Joint programs, emphases and specializations
As an MPP student, you can undertake a joint degree in public policy and law, or a collaborative specialization combining public policy and health policy, east and southeast Asian studies, ethnic and pluralism studies, environmental studies or sexual diversity studies. These unique combinations allow you to integrate public policy considerations with a wide range of complementary interests, and gain a competitive advantage in your field.
MPP Emphases
Students may complete one emphasis, as a specific focus, for their degree.
Emphasis: Economics for Public Policy
MPP students who wish to complete the emphasis in Economics for Public Policy must successfully complete 1.5 full-course equivalents (FCEs) from the following list:
- GLA2015H
- GLA2036H
- GLA2062H
- GLA2071H
- PPG2010H
- PPG2015H
- or other approved elective courses in the area
Emphasis: Public and Non-Profit Management and Administration
MPP students who wish to complete the emphasis in Public and Non-Profit Management and Administration must successfully complete 1.5 full-course equivalents (FCEs) from the following list:
- LAW7030H
- PPG2001H
- PPG2012H
- PPG2014H
- PPG2018H
- or other approved elective courses in the area
Emphasis: Social and Urban Policy
MPP students who wish to complete the emphasis in Social and Urban Policy must successfully complete 1.5 full-course equivalents (FCEs) from the following list:
- PPG2012H
- PPG2016H
- PPG2017H
- CHL5300H
- CHL5308H
- HAD5778H
- LAW7030H
- SWK4803H
- or other approved elective courses in the area
Collaborative specializations
As an MPP student, you may pursue one of five graduate collaborative specializations in public health policy, east and southeast Asian studies, ethnic and pluralism studies, environmental studies or sexual diversity studies.
There are over forty graduate collaborative specializations offered across the University of Toronto – they emerge from cooperation between two or more graduate units, and offer students a broad base from which to explore an interdisciplinary area or special developments in a particular discipline.
Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies (MA CESEAS)
The Collaborative Master’s Specialization in Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies (MA CESEAS) provides advanced training in the historical and social science studies of modern East and Southeast Asia. The major topics of emphasis are political economy, modern and contemporary social history, international relations, gender, political and social change, economic development, and cultural studies.
The program is capped at 20 students, as it is intended to encourage exchanges among students and facilitate individual attention and small group discussion. Students are assigned a dedicated workspace in the Asian Institute student lab.
Students in the program may apply for a David Chu Travel Award, to conduct research in East and Southeast Asia for their major research paper, and incoming domestic students are automatically considered for a David Chu entrance award of up to $5,000.
Applicants must meet the admission and degree requirements of both the MPP and Asia-Pacific Studies programs, and students who successfully complete the requirements of the collaborative specialization will receive a certificate and the notation “Completed Collaborative Master’s Specialization in Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies” on their transcript.
Environmental Studies
The Environmental Studies Collaborative Specialization is offered through the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto. As an MPP student undertaking this collaborative specialization, you can pursue interdisciplinary coursework and research in environmental areas, with faculty from the fields of the humanities, social sciences, engineering, biology, and chemistry.
Students who successfully complete the requirements of the collaborative specialization will receive a certificate and the notation “Completed Collaborative Specialization in Environmental Studies” on their transcript.
Visit the website of the School of the Environment for more information.
Ethnic, Immigration & Pluralism Studies
The Collaborative Graduate Specialization in Ethnic, Immigration & Pluralism Studies offers graduate students the opportunity to engage in the interdisciplinary study in fields such as ethnic and race relations, international migration and immigration, cultural and linguistic communities, inter-group dynamics, nationalist movements, aboriginal affairs, and human rights.
The collaborative specialization is run by the Munk School’s R.F. Harney Program in Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies, a hub for innovative ideas and cutting-edge research related to issues of citizenship, migration, and diversity.
Students who successfully complete the requirements of the collaborative specialization will receive a certificate and the notation “Collaborative Graduate Specialization in Ethnic and Pluralism Studies” on their transcript.
Public Health Policy
The Collaborative Specialization in Public Health Policy offers students the opportunity to contribute to the development, refinement, and evaluation of policies that address society’s pressing and emerging public health priorities. Students gain insight into a wide array of legislative and regulatory interventions, administrative practices, financing and funding decisions, and various forms of soft law, such as guidelines and informal processes, and learn how these operate at international, federal, provincial, and municipal levels in ways that are both cross-jurisdictional and cross-sectoral.
Students who successfully complete the requirements of the collaborative specialization will receive a certificate and the notation “Completed Collaborative Specialization in Public Health Policy” on their transcript.
Visit the website of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health for more information.
Sexual Diversity Studies
The Collaborative Graduate Specialization in Sexual Diversity Studies is offered by the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, and engages in questions of gender, ethnicity, race, Aboriginal status, (dis)ability, and class to highlight the importance of exploring their interaction with sexual differences. Students in the collaborative specialization learn to explore their discipline through the theoretical and methodological lens of sexuality studies.
Students who successfully complete the requirements of the collaborative specialization will receive a certificate and the notation “Completed Collaborative Graduate Specialization in Sexual Diversity Studies” on their transcript.
Visit the website of the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies for more information.
For more information on each collaborative specialization, along with application and admission details, contact the University of Toronto department or school that hosts the program.
To discuss a non-standard collaborative specialization, contact MPP Program Administrator Petry Jory (petry.jory@utoronto.ca)