Politics, Governance and Public Policy MA 12 months Postgraduate Program By The University of Sheffield |Top Universities
Subject Ranking

# 89QS Subject Rankings

Program Duration

12 monthsProgram duration

Tuitionfee

24,950 GBPTuition Fee/year

Scholarship

1Scholarships

Program overview

Main Subject

Politics

Degree

MA

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

On Campus

On this course you'll explore the complexity of contemporary governance. You will examine its effects on the policymaking process, the multiplicity of actors involved in it, the powers they have to affect it and the constraints under which they operate.

You'll be guided by expert academic staff who specialise in governance and public policy. Together, you will address the following questions:
  • What can different kinds of policymakers, operating in different governing contexts, actually achieve?
  • How does global development policy designed at the UN or the World Bank influence on-the-ground practice in recipient countries? 
  • Why are more and more public governance functions taken on by private actors, and who wins and loses from this process? 
  • Where should governing authority for particular policies be located between the sub-national, national and international level? 
  • What theories and concepts can we utilise to help us better understand these processes?

This degree attracts a hugely diverse student body. Some students may have already studied politics and public policy previously and want to further their knowledge. Others have come from other social science backgrounds and wish to specialise, while bringing knowledge and theory from an alternate academic perspective.

We also welcome students with no academic experience in the subject, who might have experience working in a diverse array of sectors such as the military, petrochemicals or financial risk compliance, and wish to further their knowledge of how and why the public policy process functions in the way that it does.

If this sounds like you, and you’re fascinated by the questions of how policy is governed and what policymakers can achieve, then this is the degree for you.

Program overview

Main Subject

Politics

Degree

MA

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

On Campus

On this course you'll explore the complexity of contemporary governance. You will examine its effects on the policymaking process, the multiplicity of actors involved in it, the powers they have to affect it and the constraints under which they operate.

You'll be guided by expert academic staff who specialise in governance and public policy. Together, you will address the following questions:
  • What can different kinds of policymakers, operating in different governing contexts, actually achieve?
  • How does global development policy designed at the UN or the World Bank influence on-the-ground practice in recipient countries? 
  • Why are more and more public governance functions taken on by private actors, and who wins and loses from this process? 
  • Where should governing authority for particular policies be located between the sub-national, national and international level? 
  • What theories and concepts can we utilise to help us better understand these processes?

This degree attracts a hugely diverse student body. Some students may have already studied politics and public policy previously and want to further their knowledge. Others have come from other social science backgrounds and wish to specialise, while bringing knowledge and theory from an alternate academic perspective.

We also welcome students with no academic experience in the subject, who might have experience working in a diverse array of sectors such as the military, petrochemicals or financial risk compliance, and wish to further their knowledge of how and why the public policy process functions in the way that it does.

If this sounds like you, and you’re fascinated by the questions of how policy is governed and what policymakers can achieve, then this is the degree for you.

Admission Requirements

176+
61+
88+
6.5+
Minimum 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in a relevant subject.

1 Year
Sep

Tuition fees

Domestic
11,340 GBP
International
24,950 GBP

Scholarships

International Postgraduate Taught Scholarship

International Postgraduate Taught Scholarship
Master Open

Value

$2500

Deadline

8 Jul 2025

Application requirements

QS Event attendance is required

Entry requirements

You must be admitted to this school to be awarded

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