Political Management

Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management

“Politics are the essential profession of democracy, and the hardest of all professions to master.”

— Bruce Hutchison

Political managers are essential to democratic practice and to the institutions and apparatus of politics. They include political staff to cabinet ministers and elected representatives, strategists and tacticians for political parties, campaign managers and communication officers, policy advocates for civil society organizations, and grassroots movements. But there used to be no formal education available to them in the professional skills of applied politics in Canada.

In response, Carleton University created Canada’s first graduate program in political management: an intensive master’s degree designed to provide a professional foundation for students who play or will play leadership roles in political offices, parties, non-governmental organizations, or firms that specialize in government relations, communications, or public opinion research. The program equips them to contribute to more constructive politics and well-informed policy decisions.

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