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Social Policy and Economics

  • MA (Hons)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-time
  • 08/09/2025
  • Undergraduate
Central area campus
More about The University of Edinburgh

Course options

2025-20262026-2027
Apply

Course summary

This popular joint degree programme provides a grounding in both social policy and economics, two subjects which complement and enrich each other.

Social policy

Social policy at the University of Edinburgh will enable you to engage with confidence in many of the political debates of our time.

We deal with a wide array of policy areas, for example:

  • health

  • welfare

  • labour markets

  • education

  • family and childhood

We discuss how policies affect our civic culture through studying political engagement and citizen participation.

Our programme will equip you with the knowledge to understand how policies affect society and the economy. It will also enable you to critically assess how policies are made and what actors and processes influence the policy-making process.

Economics

In economics, you will examine the incentives that shape and reconcile the important decisions made by:

  • individuals

  • businesses

  • governments

  • societies

You will also explore the macroeconomic outcomes that may arise from those decisions, such as:

  • economic fluctuations

  • growth

  • unemployment

  • crises

Who is the programme for?

Our degrees are for students who are interested in how political actions affect the real lives of people.

Our programmes are designed to foster critical thinking about policy to ensure our graduates are able to look beyond news headlines and understand in detail why certain political decisions are taken and what their impact may be.

Why Edinburgh?

You will be taught by staff members who are passionate about conducting research that has strong applications to the world outside of academia.

We work closely with:

  • governments

  • non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

  • third sector and interest representation groups

  • international organisations

  • other external actors

International comparative analyses are one of our main strengths. We place a strong emphasis on providing you with empirical research skills, so that you can become a critical researcher yourself.

Take a social policy degree at the University of Edinburgh and you will be challenged to re-evaluate how you look at politics, society and the economy with the ability to improve other's understanding as well.

This course is not accepting applications at this time. Please contact the provider to find out more.

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • Central area campus

Study options

  • MA (Hons) • Full-time • 4 Years

Start dates

  • 08/09/2025

Apply by
29 January

This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.

Application codes

Course code:
LL41
Institution code:
E56
Campus name:
Central area campus
Campus Code:
-
Points of Entry:
Year 1

How to apply

This course is not accepting applications at this time. Please contact the provider to find out more.

Apply by
29 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
LL41
Institution code:
E56
Campus name:
Central area campus
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

UCAS Tariff

Not accepted

A level

AAA
AAA. Required subjects: A levels: Mathematics at B, or AS Mathematics at A. GCSEs: English at C or 4.

Scottish Higher

AAAB
AAAB by end of S5 or AAAA by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: Highers: Mathematics at B. Higher Applications of Mathematics is not accepted in place of Higher Mathematics. National 5s: English at C.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

37 points
37 points with 666 at HL. Required subjects: HL: Mathematics at 5. SL: English at 5 and Mathematics at 6 (if not at HL).

Detailed entry requirements, including typical offer levels, and information about other qualifications we accept, are available on the University of Edinburgh’s website. You’ll also find important information on how to apply.

You must submit a fully completed UCAS application that includes details of the qualifications you are taking, including full predicted grades for qualifications not yet completed, your personal statement and your reference.

Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

UCAS Tariff - Not accepted

-

A level - ABB

Required subjects: A levels: Mathematics at B, or AS Mathematics at A. GCSEs: English at C or 4.

Scottish Higher - ABBB

ABBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: Highers: Mathematics at B. Higher Applications of Mathematics is not accepted in place of Higher Mathematics. National 5s: English at C.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 34 points

34 points with 655 at HL. Required subjects: HL: Mathematics at 5. SL: English at 5 and Mathematics at 6 (if not at HL).

Find out more about minimum qualification requirements for this course.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.5Total 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component.We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
TOEFL (iBT)92Total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
Cambridge English AdvancedTotal 176 with at least 162 in each component.
Cambridge English ProficiencyTotal 176 with at least 162 in each component.
Trinity ISEISE II with distinctions in all four components.
PTE Academic65Total 65 with at least 54 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies. For SQA, GCSE and IB students, unless a higher level is specified in the stated entry requirements, a pass is required in English at the following grades or higher: SQA National 5 at C; SQA Standard Grade at 3; SQA Intermediate 1 at A; SQA Intermediate 2 at C; GCSE/IGSCE at C or 4; Level 2 Certificate Grade C or IB Standard Level at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry). Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the degree you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL or Trinity ISE test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins, regardless of your nationality.

Full details of our English language requirements can be found on our website: https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/entry-requirements/english-language

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

The University of Edinburgh welcomes students from the UK and all over the world. We accept a wide range of qualifications and our policies support students with diverse backgrounds and experience. UCAS entry grade data is currently not available for our degrees but we publish admissions statistics on our website. We also provide information on widening access offers and entry requirements.

Learn more on the The University of Edinburgh website

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not available

Historical entry grades data is not currently available for The University of Edinburgh - we are working with them to try and make it available soon - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
Channel Islands£9535Year 1
Republic of Ireland£9535Year 1
Scotland£1820Year 1
EU£28000Year 1
International£28000Year 1
England£9535Year 1
Northern Ireland£9535Year 1
Wales£9535Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Scottish students must apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for payment of their tuition fees.

EU On 9th July 2020 the decision was made by the Scottish Government to end free university tuition for European Union (EU) students starting in 2021-22. Funding policy for EU nationals and associated groups starting a course of study in academic year 2022-23 or later will be in line with international fees.

Full time international and EU students will pay a fixed annual fee rate for the duration of their programme

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