Admissions

How to Apply

MPA or GDPA Program 

Deadline for application:

The deadline for Canadian applications is June 1 every year for September admission. Early application is encouraged, as admissions are limited. There are NO January or Spring/Summer admissions.

Required Documentation

The following must be submitted by the deadline:

• Résumé
• Statement of Intent (interest). In a 2–3 page double-spaced essay:
  • Tell us your career goals and how the MPA will help you achieve them
  • Tell us what strengths you would bring to the MPA Program and to the profession
  • Briefly discuss what it means to be an ethical public servant
    
  • Explain any gaps or deficiencies in your academic record, or any other factors you wish to have taken into account.        
• The online application
• Two academic reference letters, either through the electronic reference system in the online application or by paper
  
  • If using the e-reference system, Dalhousie University will only accept university email addresses [i.e. not Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, business, or government addresses]. Please allow 5 business days for your referee(s) to be contacted by our system.
  • If you are submitting a paper reference letter, it must be in a sealed, stamped envelope endorsed across the back seal by the referee and mailed to the address indicated on the form. If a referee is reluctant to follow this procedure, please provide him/her with a stamped envelope, addressed to the department to which you are applying, and have him/her mail the letter directly. If the reference is given to the student directly, do not open the envelope.
• One Official Transcript from each post-secondary institution
• International students – TOEFL (if English not primary language of instruction in primary and secondary school). International deadline is January 31, 2024. TOEFL (92) and IELTS (7.0) minimums are set by Graduate Studies.

When submitting an online application, résumés and statements of intent can be emailed to dalmpa@dal.ca

For more information see the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

Combined MPA/JD and MPA/MI Programs

Students must apply separately to each program. The School of Public Administration joins with the Schulich School of Law to approve students for the MPA/JD program and the Master of Information program to approve students for the MPA/MI program.

View admissions information for the Juris Doctor program and the Master of Information program.