The Faculty of Public Affairs at Carleton University was established in 1997 to bring together an array of academic departments, schools and institutes that address the broad areas of politics, policy & governance, international affairs, media & society, and community engagement.

The Faculty fosters academic cooperation across 12 component units, including Departments (Economics, Law, and Political Science), Schools (International Affairs; Journalism and Communication; Public Policy and Administration, and Social Work), Institutes (Criminology and Criminal Justice; European, Russian and Eurasian Studies; Political Economy; and African Studies), as well as the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs.

Research conducted by nearly 200 faculty members informs the curriculum of our many undergraduate programs (spread across the Bachelor of Journalism, Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management, and, run in tandem with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Bachelor of Arts); as well as an array of MA and PhD programs, a Master of Journalism, a Master of Social Work, and the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management, the only Master’s degree of its kind in Canada.

The backdrop of the national capital provides students with unparalleled access to the federal government, non-governmental organizations, the media, and national and international associations, all enabling students and faculty to be on the leading edge of an array of local, national and international problems and issues.

Faculty Milestones

1997

• Two new faculties created: the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Public Affairs and Management.
• Bachelor of Arts program improved with standardization of programs across all departments and introduction of programs to allow students to improve their academic skills and to “tailor” their degrees to specific goals.
• The following graduate programs were established: Ph.D. in Communications; Concentration in Innovation, Science and Environment added to the Master of Public Administration degree; and the Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution.

1998

• New degree programs in Public Affairs and Policy Management and Criminology and Criminal Justice are created.

1999

• The Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs is opened in October. The new College, named in honour of Carleton University’s Chancellor and one of Canada’s leading experts in public affairs, Arthur Kroeger, is the home of the new Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management (B.P.A.P.M.) program.
• The Carleton University School of Social Work celebrates its 50th anniversary.
• The Institute of Central/East European and Russian-Area Studies is renamed the Institute of European and Russian Studies.
• The B.A. (Honours) in CERAS is changed to European and Russian Studies.

2000

• New University-wide regulations for academic standing, promotion, and graduation are approved.
• For the first time in Carleton’s history, the average first-year high school entrance grade is more than 80 percent.
• The Centre for European Studies is established, housed jointly in the Department of Political Science and the Institute of European and Russian Studies.

2001

• The School of Public Administration is formally renamed the School of Public Policy and Administration.
• An annual Awards Program is established by Arthur Kroeger College for Excellence in Public Affairs.
• A new graduate diploma in European Integration Studies is introduced.

2002

• The School of Public Policy and Administration develops an undergraduate Certificate in Nunavut Public Service Studies in cooperation with the Government of Nunavut.

2003

• The first class of Public Affairs and Policy Management students graduates at Spring Convocation.
• Carleton begins to offer the Bachelor of Social Work at Sir Sanford Fleming College.
• The Mention: Français is made available to Law students who complete part of their program requirements in French.
• 50^th Anniversary celebrations are held for the School of Public Policy and Administration.

2004

• A co-op program option is made available to student completing a BA Honours in Mass Communication.

2005

• The University introduced a new Collaborative Ph.D. program with a Specialization in Political Economy, involving six academic units: Canadian Studies, Geography, History, Political Science, Public Policy and Administration, and Sociology.
• A new B.A. Honours in Applied Economics is approved.
• A new Concentration in Gender and Politics is available to students in the BA and BA Honours in Political Science.

2006

• The Sprott School of Business is established as a separate Faculty, leading to a new name for the Faculty of Public Affairs.
• NPSIA introduces a new PhD program in International Affairs.
• Carleton is designated as a European Union Centre of Excellence by European Commission.
• The BA Honours in European and Russian Studies is reorganized to offer Concentrations in Russian and Eurasian Studies and in European Studies and European Integration.
• A Co-op program option is made available to students completing a BA Honours in Economics or a BA Honours in Law.

2007

• Political Science establishes The Washington Centre Internship Program, giving Carleton students the opportunity to study and work in Washington, DC
• Dr. Ruth Bell provides philanthropic investment for Carleton to establish the Honourable Dick and Ruth Bell Chair for the Study of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy
• Dr. William Barton donates $3 million to creates the William and Jeanie Barton Chair in International Affairs

2009

• Carleton established the The Institute of African Studies, an inter-disclipinary institute committed to teaching, research, public policy debate and community outreach in all matters relating to Africa

2010

• Carleton receives $15 million in funding to establish the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management
• A new Master of Infrastructure Protection and International Security (MIPIS) is offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs

2011

• The Department of Law establishes the Ph.D. in Legal Studies