Public Policy (Taught)

Our Masters in Public Policy (MPP) teaches you how to analyse, develop and implement policies to solve societal issues. These can include climate change, public health, economic development, education, social justice, crime and safety, and government transparency.
Public policy professionals play a vital role in shaping the direction of society. Employment in the public sector reached a record high of 6.14 million in December 2024. This reflects the growing demand for skilled individuals (Office for National Statistics March 2025).
Tailor the MPP to your interests
This Public Policy Masters degree is very flexible. You can customise it to your interests. It includes core modules on policy theory, analysis and practice. You can take optional modules in areas such as:

• Social Research

• Law

• Economics

• Behavioural Science

• Strategic Communications

• International Politics

You can also use this Masters degree in Public Policy as a pathway to pursue research to PhD level.
Gain practical public policy research experience
As part of your dissertation, you can choose to do a placement with a relevant organisation. This lets you focus your research on a policymaker or policy-influencer audience.
Previous students have completed placement work with non-governmental organisations such as the WWF and public bodies for land reform.
Build your professional network
We regularly welcome policy actors to provide guest seminars such as to explain how EU and UK government works in theory and practice.
Our staff have a wide range of connections with organisations in the public, private and third sectors. These can be used to pursue your placement-based coursework and build your own personal networks.
Comprehensive employability and skills programme
Our employability and skills programme to helps you to develop the attributes that employers look for. The University of Stirling’s Careers Service works in partnership with academic staff to ensure you are ready for the employment market.

You’ll be assessed through a wide range of various coursework as part of your taught modules. That coursework includes blog posts, policy analysis, essays on practical lessons from policy theory, and the research dissertation. There are no exams.