Public Policy MA

The Public Policy MA is a multidisciplinary course that covers policy making and analysis, comparative public policy, public sector economics, governance and public management. You will focus on the critical issues and key developments relating to public policy, such as governance, globalisation and policy evaluation. This course will equip you with the analytical and critical skills relevant for understanding the challenges of public policy and its implementation.

Key benefits

• You will learn to think analytically and independently about key issues and develop essential skills to support critical policy and qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Project placement (internship) providing you with future employment opportunities and the chance to study different public service areas.
• A highly flexible study programme, drawing on a broad range of professional and disciplinary expertise and experience.
• Regular speakers from UK-based government departments, public sector bodies, NGOs and policymaking units who discuss the implementation and evaluation of public services policies.

Description

The Public Policy MA course provides a unique opportunity to study politics, policy and social issues in a range of non-UK settings. The course offers you flexibility with the choice to study either full or part-time. You will explore a range of required modules such as The Policy Process and Comparative Public Policy. You will also study a range of optional modules allowing you to create a unique study plan that reflects your interests.

The study programme is made up of optional and required modules. The course requires modules totalling 180 credits, 60 of these credits will come from a dissertation of around 15,000 words.

Further literature

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/enquiry-form.aspx

Course format and assessment

Teaching

We use lectures, seminars and group tutorials to deliver most of the modules on the course. You will also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study. 

The total contact time per 20-credit taught module is 20-30 hours. These sessions will include lectures, teacher-led and student-led group discussions based on the main areas of study. In addition to this you will have 180 hours of self-guided learning time.

For the Dissertation, you will have at least eight dissertation workshops plus one-to-one dissertation consultations. In addition to this you will have 592 hours worth of self-study. 

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

Assessment

The primary method of assessment for this course is a combination of written examinations and coursework. Typically, a 20-credit module will comprise of assessments, essays and a written examination. Grades awarded for each module will reflect your attendance and lecture participation. The assessment of the dissertation module will be by a 1,000-word research proposal (10 per cent) and a 15,000-word dissertation (90 per cent).

Required Modules

You are required to take the following modules:

• The Policy Process (20 credits)
• Comparative Public Policy (20 credits)
• Dissertation (60 credits)

Optional Modules

MA Public Policy students are required to take 180 credits. 100 credits out of the 180 credits include two compulsory modules (The Policy Process and Comparative Public Policy) which are 20 credits each as well as a core dissertation which is 60 credits.

In addition, you are required to take 80 credits from a range of optional modules, which may typically include:

• Public Policy Internship (20 credits)
• Liberty, Equality & Justice (20 credits)
• The Media & Public Policy (20 credits) 
• From Blair to Brexit: Britain since 1997 (20 credits)
• The Political Economy of Corruption (20 credits)
• The New Political Economy of the Media (20 credits)
• Gender, Politics and Public Policy (20 credits)
• Democracy in the United Kingdom (20 credits)
• London: History and Governance (20 credits)
• Parties, Voters and Political Culture (20 credits)
• Elections & Globalisation (20 credits)
• No. 10, The Cabinet and UK Central Government: Leadership and Coordination (20 credits)
• Liberty, Equality and Justice: Political Theory and Public Policy (20 credits)
• The History of the Prime Minister 1979-2015 - in partnership with No10 Downing Street (20 credits)
• The Treasury and an Introduction to Economic History - in partnership with HM Treasury (offered by Strand Group) (20 credits)
• The Blair Years (offered by the Strand Group) (20 credits)

Students may take a maximum of 40 optional credits from level 7 modules outside of their programme’s approved module list, subject to approval by the Course Director.

Students may also take an additional non assessed 20 credit modern language module in addition to their 180 credits.

Part-time students complete compulsory modules in their first year and the dissertation in their second year. 

Career prospects

Our graduates go on to work in a variety of public sector management and policy-oriented positions. Recent graduates’ employment opportunities:

• Working in the policy and analysis section of a large London embassy.
• Health service leadership positions with responsibility for multi-million-pound budgets.
• A policy adviser to the chairperson of a major transport organisation.
• A senior analyst in the ministry of industry and trade of a developing country

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Visit the Public Policy MA page on the King’s College London website for more details!