Public policy decisions have a profound effect on nearly every aspect of daily life, touching on the economy, healthcare, and the environment. As the challenges facing our communities—both locally and globally—grow ever more complex, the need to understand and apply sound public policy is critical.
In the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program, you can gain the skills needed to address public policy issues and create solutions that will have a positive impact on society. Discover how to formulate, implement, and evaluate public policy within government agencies or in the nonprofit or private sector.
Through a curriculum that blends theory, practice, and a virtual city that simulates real-life scenarios, you can enhance and refine your analytic and quantitative skills while developing a thorough understanding of the political institutions and processes through which public policies are created. Coursework focuses on policy analysis, management and leadership, empirical analysis, ethics, and politics and is designed to prepare you to work in a wide variety of organizations that create, analyze, or operate according to public policy.
You can apply what you learn immediately in your profession and prepare for a role in public policy management or leadership.
Graduates of this program will be prepared to:
Find detailed information for the general specialization of this program, or all other specializations of this program, including possible occupations, completion rate, program costs, and median student loan debt.
Various leaders and policymakers who have launched successful public policy careers hold a Master of Public Policy.* A broad range of career options is available for those who hold advanced degrees in public policy, including positions in governments at all levels, nonprofit organizations and NGOs, and higher education and at private-sector companies.
Walden’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) can prepare you for careers as a:
Rethink public policy from the ground up, by exploring creative and innovative approaches for making, shaping and influencing policy design and delivery.
This specialist MSc in Public Policy offers you the opportunity to delve into how public policy is made, what shapes it, and how you can make a real difference as a policymaker.
You will explore the political, economic and social dynamics and forces that influence contemporary public policy issues. This will enable you to think creatively about public policy design and delivery, and your role within it.
Highly applied in nature, the course draws on diverse cases from policymaking globally, as well as from Europe and the UK. You’ll work with academics from the Institute for Policy Research, Department of Social & Policy Sciences and Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies with international expertise in this area, and have links to senior and experienced policymakers from around the world.
The course also examines how data, knowledge and evidence in the digital environment are re-shaping how public policy is analysed, made and practised.
You will leave the course with:
The course is delivered in an inspiring format, with highly structured and interactive online content; face-to-face learning and networking at short residentials in Bath and London; and intensive support from leading Bath academics throughout.
Ideal for those already working in policy, or aspiring to do so, the course offers plenty of opportunity to draw on examples from your own professional experience, and to apply the new ideas and skills to your own specific public policy interests.
Graduate prospects
The specialist teaching and tools you acquire will put you in a strong position for moving forward in any policy-facing or policy-shaping role, whether in analysis, strategy or delivery.
You will be equipped to work as a national civil servant in a policy role, government affairs official, think tank researcher, parliamentary advisor, policy advisor, policy advocate in a large INGO or advocacy organisation.
You could also work in regional or local government strategy, public service policy or strategy, or the private sector providing contracted public sector services.
You could also take your studies further to doctoral level.
Course brochure
Join our webinar on Wednesday 2 May 2018 at 19:00-20.00 GMT. During the webinar you will be able to find about:
There will also be an opportunity to put your questions to our staff.
This course lasts 2 years. Occasionally we make changes to our programmes in response to, for example, feedback from students, developments in research and the field of studies, and the requirements of accrediting bodies. You will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.
These compulsory units are currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new units.
This MSc is unique in the UK in focusing on five core areas which have risen rapidly up the public agenda – environment, climate and energy economics, modelling and policy – and for which there is a need for highly qualified practitioners with the skills to analyse the issues and relate the results to policy.
Students will reach a deep understanding of different economic and policy approaches to the resource and environmental problems facing the global community and nation states, especially in respect to energy and climate change. They will learn how to apply a variety of analytical methods to resolve these problems in a broad range of practical contexts.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of five core modules (75 credits), three optional modules (45 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits).
Core modules
Optional modules
The list of optional modules is correct for the 2018-19 academic year. Enrolment on modules is subject to availability.
Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a 10,000-word dissertation.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and project work. Assessment is through examination, coursework and by dissertation.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment MSc
Graduates of this programme will be equipped to become leaders and entrepreneurs in their chosen area of specialisation, whether in terms of policy-making, the business management of sustainable issues, energy system modelling or their understanding and application of innovative systems.
