The department offers four taught postgraduate programmes in the main areas of its research strengths. These programmes offer the opportunity for students to develop their skills and knowledge in an internationally renowned research environment where teaching is directly linked to research.
All teaching is in small-group seminars. Individual supervision is provided for all MSc dissertations. The restricted entry to each programme ensures that students receive special academic attention and guidance from experienced academic staff.
All programmes are available for full-time or part-time study. They are structured to provide key knowledge (through core classes) but also enable students to pursue their own academic interests (through a range of optional classes). This allows students to experience a grounded academic curriculum with a view to enhancing their future career prospects.
For those seeking to progress to employment in the public and private sectors the experience of past graduates points, for example, to successful careers as: policy planners and advisors in local and national government, research consultants, policy advisors in private sector firms, researchers for parliamentarians, civil servants, and administrators and researchers for NGOs.
For students wishing to progress to PhD study the MSc in Public Policy and the MSc in Political Research are both fully recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and meet the research training requirements for the award of 1+3 research studentships.
The Masters programmes currently offered by the Department of Government are: