Graduate Diploma in Public Administration
Western's Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (GDPA) is designed for mid-career local government administrators who wish to further develop their public management perspectives and skills at the graduate level. Most GDPA students work for municipal governments, but some are employed by separate boards, provincial ministries, not-for-profit organizations, or in the private sector.
The four GDPA Courses offer specialized education in local administration and policy analysis, giving the experienced student the prospect of being better prepared for the challenges of modern community, urban, and regional governance and administration.
The Diploma has been offered annually since 1974. Thousands of students from across Canada, with widely varying backgrounds, have completed the program over the past 50+ years. Many medium-to-large Canadian municipalities consistently use Western's Graduate Diploma in Public Administration as part of their professional development program for senior managers.
Western's GDPA is highly accessible to students working in full-time, demanding careers because of the flexibility of its format. We offer two streams of the GDPA, the On Campus GDPA and the Online GDPA.
The cross-disciplinary faculty who teach in the GDPA program include academic researchers specializing in local government, as well as practitioners with extensive local government experience.
Students receive Western graduate credits for the four GDPA courses and those wishing to continue their studies at the master’s level can either apply to the Master of Public Administration and receive credit for their GDPA coursework (within five years of graduating from the GDPA) or transfer directly (see below for eligibility criteria).
Tuition
GDPA tuition is pay per course. Students are charged in the term that they are taking a course(s). Western sets tuition and fee rates before the start of each term. The Tuition Fees Schedules are published by the Office of the Registrar and can also be found on the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) website.
The Graduate Student Affordability Calculator was designed for applicants to get a better estimate of what it will cost to attend one of Western's graduate programs for one year. The calculator is intended to provide an accurate estimate of how much money applicants will need to pay for their tuition, fees, housing, food, and many other necessities for a 12-month (three term) academic year.
Eligibility for MPA Transferring Option
Each year, we will open five spots for currently enrolled GDPA students to transfer directly to the MPA. GDPA students wishing to transfer to the MPA program must meet with following minimum eligibility criteria:
- Possess a four-year honours degree from a recognized postsecondary institution
- Be currently enrolled in the GDPA program
- Have completed at least two GDPA courses
- Have an average of 80% or higher across all GDPA courses taken to date
Upon having met these criteria, and no later than January 15th, students must contact the program (localgov@uwo.ca) to request to be considered for a transfer to the MPA. The transfer spots will be awarded to the five students with the highest cumulative GDPA averages. Students approved to transfer into the MPA will start in either the following summer or fall term.
GDPA students who do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria and/or are not awarded one of the five transfer spots are welcome to apply to the MPA program through the regular admissions process. For these students, successful completion of the GDPA will be a condition for MPA program admission.