The skills that they will acquire will make them strong applicants for employment in a range of sectors in which sustainability has become an important consideration, including business, central and local government, think tanks and NGOs and universities and research institutes.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Employability
The uniquely interdisciplinary nature of this Master's provides students with practical skills which are in demand by employers from a variety of fields. Students will have the opportunity to attend networking events, career workshops and exclusive seminars held at the UCL Energy Institute.
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
The UCL Energy Institute is world leader in a range of areas covered by the programme; for example, energy systems, energy economics, energy and environmental policy and law and behavioural aspects of energy use.
Our sister institute, the UCL Institute of Sustainable Resources, provides additional expertise on resource economics. These areas are increasingly important due to related challenges, such as climate change, resource exhaustion and energy affordability.
There is a definite need for quantitative, practical environment and resource economists who understand policy. The appeal of this MSc is twofold: it offers those with quantitative first degrees the chance to acquire high-level, energy-environment-economy modelling skills, but in relaxing the level of mathematical skills required, it is also ideal for those with largely non-quantitative first degrees.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources
81% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
Welfare states everywhere face enormous challenges from population ageing, changes in family life and work-patterns, migration and the economic crisis. In a globalised and interdependent world, these issues can only be understood from an international perspective which accounts for these common pressures and processes, but which also recognises and engages with the diversity of national traditions and institutions for delivering welfare.
The International Social Policy programme takes a policy analytic approach to provide you with an advanced understanding of current debates, theories and concepts relevant to international social policy. You learn about the common features of social policy arrangements internationally and the variety and differences that characterise welfare across the countries and regions of the world. Drawing on the research-based expertise available at SSPSSR which relates to countries ranging from China, South Korea and Singapore in South East Asia to the UK, Germany and Sweden in Western Europe, you are equipped to understand how national and global forces interact to shape trajectories of welfare system development.
The programme enables you to apply theories and methods of social policy in exploring enduring cross cutting themes in social policy, including the prioritisation of equality and capabilities, as well as to drill down to how and why policy unfolds in key welfare fields. You develop policy analytic skills in relation to such areas as health, migration, pensions, education, social care, and children & family related policy. You acquire expertise in the use of primary and secondary data collection in areas pertaining to all these aspects of social policy, and are thus equipped to think critically about the development of social welfare systems in a global age across the full range of national contexts and policy situations.
We place considerable emphasis on structured, interactive seminars with a high degree of student participation. You also join the staff/graduate seminars which allow MA and research students to become involved in a professional research culture.
The programme gives you a clear and confident grasp of social policy in developed and developing countries. You gain an advanced understanding of the relevant debates, theories and concepts of international issues alongside skills in research design and data collection.
You take compulsory modules alongside optional modules of your choice. Modules may include:
https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/118/international-social-policy#structure
This programme aims to:
Building on Kent’s success as the region’s leading institution for student employability, we place considerable emphasis on you gaining specialist knowledge in your chosen subject alongside core transferable skills. We ensure that you develop the skills and competences that employers are looking for including: research and analysis; policy development and interpretation; independent thought; writing and presentation, as well as time management and leadership skills. You also become fully involved in the professional research culture of the School. A postgraduate degree in the area of social and public policy is a particularly flexible and valuable qualification that can lead to many exciting opportunities and professions.
Our graduates obtain a range of transferable skills and report high levels of being in employment or further study within six months of graduation across all of our degree programmes.
Over 98% of Kent's postgraduate students who graduated in 2016 were in work or further study within six months. Recent graduates from our School have pursued careers in academia, journalism, local and central government, charities and NGOs.
How to apply: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/
We offer inspirational teaching and supervision alongside first-class library and IT facilities. You also benefit from our high-impact research in all subjects. Whatever you are looking to study, Kent provides a dynamic and challenging environment for your postgraduate studies.
* of 122 universities, not including specialist institutions
The MSc in Environmental Technology has been running for over 40 years and provides the highest standard of knowledge and skills development for environmental and sustainability specialists. Through the course students acquire a diverse range of discipline-specific problem-solving skills for tackling contemporary sustainability issues. A major emphasis of the course is on the way that environments function and on the compatible tools, alternative technologies and policies for sustainable environmental management.
Our course combines the natural and social sciences, engineering and business in a truly interdisciplinary manner, providing a foundation for graduates to demonstrate their ability to identify and resolve environmental and sustainability issues in a holistic way. This broad training is followed by an in-depth education in many specialised areas, maintaining the course's interdisciplinary nature. The specialist options in the second term are designed to cater for a variety of individual interests and career requirements.
