Public Policy (Taught)

Our Masters in Public Policy aims to develop future public policy makers who understand the contexts and challenges facing governments and public agencies, and the processes and politics of policy formation and delivery. Public policy shapes the way societies function, from economic development and social justice, to sustainability and urban planning.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

• This programme will equip you with the skills and knowledge to make an effective contribution to the formation and evaluation of policy. You will become an independent critical thinker able to work in a wide range of organisational contexts and roles.

• A key strength of the MSc are our three pathways, which will help you develop specialist knowledge and skills, and deepen your understanding and confidence within the field of public policy. Choose from General Pathway, Sustainability Pathway, and Data Analytics Pathway.

• Develop the knowledge and skills needed to make a real and positive difference to the formation and evaluation of public sector policy.

• Our teaching is both research-informed and research-led. With our research-based analysis in the classroom, you will become skilled in research and prepared to take a social science perspective on society.

• Benefit from world class expertise in public policy, sustainability, and data analytics.

• By the end of the programme, you will have acquired skills as independent critical thinkers, enabling you to work in a wide range of organisational contexts and roles.

• Join a diverse student cohort and meet people from all around the world, allowing you to build an international network to take into your career and life after university.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
You will take a mix of core and optional courses, taught across two semesters, followed by an independent dissertation. The dissertation provides an opportunity for you to research a topic of specific interest to you, and allows you to conduct in depth critical exploration of this topic. You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor who will guide and support them through the process of undertaking a dissertation.

General Pathway
The General Pathway enables you to develop a systematic and wide-ranging overview of public policy in a global context of socio-economic inequality, significant migration, health challenges, political transitions, the climate crisis, and technological change.

Core courses
Evidence, Evaluation and Policy
Researching Public Policy
Understanding Public Policy

See course provider's website for optional course details.

Sustainability Pathway
The Sustainability Pathway focuses on the broad range of policies, politics, and institutions which shape sustainable outcomes to achieve environmental social justice. It enables you to develop specialist understandings of sustainability regarding policy making, and equips the next generation of public managers, policymakers, and public administrators with the knowledge, skills, and values required for realising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contributing to a more sustainable future.

Core courses
Evidence, Evaluation and Policy
Researching Public Policy
Understanding Public Policy
Sustainable Urban Futures (10)

See course provider's website for optional course details.

Data Analytics Pathway
The Data Analytics Pathway enables you to develop expertise in data-driven policymaking and the responsible use of data. It provides you with the critical skills needed to combine policy studies with data analytics and, upon graduation, you will have the ability to critique and analyse complex data to inform policy decisions and processes and use GenAI technologies in an ethical and responsible manner

Core courses
Data & AI in Policy & Society
Evidence, Evaluation and Policy
Researching Public Policy
Understanding Public Policy

See course provider's website for optional course details.