Welcome to MSc Politics, Policy and Leadership

This programme is designed to understand more about what constitutes effective leadership, how it is evaluated and applied. Designed around a series of modules facilitated by academic and practitioner teams, the focus is on evaluating evidence from research and practice in live settings, case studies and consultancy problems. Students will bring their own organisational experience to the course, if appropriate, and will also benefit from masterclasses with relevant speakers.

Using a range of policy and delivery challenges that cut across disciplinary, geographic, organisational and sectoral boundaries, we critically reflect on how insights into theory and practice can generate and sustain individual development, organisational improvement and enhanced public outcomes. This programme champions the creation of public value and an ethical engagement with the multiple interests involved in public, private and third sector collaborations.

The programme draws on a range of subject specialisms within the School of Social and Political Sciences and connects students with tutors who have research expertise in the area and can support students on their personal research and career paths.

How You Study

Students learning will be based around two hour, small group workshop sessions, with an interactive and participatory approach.

There will be a blend of the scholarly and the practice-based, with students engaging with up-to-date academic literature and participating in practices suited to political leadership, such as public-speaking, writing policy briefs, and decision-making exercises.

A further innovative aspect of the programme is that students will engage with practitioners in a dedicated Political Leadership in Practice module which will feature visiting speakers from different branches of political practice. Using the experience of senior academics, who have experience in the public leadership realm, key actors will contribute knowledge and work based learning to the programme.

How You Are Assessed

The programme is designed to expose students to a range of different forms of assessment and to develop a range of academic, professional, and work-relevant skills such as public speaking.

Students will have the chance to develop written communication skills through essays, report writing, and independent study, all of which are designed to expand students' skills in professional and academic writing. Oral communication skills are also assessed, for example, through a video podcast on one of the optional modules, enabling students to improve their public presentation and public speaking abilities.

The development of high-level research skills is a central feature of the programme and students will be expected to develop these through the core research methods modules and apply such methods in the final project. Further research skills are also embedded in assessments throughout other core and optional modules.

Your Future Career

The programme is designed to develop specialist subject knowledge relevant to careers in a wide range of areas, such as the voluntary and public sectors. Students have the opportunity to develop a set of transferable skills relevant to roles in social research and public leadership in addition to skills vital for further academic study at doctoral level. The programme is also designed to enhance your current skills, if you are in a public leadership position or are seeking to develop your understanding of public leadership in a professional setting.