Public Policy

Entry requirements

Months of entry

September

Course content

Gain the tools to understand and assess public policy with our MSc Public Policy degree.

Domestic and international public policy decisions affect all areas of our lives, including health, welfare, housing, education, security, international development, energy and climate change.

On this University of Reading’s interdisciplinary course, you will use traditional and modern insights from both economics and politics to develop the essential skills needed in policy making and policy administration.

Specialist pathways

There are five different pathways within MSc Public Policy that reflect major public policy challenges. You can combine core and optional modules from different pathways, or choose to specialise in one:

• Global and Regional Governance and Institutions
• International Security Studies
• International Development and Emerging Markets
• Sustainable Environments
• Welfare and Social Policy.

The pathways are designed so you can tailor your studies to reflect your personal or national interests, as well as provide an issue-based focus for further in-depth analysis. This means you can also choose to undertake a dissertation in conjunction with the pathway component of your studies.

Choose economics at the University of Reading

• Established for more than 50 years.
• 100% of our research impact has been classed ‘outstanding’ or ‘very considerable’ (REF 2021, combining 4* and 3* submissions – Business and Management Studies, and Anthropology and Development Studies).
• Ranked among the top 200 universities in the world for Economics (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024).

Information for international students

Fees and funding