Government, Policy and Politics (Taught)

This MSc Government, Policy and Politics gives you the chance to examine the day-to-day practice and reality of government by analysing contemporary politics and public policy in the UK and around the world.

Why choose this course?

• It helps you develop a wealth of analytical skills and encourages the kind of rigorous, critical thought that can be easily transferred to other settings after your degree.

• It combines theoretical approaches with empirical knowledge and real-world case studies, exploring topics in political theory, political science and sociology.

• Taught by academics with expertise in researching, writing about and participating in politics, it gives you the opportunity to debate and engage with the everyday practicalities of the field.

• It is ideal if you wish to make progress in a career in politics, policy, research, lobbying or journalism.

What you will learn

This course equips you with the ideas and concepts needed to analyse political debates and engage with contemporary politics and policy in a critical manner.

You will explore:

• the UK’s political and constitutional order

• central ideas in political science around the nature of social cleavages and the role of party politics

• the organisation of the political executive and the role of the civil service and the judiciary

• how and why policy is made

• developments in a wide range of policy areas, including health care, social policy, migration, the environment, education and macroeconomics.

You will be able to tailor the course to your interests and learn qualitative and quantitative research methods that enable you to complete a dissertation on a subject of your choice.

How you will learn

You will learn through lectures, seminars, online resources and activities. This course is available to study full- or part-time with classes taking place in the evening.

Highlights

• You will have the opportunity to engage with the lively programme of seminars and conferences run by our research centres, such as the Birkbeck Centre for British Political Life.

• You will be taught by academic staff who are international authorities in their respective fields, publishing and delivering stimulating teaching in a wide range of political topics including public policy, foreign policy, international security and terrorism, gender and the welfare state, British politics, and the politics of Asia and the Middle East.

• Our location in central London puts you at the heart of the UK’s political life and at the centre of academic London. Parliament and Whitehall are a short distance away, while Bloomsbury contains some of the world’s most famous libraries and centres of research. One of our campus buildings was once a key location for members of the Bloomsbury Group, so you could be studying in rooms that have hosted distinguished visitors, including T.S. Eliot, George Bernard Shaw and Maynard Keynes.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this MSc, you will have gained an array of transferable skills, including:

• advanced knowledge of British political institutions and of the relationship between state and society

• detailed knowledge of the different actors, processes and stages involved in formulating public policies in liberal democracies

• critical understanding of key contemporary theories, debates and issues relating to politics and policy

• ability to critically analyse and apply theories and models to contemporary political and policy issues.

Graduates can pursue career paths in politics, policy research, lobbying, local and national government, the diplomatic services, education, charities and NGOs, or journalism.

Possible professions include:

• Civil Service fast-streamer

• government social research officer

• politician’s assistant

• public affairs consultant

• diplomatic services operational officer

• public relations officer

• journalist.