The course provides students with different options to build on their undergraduate degree, by allowing them to specialise in an area of particular interest, convert undergraduate knowledge to a different setting, differentiate for the job market and learn specific techniques and tools for research and management.
MSc candidates learn to appreciate that successful projects depend, at least in part, on belonging to a network of experts aiming to advance personal and collective environmental goals. We emphasise a friendly and supportive learning environment.
Building on Imperial’s environmental world-class research portfolio, dedicated teaching staff coordinate the interdisciplinary nature of our course and very strong links with industry, business and regulators. We pride ourselves on the quality of the service we provide to students, science and the society, and our excellence in delivering the valuable interaction between scientific/technological training and industrial experience.
First term – Core Course
The Core Course emphasises contemporary policy debates through a number of cross-cutting themes: climate change and energy, international development, sustainability and health, and biodiversity. This is delivered through the following modules:
Second term – specialist Options
Student elect to specialise in one of nine Options in the second term. A strong case study approach is employed with emphasis on working in teams, decision-making, strong analytical skills and report writing and delivery. The nine specialist options currently offered on the course include:
Third Term – Individual Research Project
The research project term, running from April to September, aims to provide graduates with valuable research and practical experience and give them the ability to address individual sustainability and environmental problems with confidence. It provides the opportunity to undertake rigorous independent research; to apply knowledge and understanding of sustainability and environmental disciplines to practical problems; and to develop and demonstrate interdisciplinary, transferable skills with specific emphasis on project management and oral and written presentation skills.
The research project normally follows from the specialist Option and may involve any combination of desk-, laboratory- or fieldwork. It may be set up and carried out in conjunction with an outside organisation thereby providing practical experience which greatly enhances employment prospects, and may be carried out in the UK or abroad.
The programme aims to:
• Provide the highest standard of training for environmental scientists and managers, who will become leaders in their fields, whether in academia, consultancy, research, government bodies, non-governmental organisations or industry and commerce, both nationally and internationally
• Deliver an holistic understanding of the interdisciplinary complexities underlying environmental issues integrating science, technology, law, economics, policy and management, with in-depth education in the more specific areas addressed by the eight specialist options
• Attract highly motivated students, both from within the UK and from overseas
The expected learning outcomes are:
Links with Industry
The MSc in Environmental Technology has developed very strong links with employers and research organisations, and maintains strong links with our large alumni body. All Options benefit from industry and alumni teaching into the course, actively complementing the academic teaching delivered by staff members. Collaborative frameworks are in place aim to deliver outputs beneficial to both organisations and the students in our course.
This MSc aims to educate a new generation of public policymakers and policy analysts, familiarising them with the necessary concepts, theories, methods and principles involved in the formulation and analysis of public policy. The programme draws on many disciplines, including political science, economics, law, public management and public health.
Students develop a working knowledge of many aspects of political science theory relevant to understanding how public policies are formulated, implemented and evaluated. They gain a basic understanding of economic approaches to public policy analysis and of the concepts of economic efficiency and equity as societal objectives. Students also learn extensively about research methods which gives them the tools necessary to understand political processes and to analyse important policy issues.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of four core modules (75 credits), three optional modules (45 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).
Core modules
Optional modules
Dissertation/report
All MSc students undertake an individual research project, which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000 words.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and case studies, and is taught by scholars who have carried out theoretical and empirical research in the field. Students will be assessed by a variety of methods: unseen examinations, long essays, course work and the dissertation.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Public Policy MSc
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
Graduates go on to a range of destinations both nationally and internationally including:
Recent career destinations for this degree
Employability
The training that students receive in policy analysis, research methods, political science, economics and other disciplines equips them to work in a range of different organisations engaged in policy-making and policy analysis. Additionally, the emphasis on independent research, through the dissertation, enables students to think critically about policy problems and devise innovative solutions to such problems.
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
UCL Political Science is recognised as a centre of excellence in the field and offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of public policy.
The interdisciplinary aspect of this programme provides participants with the opportunity to address some of the key issues of contemporary governance and public sector reform.
UCL is uniquely well placed to draw together theory and practice in the field of public policy in health, where perhaps the most far-reaching of all public sector reforms has taken place.
City’s MSc Health Policy is the ideal route for graduates looking to start, change or develop their career within the health policy field. It combines an international focus and academic rigour with the development of practical, transferable skills that can be applied in a wide range of real-world health policy, planning and management settings.
We welcome applications from graduates (UK or international) from any academic discipline. The course is suitable for established professionals from a wide range of backgrounds, including:
Find out more about what we do by visiting our Facebook page and following us on Twitter.
