If you are wondering what to do with your career, how to excel in an interview or you are looking for resume development advice, the Career Services office supports students with non-academic, career-related questions.

Contact us to schedule an appointment with a Career Services Advisor. 

Self-access Tools

• CareerRoadsis RRU’s online employer database and job board.  All students are encouraged to develop their profile and begin searching future employers, volunteer opportunities and job postings. 
• RRU Student Business Card Template (PDF) provides students with professional business cards that can be easily printed on a personal printer or professionally printed at any office supply store.
• Personal Assets Inventory is a self-reflective workbook that explores personal skills, experiences and preferences.  The outcomes provide users with a starting point in their career planning and provide a platform to better understand personal skills and work place preferences.
• The annual Career Development Conference is hosted every February, and welcomes students to learn from employers at the many panels, sessions and key note speaker sessions

How long is a post-graduation work permit valid?

How long your PGWP is valid for depends on the length of your study program.

If your program was less than 8 months

You aren’t eligible for a PGWP.

If your program was more than 8 months but less than 2 years

We may give you a PGWP that’s valid for up to the same length as your study program.

For example, if you completed a 9-month program, we may give you a work permit for up to 9 months.

If your program was 2 years or more

We may give you a PGWP that’s valid for 3 years.

If you completed more than 1 program

You may be able to get a PGWP that combines the length of each program.

Each of the programs you completed must be

• PGWP-eligible and
• at least 8 months in length

Psw same as course duration For all courses above 8 months (Lets say course duration is 2 year psw is 2yrs so total 4 yrs of visa)

At Royal Roads University, the real-life leadership experiences that students bring to the classroom serve to enhance everyone’s learning. Leadership experiences could include one or more of the following:

Formal organizational leadership roles in which you directly supervise staff or complete performance-oriented work with individuals, groups, or teams.
Leadership roles in volunteer organizations.
Roles in which you consult, negotiate with, or manage diverse interest groups through relationship, in a complex environment.
Roles in which you lead others toward shared goals and outcomes.
Roles in which you influence, organize, and coordinate groups of people.
Overcoming a challenging life experience (for self or others), which involved navigating complex systems and resulted in positive community change beyond the individual.
We invite applications from established and emerging leaders who bring a range of professional experiences to the cohort setting. We review all applications on a case-by-case basis. If you are interested in either the 1. Health Specialization or 2. Executive Leadership Specialization, please make sure to see additional admission requirements at the bottom of the page.

Standard Admission
Four year (or comparable) undergraduate degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, with a minimum GPA of B+ (3.33/4.33).
Normally a minimum of five years of leadership experience.
Applicants who meet the degree requirement, but not the GPA, or have been away from academic writing for more than 10 years, will normally be required to take the “Academic Writing and Critical Thinking” course offered through Continuing Studies at Royal Roads University, and obtain a minimum B+ (77%) prior to commencing the program. (This course must end a minimum of five weeks prior to your program start date.)
Emerging leaders who meet the MA Leadership degree requirement, but have fewer than five years of leadership experience, yet have been in recent leadership or people management role(s) for two years or more, demonstrate exceptional leadership potential through their professional and life experiences, are preparing for further leadership roles, and otherwise meet the standard admissions criteria, are encouraged to apply.

Flexible Admission
Applicants who do not meet the Standard Admission Requirements will be considered for Flexible Admission and assessed as follows:

