Our Masters in Public Policy allows you to develop the conceptual, analytical and practical skills you’ll need to flourish in the world of policymaking. We prepare you for a career in vocations that make a contribution to the development or delivery of public policy.

This course is extremely flexible, and you can tailor it to fit your particular interests. Core modules on Policy Theory and Practice are combined with optional modules in Social Research and policy-relevant disciplines. If you want to pursue an interest in other policy-relevant disciplines, you can also combine a focus on policy and research with options in areas such as:

• law
• economics and behavioural science
• strategic communications
• international politics

You can also use this degree as a pathway to pursue research to PhD level by taking three modules in Applied Social Research.

As part of the Masters course, you must complete a dissertation. You’ll also have the potential to gain practical experience by pursuing a placement with a relevant organisation (with our help) – allowing you to tailor your research to a policymaker or policy-influencer audience.

Our staff have a wide range of connections with organisations in the public, private and third sectors. These can be used not only to pursue your placement-based coursework, but also build your own personal networks.

Placements/ Study abroad

To gain your Masters degree, you must produce a dissertation of around 12,000 words that applies intellectual rigour to a real-world policy problem. You’ll have the option to pursue a placement with a relevant organisation, enabling you to tailor your research to a policymaker or policy-influencer audience.

Career

After completing this course, you’ll graduate with subject-specific knowledge of the policy process – with transferable skills in research and analysis, which you’ll need to flourish in a range of organisations in the public, private and third sectors.

This course prepares you for a career in the public sector and vocations that make a contribution to the development or delivery of public policy.

Over the past five years, moste graduates from the MPP and MSc Applied Social Research course have entered social research-related careers in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

The degree also equips you to pursue a PhD.