Health and health care policy are at the top of the political agenda around the world. People are living longer, consumers are expecting more from their health services and chronic illnesses are becoming prevalent. Medical technology is advancing rapidly, creating ever-increasing demand for the latest treatments.
Health policy affects and is affected by all of these factors. It aims to meet the growing challenges facing health systems by providing answers to such questions as:
City’s MSc in Health Policy gives you the knowledge and tools you need to understand, analyse and influence the health policy process, and to operate within an increasingly complex policy environment.
You will analyse the social, political and economic factors that affect policy at a local, national and international level. You will explore how and where policy is made, and who the key players are; and learn how to present your ideas clearly and persuasively to a range of influential stakeholders to bring about change.
You will have the opportunity to do a placement, but it is not a formal requirement of the course. We encourage you to create your own. One recent student worked within the refugee camp in Calais alongside the NGO Doctors of the World as part of her dissertation research on refugee access to health care.
You will learn through a mix of lectures, class discussions and seminars, student presentations, case study analysis, interactive computer-based exercises, a virtual learning environment (Moodle) and self-directed reading.
Lecturers are drawn from City's Schools of Health Sciences and Arts and Social Sciences. A number of distinguished external honorary and guest lecturers have also taught on the programme, including:
City has an international reputation for academic excellence in the areas of health and food policy, health services research, health management, health economics and executive leadership across a broad range of professional disciplines. You will learn from and alongside colleagues who aim to influence health policy and lead health-related initiatives.
Modules are assessed through a combination of written coursework, group work and examination. The assessments reflect the learning objectives of the modules.
You will take five core taught modules, which cover the main topics and issues within health policy, the health policy process, the principles of policy analysis, and research methods.
You will also choose two or three further elective modules covering a range of related areas, including public health, global health and health management and leadership.
Because health and health care are such high priorities for both the public and policy makers, health policy specialists will continue to be in high demand. Therefore, if you are working or want to work within any health-related organisation in the public, private or third sectors, this course will help you develop the key transferable skills you need to succeed.
Graduates of the MSc Health Policy have gone on to a variety of policy, campaigning/advocacy and research roles within the public sector such as:
This Master's of Public Administration prepares the next generation of climate and energy leaders and decision makers to tackle complex challenges, from mitigating climate change to developing sustainable and renewable energy. Graduates gain the tools, practical skills and knowledge to leverage technology and innovate climate and energy policy and gain insights from practising experts.
Students are taught the conceptual frameworks, policy analysis tools and analytical methods to develop energy and climate policies. Students also study how energy and climate policies are implemented, evaluated and revised in policy cycles. A focus on leadership and the development of professional skills is emphasised throughout.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of four core modules (105 credits), one optional module (15 credits), an elective module (15 credits), and a major group project module (45 credits) of around 12,000 words.
Core modules
Students undertake three core modules with students from sister MPA programmes, and a specialist module focusing on their degree topic.
Optional modules
Students select one optional STEaPP module from the following:
Students will then also select one further 15-credit graduate module which is relevant to their degree of study. This module can be selected from any UCL department.
MPA Group Policy Project
In the group project, students work with an external client on a relevant policy challenge. With the support of STEaPP academic staff, the multidiscipinary student groups work together to produce an analysis that meets their clients' needs.
Teaching and learning
The programme combines innovative classroom teaching methods with unique scenario-based learning, enabling students to dynamically engage with real-world policy challenges. Scenarios are designed to help students consolidate knowledge and develop essential practical skills and their understanding of principles. During the programme, students acquire a comprehensive range of relevant skills.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Energy, Technology and Climate Policy MPA
Graduates of this Master's of Public Administration acquire skills to work in a range of sectors involved in analysis and/or policy-making concerning energy and climate change. Career destinations might include national and local government; international agencies such as the World Bank, United Nations and other global organisations; technology companies focused on sustainable energy; government offices of energy, innovation or development; environment agencies; consultancies and think tanks.
Employability
Throughout the MPA programme, students will:
A rapidly changing energy landscape and the impacts of climate change are providing opportunities for policy strategy and leadership in almost every country and industry sector. This practical programme offers experiential learning for skills needed in energy and climate policy-making.
Students undertake a week-long scenario activity on the policy-making process where they engage with external experts and UCL academics. Students go on to undertake a nine-month major project for a real-world client. Example policy problems include renewable energy sources, carbon capture and storage, or emerging energy technologies.
