MA in Political Strategy and Communication

Sophisticated politics involves communication, strategy and manipulation of the political agenda.

This programme engages you in the practical issues of political delivery. The areas of political communication, political leadership, strategy, crisis management, political branding, and public relations are all the leading vocational aspects of a developed academic understanding of politics and international relations. It is an area of growing importance that distinguishes our graduates as policy-relevant, engaged thinkers in the political arena.

- Extended programme

The extended programme allows students the opportunity to study their subject in greater detail, choosing a wider range of modules, and also provides the opportunity to spend one term at the Canterbury campus. The extended programme is ideal for students who require extra credits, or would like to have more time to pursue an internship.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/59/political-strategy-and-communication

Brussels School of International Studies

The Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS) is a multidisciplinary postgraduate School of the University of Kent bringing together the disciplines of politics, international relations, law and economics to provide in-depth analysis of international problems such as conflict, security, development, migration and the political economy and legal basis of a changing world order.

We are a truly international School, our students are drawn from over 50 countries. The strong international composition of our staff and student body contributes significantly both to the academic as well as to the social experience at BSIS. The value-added of a location in Brussels is the opportunity to expose students of international issues to the working of major international organisations such as the EU and NATO and the many international and non-governmental organisations based in Brussels. Students have the added opportunity of undertaking an internship with one of these organisations.

Course structure

We are committed to offering flexible study options at the School and enable you to tailor your degree to meet your needs by offering start dates in September and January; full- and part-time study; split-site options, and allowing students to combine two fields of study leading to a degree that reflects both disciplines.

The MA in Political Strategy and Communication allows students to choose secondary areas of specialisation from the range of programmes offered at BSIS (http://www.kent.ac.uk/brussels/studying/index.html). Thus, a focused programme of study can be constructed by studying Political Strategy and Communication in the context of International Relations; International Conflict and Security; Human Rights Law, and other subject areas we cover.

This leads to the award of an MA degree in, for example, 'Political Strategy and Communication with Human Rights Law'.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

- provide you with a research-active teaching environment which provides a good grounding in the study of social science in general, in political strategy, and in the communication of political positions in particular

- offer you a critical perspective of the interplay between international relations and European politics as they relate to the process of creating a strategy for dealing with political issues, and communicating effectively the issues and positions on the basis of that strategy, in order to influence outcomes at the European and national levels

- ensure that you acquire a solid understanding of methodologies for the study of social science in general, and in the application of those understandings to the study of political strategy in particular

- ensure that you acquire a solid understanding of major theoretical approaches to policymaking and policy analysis, the historical development of the contemporary European policy landscape, and the application of theoretical and historical knowledge to the analysis and understanding of contemporary issues and cases in the field, with particular emphasis on the manner in which policies, positions, perspectives, and attitudes are communicated

- ensure that you acquire the necessary skills for an advanced assessment of contemporary problems in European politics, society, and economy, and their solutions

- develop your general research skills and personal skills (transferable skills).

Research areas

Our research interests span a broad spectrum of the discipline, with particular strengths in the fields of conflict analysis and resolution, political theory and European politics. The strength of the School’s research culture is reflected in the numerous books and articles published and in the existence of its three core research groups: Conflict, Security and Human Rights; Comparative Politics; and Political and Social Thought. We also host four University-recognised research centres: the Conflict Analysis Research Centre (CARC), the Global Europe Centre (GEC), the Centre for Critical Thought (CCT), and the Centre for Federal Studies (CFS).

All members of staff can supervise theses leading to research degrees. We encourage potential research students to refer to our postgraduate research handbook (pdf) for detailed information (http://www.kent.ac.uk/politics/postgraduates/research-programmes/pgrhandbook.pdf).

In 2011, the University successfully applied for ESRC recognition as a provider of doctoral training in political science and international studies (and other areas of the social sciences) as part of a consortium. As a result, we are now part of the South East ESRC Doctoral Training Centre, making us one of the key training outlets in our subject in the UK.

Careers

The School of Politics and International Relations has a dedicated Employability, Placements and Internships Officer who works with students to develop work-based placements in a range of organisations. Centrally, the Careers and Employability Service can help you plan for your future by providing one-to-one advice at any stage of your postgraduate studies.

Many students at our Brussels centre who undertake internships are offered contracts in Brussels immediately after graduation. Others have joined their home country’s diplomatic service, entered international organisations, or have chosen to undertake a ‘stage’ at the European Commission, or another EU institution.

Our graduates have gone on to careers in academia, local and national government and public relations.

Kent has an excellent record for postgraduate employment: over 94% of our postgraduate students who graduated in 2013 found a job or further study opportunity within six months.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

Visit the MA in Political Strategy and Communication page on the University of Kent, Brussels website for more details!