Social Policy Researchers & Program Officers

Formal Description

“Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers conduct research, develop policy and implement or administer programs in areas such as consumer affairs, employment, home economics, immigration, law enforcement, corrections, human rights, housing, labour, family services, foreign aid and international development. They are employed by government departments and agencies, hospitals, educational institutions, consulting establishments, professional associations, research institutes, non-government organizations and international organizations or they may be self-employed.” (NOC 2021)

Sample Job Titles

This category includes a variety of job titles that may not necessarily be reflected by the category title. For a full index of job titles, see the category entry on the ESDC site. Example job titles include:

Adoption Project Officer

Child Welfare Policy Analyst

Community Social Development Officer

Correctional Service Policy Consultant

Employment Equity Policy Analyst

Housing Policy Analyst

Human Rights Commission Officer

Immigration and Citizenship Consultant

Indigenous Affairs Officer

International Aid and Development Researcher

Labour Market Analyst

Pollster

Public Housing Officer

Social Policy Advisor

Women's Shelter Program Cooridinator

Workers' Compensation Policy Analyst

Typical Employment and Education Requirements

The requirements listed for each occupational category will tend to vary across particular roles, job titles, and contexts.

The following typical requirements are listed on the ESDC’s 2021 entry for this occupational category:

“A bachelor’s degree or college diploma in a social science or related discipline, or in business administration is usually required.”
“A master’s degree in a social science or related discipline or in business administration may be required.”
“Registration with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council is required for regulated Canadian immigration consultants.”

Success with a Social Sciences Undergraduate Degree and Beyond

When reviewing typical requirements, please remember:

Degree and diploma listings often end with a purposefully open-ended phrase (“or a related field”, “or a similar discipline”) that acknowledges the variety and applicability of social sciences and liberal arts degrees.
Employers often focus less on the name or title of a candidate’s degree, and more on how they articulate their transferable skills and experiences.
Many qualifications and certifications are available as post-graduate certificates aimed at recent university graduates; these can make an excellent further education option for a social sciences or liberal arts degree.

Explore related Graduate Certificates, Master's Programs or other relevant avenues for further education.

Learn More

Related Categories

Here are a few other categories that might interest you:

Skills Development

Get Experience

Related Sectors

Whereas Economic and Social Development Canada’s ‘occupational’ categories tend to focus more on the duties and functions that people play in specific roles, exploring careers by ‘sectors’ helps us to sort by employer type, industry, or general field of work. Here are just a few of the sectors that may be relevant to this category:

Co-op

Internships