Students will gain the opportunity to network with UCL STEaPP's broad range of international partners, expert staff and a diverse range of academics and professionals from across the department's MPA and doctoral programmes.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
International maritime policy may be broadly defined as the area of private and public policy concerned with the economics of maritime transport, ports and terminals; national and international regulation; maritime security and defence; maritime labour; and oceanic law, policy and management.
International and interdisciplinary in approach, the programme is of interest to maritime professionals in both sea- and shore-based sectors seeking to develop an in-depth understanding of current issues and future developments, public policy professionals seeking to develop maritime expertise, and graduates in maritime studies and public policy areas seeking further specialisation and postgraduate qualifications.
The programme combines lectures, tutorials, group and individual projects, and seminars, and provides opportunities to learn from the experience of those directly involved with international maritime policy.
Maritime at Greenwich keeps in close touch with developments in the maritime sector through its advisory committee, representing a range of specialist professional interests. Certain courses are accredited by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. Other links include those to the museum sector, in particular the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the Maritime London Promotion Group, the Greenwich Forum, Sea Vision UK and the London Universities Maritime Law and Policy Group.
Year 1
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Students are required to choose 15 credits from this list of options.
Year 1
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Students are required to choose 15 credits from this list of options.
Year 2
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Year 1
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Year 2
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Year 3
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Students are assessed through coursework and a dissertation.
Graduates can pursue careers in maritime administration, international organisations, maritime non-governmental organisations.
This stream provides multidisciplinary training in the advanced methods necessary to undertake epidemiological research on the relationships between health and the environment. Students will develop an understanding of the social, economic and political contexts which underlie the establishment of priorities and the selection and evaluation of policy responses.
Graduates enter careers in epidemiology, health risk assessment, consultancy or policy development as applied to environment and global health.
- Full programme specification (pdf) (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/files/pheh_progspec.pdf)
- Intercalating this course (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/courses/ways-study/intercalating-study-masters-degree)
This course is accredited by the Agency for Accreditation of Public Health Education in the European Region (APHEA) which is the accreditation body of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER).
Visit the website https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/masters/public-health-environment
By the end of this stream students should be able to demonstrate ability to apply knowledge of the core disciplines of public health, consisting of statistics; epidemiology; health economics; and social research, to real health problems. In addition, they should be able to:
- describe the principal concerns in environment and health (pollution of air, water, and land; the urban environment; sustainable development; risk perceptions)
- interpret and evaluate risk assessments and risk management strategies as applied to environment and health concerns
- show a theoretical and practical understanding of the design and analysis of studies in environmental epidemiology
- analyse the political and social contexts in which an environment and health policy is made, the factors that lead to policy change, and in particular, the role that research plays in policy change
- show competence in critically evaluating and communicating research evidence in relation to environment and health issues
Term 1:
Students complete the Public Health common core, consisting of four compulsory modules:
Basic Statistics for Public Health & Policy
Basic Epidemiology
Introduction for Health Economics
Principles of Social Research
In addition, students intending to follow this stream must take Environment, Health & Sustainable Development. The remaining module can be selected from:
Health Policy, Process & Power
Health Promotion Theory
Health Services
Issues in Public Health
Terms 2 and 3:
Students take a total of five study modules, one from each timetable slot (Slot 1, Slot 2 etc.). The list below shows recommended modules. There are other modules which may be taken only after consultation with the Course Directors.
*Recommended modules
- Slot 1:
Designing Disease Control Programmes in Developing Countries*
Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco*
Economic Evaluation*
Epidemiology & Control of Malaria*
Health Care Evaluation*
Health Promotion Approaches and Methods*
Research Design & Analysis*
Study Design: Writing a Study Proposal*
- Slot 2:
Conflict and Health*
Design & Analysis of Epidemiological Studies*
Health Systems*
History & Health*
Population, Poverty and Environment*
Statistical Methods in Epidemiology*
Qualitative Methodologies
- Slot 3:
Applied Communicable Disease Control*
Current Issues in Safe Motherhood & Perinatal Health*
Economic Analysis for Health Policy*
Epidemiology of Non-Communicable Diseases*
Medical Anthropology and Public Health*
Social Epidemiology*
Tropical Environmental Health*
Modelling & the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases
Spatial Epidemiology in Public Health
- Slot 4:
Environmental Epidemiology (compulsory)
- Slot 5:
Environmental Health Policy (compulsory)
By arrangement, students may be able to substitute specified Distance Learning modules for up to two modules in certain timetable slots. Any such substitutions will need to be discussed with the Course Directors. Full details are contained in the MSc Course Handbook.
