This is a damned old thread but certainly the title caught my eye, so what the hoop, somebody might actually do a search and want to find out about this follow up.
I did the the Master Gunner course in its current form last year 2004-2005, it is now called the Army Technical Warrant Officer's program, although on graduation the title "Master Gunner" is still awarded as is the Master Gunner badge.
The course is very academically demanding. I don't care what previous experience someone might have prior to going on the course, they will definitely be pushed out of their comfort zone. The university approach to learning took this old salt some getting used to after being brought up through 25 years of the Army training system. The program has a 13 month duration in RMC, plus a 2 to 3 month (depending on student) pre-course study package (math, physics, chemistry, writing and so on) done at the home unit and/or partially at Kingston. On a good night student's finish about 2300, most night's, and burn a good part of the weekend too; a very busy curriculum.
In spite of the title Master Gunner, the program does not focus on gunnery, I would say weapon system design takes up maybe 1/8th, at most, of the program's time. Instead the program covers a broad range of subjects on the defence industry and is based for the most part on the Officer's Land Forces Technical Staff program, with the ATWO's receiving a bit more on user trial's. There's a good number of visits to Defence Research establishments both in Canada and the US. The ATWO students are also responsible for conducting an actual user trial; I was paired up with my good RCR bro and we did a trial on the Diemaco EAGLE
Our course had 3 infanteer's (one from ea reg Force Regt), 1 Armoured (12e RBC), 1 Fd Engineer (5e Regt), 1 from the Air Defence, 1 Vehicle Tech, and me from the Fd Arty. So the course is certainly no longer limited to gunner's, I believe the course that just finished had an RMS clerk on it and the next serial doesn't even have any Field Gunner's on it.
Post course there are some problems. JShort is right, the intent was to do something like we used to with the ATWO returning to a field unit to work in a sort of Tech Adjt postion. This is not what is happening and in fact about half the graduates return to a line unit where their new skills actually do not get used that much. This can be very discouraging. I was no exception, I returned to the Arty School where my skills were only marginally put to use during the implementation of M777 (the new Light Weight Towed 155mm howitzer) training, but this has since changed and I now am to take on the specific duties of Master Gunner in the School.
So all in all I would say it is a very challenging and worthwhile course, there are some post course employment troubles but the powers that be are working on that, it is getting better and hopefully before too long we'll see 100% of the graduates being employed in positions where they can bring their new skill sets to bare.
Hope this answers most questions to any poor bored SOB that looked this up ;D
cheers!