MA registration grows by 60% in the Faculty of Public Affairs

September 2007 saw a quantum leap in Master’s-student registration in the Faculty of Public Affairs. “We have expanded our domestic cohort of first year MA students by 60% this year, said Dean Katherine Graham. “This is a remarkable achievement.”

Spurred by a generous funding formula from the provincial government, and working closely with Carleton’s Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, the professional schools and disciplinary departments of the Faculty worked hard to attract high-quality domestic and international master’s students from Ottawa, the greater metropolitan area of Toronto, and around the world.

“This remarkable increase is testament to the leading position Carleton occupies in graduate programs in public affairs,” observed John Shepherd, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies an Research. “It is testament also to the commitment the faculty and staff of the Faculty of Public Affairs continue to demonstrate for their graduate programs and students.”

Most notable is the dramatic increase in domestic enrolments, particularly given the competitive environment in which Ontario universities are now recruiting. “We saw this increase despite that fact that every other University in Ontario was trying to do the same thing,” said Associate Dean Nick Rowe. “We were competing with a limited supply of applicants, so our success is even greater.”

And this growth trend is not over. “Prospects for further expansion in MA enrolment are robust,” said Rowe.

Among the programs that posted the highest growth rates in September were the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at 97%, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at 48%, the Department of Law at 130%, the School of Public Policy and Administration at 137%, and the School of Social Work 31%.