Further details for the course modules - https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/courses/masters-degrees/module-specifications
Project Report:
Students prepare a project report during the summer months (July - August), for submission by early September.
Find out how to apply here - https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/masters/public-health-environment#how-to-apply
The MRes Social Policy programme is designed for;
- those developing careers as policy analysts or applied researchers in national or international social or public policy organisations or government departments
- prospective PhD students in social or public policy.
The programme combines the academic study of social policy with a comprehensive exploration of research methods. Students develop experience and skills through analysing, comparing and evaluating social and public policies. Within an active research community (http://www.bath.ac.uk/sps/research/research-students/) students are supported in identifying, investigating and realising their own original research. We encourage diversity of intake regarding experience, qualifications and interests to stimulate the mutual experience and learning.
The excellence of the research undertaken within the Department of Social & Policy Sciences has been recognised most recently by the award of the prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2011.
- South West Doctoral Training Centre
This MRes is accredited by the Economics & Social Research Council (ESRC), specifically, as part of the larger South West Doctoral Training Centre (SWDTC). It forms part of the Social Policy Discipline-specific Pathway.
The MRes can be taken as a course in its own right, or as part of the 1 + 3 (MRes + PhD) pathway, where successful graduates could proceed onto an MPhil or PhD in the Department of Social & Policy Sciences.
If applying for an MRes + PhD (the 1 + 3 programme) you should indicate on the Application Form, your preferred PhD route.
Progression from the MRes to the MPhil or PhD stage is dependent on achieving an acceptable level of achievement (typically an overall average of 60% on at least the taught component of the MRes).
Visit the website http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/pg/programmes/mres-soci-poli/
Core Units
- Short research apprenticeship project (MRes)
- Quantitative methods 1: introduction to quantitative methods
- Long research apprenticeship project
- Research for policy: concepts, methods and values
- Qualitative methods 1, Principles & skills of social research
- MRes Dissertation
Optional units
- Comparative European social policy
- International family policy
- Globalisation & economic insecurity: social policy challenges
- Comparative research methods
- Quantitative methods 2
- Qualitative methods 2
Our programmes are modular, consisting of self-contained units, taught and assessed on a semester basis. As you progress through each semester and successfully pass the examinations, you will receive credit for the units, thus providing you with a clear indication of your academic progress.
Teaching takes the form of lectures, classes and seminars. Lectures are quite formal, whereas classes and seminars involve interaction between the lecturer and a small number of students for study skills and discussion.
Assessment consists of a combination of coursework essays, class exercises, projects, oral presentations and examinations.
We also place strong emphasis on developing presentation and discussion/communication skills, which in many units is part of the assessed work.
The Social & Policy Sciences department is committed to ensuring that postgraduate students acquire a range of subject-specific and generic skills during their training.
Our graduates generally go on to work in a wide variety of organisations, such as:
- Social research in universities and research institutes, government, business, voluntary organisations and international organisations.
- Public policy analysis at local, national and international levels.
- Public information and campaigning within organisations concerned with wellbeing, sustainability and social justice.
The Department of Social & Policy Sciences (http://www.bath.ac.uk/sps/) includes academics from social policy, sociology, social work and international development.
The international excellence of our research (http://www.bath.ac.uk/sps/research/) was recognised by the award of the prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2011.
We are committed to advancing learning and knowledge through teaching and research. Our Department collaborates with a wide range of users at the local, national, European and global levels.
Postgraduate programmes:
We offer a wide range of postgraduate programmes. Our postgraduate teaching strongly reflects our research and our links to policy-makers and development institutions at the national, European and global level.
Our Department also has an active MPhil/PhD research programme. We take great pride in fostering a friendly and supportive learning environment.
Seminar series:
We run a lively and well attended postgraduate research seminar series. Each of the Research Centres run seminar series and conferences associated with their research activities. The University of Bath also has a Research in the World public lecture series where key national and international academics are invited to speak.
We are an internationally-recognised research-intensive department with a strong focus on policy and practice and a commitment to contribute to social wellbeing and social justice.
We draw together academic staff with backgrounds in Social Policy, Sociology, Social Work and International Development and work closely with colleagues in Psychology, Economics, and Health.
We also have an active and vibrant community of research students (http://www.bath.ac.uk/sps/research/research-students/) undertaking their own research alongside our academic staff.
Find out how to apply here - http://www.bath.ac.uk/hss/graduate-school/taught-programmes/how-to-apply/
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