http://www.ucalgary.ca/future-students/graduate/international.

School of Public Policy Requirements
Competitive entry requirements mean that in addition to the minimum qualifications for admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, The School of Public Policy requires:

  • A minimum of 3.3 grade point average (on the four point scale) in the last two years of the student’s undergraduate program or over the last 60 units (10 full course equivalents);
  • A current resume;
  • A personal statement outlining the applicant’s career goals and how the applied-for program would help achieve those goals; and,
  • For students required to prove proficiency in English, a minimum TOEFL score of 600(paper based) or 105 (internet-based test) or a score of at least 7.5 on the IELTS. The test must have been taken within the last two years.

International students should use the admission requirement into the Faculty of Graduate Studies as a guide to understanding whether they meet the more stringent minimum requirements of the School of Public Policy.

Admission to the MPP program requires that students provide evidence of having satisfied certain prerequisites in empirical methods and in economics. To that end, the School of Public Policy offers two preparatory courses – one in economics and one in empirical methods — during the last two weeks of August and prior to the start of the MPP program. Satisfactory performance in these courses is required for continuation into the MPP program. In addition, students accepted into the program will be required to complete an effective writing and research course during the University’s “Block Week” at the beginning of September.