MSc Social Data Science

1 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Exeter

Program Overview

The MSc Public Policy at Exeter gives you a comprehensive understanding of how public policies are formulated, implemented, and evaluated — combining theoretical insight with practical policy-analysis skills. It’s ideal for students who want to work in government, NGOs, international agencies or policy research, or who want to influence public policy in social, environmental or governance spheres.

Curriculum structure

This is a one-year full-time (12-month) on-campus master’s programme.

In the initial stage, all students take the core module “Public Policy Process” (30 credits) — here you study how policy is made: from agenda-setting, stakeholder involvement, decision making, to implementation and evaluation. This builds a strong foundation for understanding real-world public policy dynamics.

Alongside the core module, you proceed to choose optional modules (total 90 credits) based on your interests — these cover a wide range of topics such as “Management and Governance: Comparing Public Administration around the World”, “The Politics, Policy and Practice of Sustainable Development”, or data-driven electives like “Applied Quantitative Data Analysis”, “Surveys and Experiments: Design, Implementation and Analysis”. This flexibility lets you tailor your degree toward governance, sustainability, data-analysis, development policy or social policy depending on your career goals.

Finally, you complete a substantial dissertation (60 credits) — an independent research project on a policy topic of your choice. Through this you learn how to formulate research questions, gather and analyse data, engage with policy debates, and deliver a professional-quality research output — a powerful preparation whether you aim for policy work, consultancy or further studies.

Focus areas:

“Public policy process; governance & public administration; sustainable development; social & environmental policy; qualitative & quantitative policy-analysis methods; public administration comparison; policy evaluation; data-driven policy research.”

Learning outcomes:

“You will gain the ability to understand and critique public-policy formation and implementation; design and conduct rigorous policy-research using qualitative or quantitative methods; assess and evaluate policy impacts; and produce independent policy-oriented research or recommendations suitable for governmental, NGO, or consultancy use.”

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Exeter, this MSc is not just classroom-based theory — it’s designed to prepare you for real policy work. You’ll learn through practical assignments, data and research-skill training, and benefit from close engagement with a vibrant public-policy research community.

Here are some of the concrete experiential-learning assets you get:

Practical policy-making exercises and applied assessments: The programme includes “real-world teaching with input from practitioners in public policy” and assessments such as preparing policy briefings, policy plans, and delivery of policy proposals — which simulate the kind of tasks you’ll face in actual public-policy roles.
Training in qualitative and quantitative research methods: During your study, you learn both qualitative and quantitative policy-research methods — giving you tools to analyse social and policy data, assess impacts, evaluate policy outcomes, and engage with evidence-based policy-making.
Access to a strong research-active department and research-groups: When you join the MSc, you become part of the Department of Politics at Exeter, which houses the Public Policy and Governance Group (PPGG) — a community of researchers working on policy, governance, environment, regulation, social policy and more. This gives you the chance to learn from, and possibly engage in, active research projects.
Opportunities for interdisciplinary study and optional modules: The degree offers a wide range of optional modules — from sustainable development policy, governance comparison, computational social science, to environmental policy — helping you build a versatile, real-world relevant skill set depending on your interests & career aims.
Support for independent research / policy-evaluation dissertation: The MSc concludes with a dissertation — an independent research project where you apply your skills: designing a research question, gathering data or evidence, conducting analysis, and producing a professional-quality policy-oriented research output. This mirrors real-world policy analysis and evaluation projects.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of this MSc often step into roles such as Policy Analyst, Public-Sector / Civil Service Officer, NGO or International Organisation Policy / Advocacy Officer, or Public-Policy Consultant, reflecting the degree’s strong grounding in policy analysis, governance, and social science methods. Because Exeter is among the UK’s most-targeted universities by top employers, you’ll enter the job market with solid credentials and broad career flexibility.

Here’s what the university provides — and what you might expect as outcomes:

Career-support services and employability resources: Exeter’s “Career Zone” offers CV & interview coaching, career-planning guidance, skills workshops, and regular employer-networking events — helping you prepare for employment or further studies.
Strong employability reputation among employers: According to a 2025 survey, Exeter ranks 8th nationwide among UK universities most targeted by the top 100 graduate employers — a strong signal of employer trust in its graduates.
Versatile opportunities across public, private and third sectors: The MSc Public Policy is known to lead to careers in central or local government, think-tanks, NGOs, consultancies, international organisations, and research institutes — giving you flexibility to choose a path depending on your interest.
Transferable skills valued across sectors: The programme builds strong analytical, empirical research, policy evaluation, communication and data-analysis skills — all highly sought after in public administration, social research, lobbying/public affairs, development, consultancy, and governance roles.
Solid graduation success and broader graduate-outcome performance: The university’s overall Graduate Outcomes data show that a high proportion of graduates (across disciplines) move into graduate-level employment or further study within 15 months after degree — enhancing confidence in long-term career prospects post-MSc.

Further Academic Progression:

If you wish to deepen your expertise, this MSc also sets you up well for advanced academic study — you could pursue a PhD or MPhil in Public Policy, Public Administration, Social Policy, Development Studies or related fields, building on the research-oriented training and data analysis skills developed during the master’s.