In accordance with the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP), the Program Self-Study Reports were completed 19 July 2023. For the program under review, Master of Defence Studies (MDS), the report contained the degree level expectations for this program, an analytical assessment of the program, course outlines, program-related data, survey data from the Office of Quality Assurance and appendices with sample examinations and CVs of faculty members. Two arm's-length external reviewers (Dr. Maureen S. Hiebert, PhD, Department of Political Science, University of Calgary and Dr. Robert James Orr III, PhD, Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs, National War College, United States National Defense University) were selected by the Dean of Graduate Studies from a list of possible reviewers. An internal reviewer, Dr. Yugang Liu from the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was also selected for participation in the ERC. They reviewed the self-study documentation and conducted an on-site visit to RMC from 17 to 18 January 2024. They submitted their report on 11 March 2024.
In their report, the ERC stated that the MDS Program and the Canadian Forces College (CFC) generally provide excellent education and training for the next generation of senior command and staff officers to perform various tasks in a complex world. The ERC identified a number of strengths of the MDS program, including, the ERC was impressed with the quality of education provided and dedication to student learning, and a spirit of continual improvement is evident in the attitude of all faculty, staff and administration. The ERC also identified several areas of concern such as: CFC should work to improve the new faculty training for all new hires and new military faculty assigned; enhance earlier and ongoing communication, clarifying student expectations and workload; review its Program Learning Objectives and Course Learning Objectives; continue to advocate to higher authority for a clear statement and policy guidance as to the CAF policy on its priorities for senior officers and apply appropriate resources and support for recruiting and retaining the highest quality of military faculty.
The Program Chair consulted with the program's faculty and staff and submitted a response to the ERC Report on 10 June 2024. The Dean of Graduate Studies prepared this Final Assessment Report (FAR) on 26 July 2024. In the FAR, it was concluded that RMC is delivering graduate programs consistent with other comparable institutions in Ontario. However, the ERC identified areas with room for improvement, and RMC has already taken steps to address some of the issues raised. RMC will continue to work toward program enhancement and improve student success in the graduate programs in Master of Defense Studies.