Welcome to Public Policy at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

Inequality, poverty, discrimination, climate change, health care, education, work, immigration, social welfare, policing, Indigenous issues, and economic development: these are only some of the pressing public policy topics that define our times. As we cope with and recover from the global Covid-19 pandemic and grapple with urgent calls for equity and justice in the face of systemic and anti-Black racism, the importance of bold, creative and effective public policy has only become more clear.

Public policy plays a critically important role in shaping our everyday lives and the future in Canada and globally. Engaging in public policy requires the development and sharpening of a wide range of tools, from analytical and critical thinking skills to research and communication skills, leadership, negotiations, and working in teams and with technology.

The Munk School offers two public policy training programs: the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and an undergraduate major in public policy. These programs train students to use these tools to be an effective policy leader.

In addition to a challenging curriculum of required and elective courses, MPP students participate in enriching extracurricular activities, paid summer internships and professional development programming that launch a thriving career in the public, private or non-profit sectors. Students run a policy-oriented radio show and an academic journal, a pro-bono consulting program and case competitions — including an annual collaboration with the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Through participation in student government and/or equity-seeking student groups, students immediately put into practice skills learned in the classroom and gain leadership and professional development skills. From policy hack-a-thons, debates and rich panel discussions to talks by leading public servants, scholars and other luminaries, you will have a rich, stimulating and rewarding experience as a student in the MPP program. While we are aware that travel is currently uncertain, the MPP community has many established partners. If travel is feasible, second-year students will have the option to spend the fall semester abroad studying public policy at Sciences Po in Paris, the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin or the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, or may pursue exchanges with King’s College London and the Central European University in Budapest.

Over the years, what I’ve noticed is that one of the most important features of our MPP program is the community created with your classmates and peers as well as with former and future MPP program alumni, faculty, fellows and staff. While this group includes many eminent leaders eager to share their experiences and provide mentorship, it likely also includes future political leaders, senior civil servants, non-profit leaders, policy entrepreneurs and scholars. These are networks of friends, colleagues and leaders who you will engage with for life.

The MPP program now has its home in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. Along with Master of Global Affairs (MGA) students, MPP students share the benefits of first-class resources, new collaborations and a vibrant intellectual community at the Munk School. This includes rigorous and innovative programs, initiatives and labs that all call the Munk School home.

Since 2012, it has been an honour and pleasure to be part of the MPP program faculty at the University of Toronto. I look forward to leading the program through a period of dynamic change and to building the impact of public policy in Canada and globally — with a central mission to train, mentor and support the development of the future leaders needed to tackle the major challenges facing our country as it works to live up to its ambitious and fundamental goals in terms of equity, sustainability, reconciliation and prosperity.

We hope you will join us here at the MPP Program and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy!

Sincerely,

Dan Zuberi
Director, Master of Public Policy (MPP) Program
Professor and RBC Chair
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
(joint appointment, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work)
University of Toronto

About the Director
mpp.director@utoronto.ca