MSc Public Policy

1 Year On Campus Masters Program

University of Exeter

Program Overview

The MSc Public Policy at Exeter equips you with the knowledge and tools to understand how public policies are made, implemented and evaluated — combining theory, practical policy-analysis skills, and real-world policy challenges. It suits students who want to work in government, NGOs, international organisations, think tanks, or any environment where policy making, analysis and advocacy matter.

Curriculum structure

The course is a one-year full-time (12-month) master’s programme, delivered on campus at Exeter’s Streatham campus.

In the first phase you study core modules like “Public Policy Process” — where you analyse how policies are formulated, what actors shape decisions, and how political, economic and social factors influence policy outcomes. You also begin to learn key research methods for policy analysis, preparing you to handle real data, evaluate policies critically, and understand policy-making processes.

As you progress, you get to choose from a wide set of optional modules depending on your interests — for instance “The Politics, Policy and Practice of Sustainable Development”, “Management and Governance: Comparing Public Administration around the World”, or “Applied Quantitative Data Analysis” / “Surveys and Experiments: Design, Implementation and Analysis” — letting you tailor the MSc to focus on environment, governance, development, data-driven policy research, or other policy challenges.

Finally, you complete a substantial dissertation (60 credits) — an independent research project on a public-policy topic of your choice. This gives you first-hand experience in designing research, gathering evidence, evaluating policy impact, and producing a professionally relevant research output.

Focus areas:

“Public policy design & evaluation; governance & public administration; sustainable development policy; quantitative and qualitative policy-research methods; social policy; global & comparative public administration; data-driven policy analysis.”

Learning outcomes:

“You will be able to critically understand and evaluate public policy processes, design and conduct rigorous policy-research using quantitative or qualitative methods, assess policy impacts, and produce independent research or policy proposals ready for use in government, NGOs or international organisations.”

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 evaluations — giving you experience closely resembling real-policy work.
Training in qualitative and quantitative research methods: You learn methods to analyse social and policy data — equipping you with tools to assess policies, perform cost/benefit analyses or evaluate policy outcomes.
Access to a broad research-active department and research-groups: As an MSc student you join a department where the Public Policy and Governance Group (PPGG) is active — giving you opportunities to engage with cutting-edge research, potentially participate in live projects, learn from faculty with ongoing policy-research grants and collaborate in a rich academic environment.
Opportunities for interdisciplinary study and optional modules: The degree offers a range of optional modules — from sustainable development policy, governance comparison, computational social science to digital-policy issues — letting you shape your learning according to your interests, which helps you gain a broader, practical toolkit for diverse policy environments.
Support for independent research / policy-evaluation dissertation: The programme culminates in a dissertation — giving you hands-on experience in designing a research question, collecting and evaluating evidence, and producing a substantial policy-oriented research output. This mirrors professional or academic policy-research projects.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of this MSc often launch into roles such as Policy Analyst, Public-Sector / Civil Service Officer, NGO or International Organisation Policy/Advocacy Officer, or Research / Public-Policy Consultant — because the course provides rigorous training in policy analysis, evaluation and social-science methods, making you ready for real-world policy roles. Given Exeter’s strong reputation and graduate support, this degree can open doors across government, NGOs, consultancies and international agencies.

Here’s how Exeter supports your transition — and what outcomes you might realistically expect:

Career-support services: Exeter’s dedicated Careers & Employability service offers guidance from day one — including CV and interview coaching, employability workshops, networking events with employers, and access to job or internship-listing platforms.
Good overall graduate outcomes: The University is ranked among the top 10 UK universities most targeted by leading employers.
Wide sector & employer reach: According to the course page, past graduates have found employment with central and local government, think-tanks, NGOs, international organisations, consultancies and private-sector firms. Example institutions listed include national governments, global consultancies and NGOs.
Transferable skills & broad applicability: The programme develops empirical research skills, policy-analysis tools, data-evaluation competence, and understanding of governance and public administration — skills highly sought across sectors such as public service, development, environment, social policy, governance consultancy, and international organisations.
Long-term accreditation and academic credibility: Being offered by Exeter’s reputed Politics & Public Policy department, this MSc enjoys strong academic standing and is recognised for producing graduates capable of both practical policy work and rigorous research-based roles.

Further Academic Progression:

You can also use this MSc as a springboard for further study — for example a PhD in Public Policy, Public Administration, Governance, Development Studies, or Social Policy, or specialised master’s/ research-oriented degrees. The strong methodological training and the department’s research connections at Exeter give you a solid base for academic or policy-research careers.