At least 10 years of professional experience, with five of those years of leadership* experience.
Flexible admission applicants will normally be required to take “Academic Writing and Critical Thinking” and obtain a minimum B+ (77%) prior to commencing the program. (This course must end a minimum of five weeks prior to your program start date.)
Additional Admissions Requirements for Specializations
1. HEALTH SPECIALIZATION
The MA Leadership (Health Specialization) is designed for leaders within the health system. To be accepted into the program, applicants will normally demonstrate five years of leadership experience in a healthcare organization, or leadership in a health-related capacity. Given the diversity of healthcare leaders, a variety of experiences are acceptable. While positional leadership in a healthcare organization is recognized, roles of significant influence in health-related community organizations, successful advocacy experiences, and health promotion are possibilities. We particularly welcome applicants who have worked in underserved and challenging areas of healthcare, such as Indigenous communities and emergency medicine. Healthcare related experiences that do not include formal supervisory roles, but require exceptional and critical decision-making skills, such as emergency nursing and various physician roles are adjudicated on a case by case basis. Applicants are encouraged to present a clear case for how they meet the leadership experience requirement. We also recognize that leadership roles are competitive, and emerging leaders may not have had the opportunity to obtain a full five years of demonstrated leadership experience. We encourage emerging leaders who have a four-year bachelor’s degree, and five years of professional experience in a health-related area, which includes two years full time equivalent or more of demonstrated leadership experience, to present a case for acceptance into the program. Applicants who do not have a four-year bachelor’s degree may apply with ten years of professional experience in healthcare, which includes at least five years of demonstrated leadership experience.

2. EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP SPECIALIZATION
The MA Leadership (Executive Leadership Specialization) is specifically designed for mid-level to senior leaders and how they leverage values to lead cultural change and sustained successful innovation in their organizations. It focuses on how leaders foster the creation of shared values, vision, mission, strategy and the engagement of people in shaping the organizational culture and structure, in relation to both internal and external realities.

For Standard Admission, applicants will have a minimum of five years of leadership experience including at least three years as a designated organizational leader with responsibilities to lead others in delivering a common product or outcome with explicit values. Applicants without an undergraduate degree will have at least 10 years of professional experience, with at seven years in an organization, as well as five years of leadership experience, with at least three years of positional leadership or designated leadership experience.

Some examples of roles for which the program is designed for are mid-level to senior leadership positions: CEO, VP, Deputy Minister, Assistant Deputy Minister, CFO, Director General. Some examples for designated roles for which experience is required for entry: Director, Manager, Supervisor.

Please ensure that you demonstrate your leadership experience in your detailed resume, and clearly indicate how your years of experience meet the Standard or Flexible Admission requirements and, if applicable, for the specialization you are applying.

English is the primary language of instruction and communication at Royal Roads University. As part of the application process, all applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English speaking, listening, reading and writing by one of the following means:

Submission of official English language proficiency scores
Graduation from college or university at which English was the primary language of instruction in an English-speaking country
Completion of a pathway program through the Global Learning and Language Centre (GLLC) at Royal Roads
Additional information on these options is included below.

Option 1 - Submission of an official English language proficiency score report which meets one of the following minimum standards:
Official results should be sent directly from the testing organization & should be less than 2 years old. RRU may consider other language proficiency tests on a case-by-case basis.

COVID-19 RESPONSE (UPDATED APRIL 24, 2020)
Due to the recent temporary suspension of in-person testing conducted at various IELTS and TOEFL centres, Royal Roads University will accept the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and Duolingo English Test (DET) as evidence of language proficiency until further notice. We can also accept the IELTS Indicator test to assess your application; however, conditionally admitted students will be required to submit an official English Language test score (as listed below) to fulfill their condition before the start of their program. The IELTS Indicator test is available in most countries until test centres are able to resume in-person testing.

We strongly recommend that you submit an official IELTS, TOEFL or PTE-A test if you reside outside of any affected areas. We will be monitoring activities for IELTS, TOEFL and PTE-A centres and adjusting our requirements as necessary. For more information, visit RRU's COVID-19 page.

FOR ALL YEAR 3 (DEGREE COMPLETION) AND MOST* GRADUATE LEVEL ENTRY:
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic 6.5 overall with a minimum 6.5 in writing and speaking and 6.0 in listening and reading
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT 88 overall with a minimum 24 in writing and 20 in listening, reading and speaking
Pearson Test of English – Academic (PTE-A): 60 overall with a minimum 60 in writing and speaking and 58 minimum in listening and reading
Duolingo English Test (DET) Score of 115
*FOR THE MASTER OF ARTS IN PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, DOCTOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCE, AND DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAMS:
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic 7.0 overall with a minimum 6.5 in writing, speaking, listening and reading
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT 100 overall with a minimum 26 in writing and 23 in listening, reading and speaking
Pearson Test of English – Academic (PTE-A): 68 overall with a minimum 60 in writing, speaking, listening and reading