Public Policy

Teaching is centred around the School of Government and International Affairs, a vibrant learning community and home to multiple research centres and institutes.

Postgraduate taught modules are delivered via smaller group seminars, allowing you to further explore the subject through critical discussion with peers and larger lectures that provide grounding in each topic. Our data analysis topics will often involve computer room tuition for hands-on opportunities to consider how data can be used to inform us about particular policy challenges. The core module Public Policy includes a simulation, during which students can showcase their skills at navigating the policy process.

The capstone project provides a valuable opportunity to apply these skills as part of a team to support one of several government organisations, private businesses, or NGOs in using their data to better understand policy problems, challenges, or evaluate how a new policy may change their own practice.

The MSc dissertation makes up a significant proportion of your course. To support you in this, you will be appointed a dissertation supervisor based on a broad match with your dissertation topic. Your supervisor will provide personalised support and one-to-one meetings at all stages of the dissertation process.

Assessment

Our assessment methods allow you to showcase what you have learned, and align with what you might do in your future career. Throughout the course, you will craft policy briefs, analyse data, produce reports, and collaborate in a group for the capstone project. All students will participate in a simulation, showcasing skills in problem-solving and navigating the policy process.

Depending on the modules studied, assessments may include policy briefs, simulations, exams, data exercises, and essays. The variety of methods is designed to demonstrate a well-rounded evaluation of your knowledge and skills.

The course culminates in a 10,000-word dissertation which is conducted and written up as an independent piece of work with support from your appointed supervisor. The dissertation is worth one-third of your final mark.

2:1 UK undergraduate degree, or equivalent, in any social science. Other degrees are possible, including economics, finance, business, psychology, and all science backgrounds.

Relevant experience can be considered in lieu of a degree.

English language requirement: prior degree in approved English-speaking country or Band B: 7.0 with no component under 6.5 for IETLS, 102 with no component under 25 for TOEFL.

Degrees must have been fully taken in an approved English-speaking country to meet language requirement and awarded in the two years before the start of the programme.

English language requirements

The tuition fees for 2025/26 academic year have not yet been finalised, they will be displayed here once approved.

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Our courses focus on developing self-aware, thoughtful, and ambitious global citizens with the skills and knowledge to secure rewarding and stimulating careers inside and outside of politics.

This is underpinned by additional employability support from the University through its careers programme, employment-related events, and by maintaining the alumni network which stretches across the globe.

Our postgraduates achieve successful careers in many fields including local and national government, diplomacy, newspaper and broadcast journalism, the charity sector, business and finance, publishing, law, manufacturing, teaching and academia, and the armed forces.

Former postgraduate students have taken up roles with leading employers including the House of Commons, Clifford Chance, Accenture, British Airways, Ernst and Young, British Telecom, Goldman Sachs, PwC, the Royal Navy, House of Fraser, Channel 4, HSBC, Teach First, Black Rock, and the Audit Commission.

Part of the School of Government and International Affairs, politics and international relations at Durham is centred around the areas of political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and political economy. Our academic staff have a genuine passion for politics and are leading experts in the study of these areas, as they exist across Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and the wider Muslim world, Africa, and America.

We are a research-led School offering high-quality learning in essential quantitative and qualitative research methods alongside in-depth study of key areas of political and international theory. These include Comparative Institutions and Political Behaviour, Environmental Politics, Global Security and Peacebuilding, International Political Economy, and International Relations.

The learning and research community is vibrant and active and is one of the biggest groups at the University comprising a postgraduate body of nearly 50 different nationalities. Our institutes and research centres support key research agendas by organising guest lectures, running regular paper presentations, and acting as focal points for networking.

We believe that in a democracy, active citizenship requires awareness, participation, and the ability to comprehend public debate. Our vision is to offer a study of politics that not only includes but goes beyond career preparation to consider how to be better human beings and good citizens.

Facilities

The School of Government and International Affairs is based in the modern Al Qasimi Building. The modern structure is set on its own grounds not far from the historic centre of Durham, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Facilities include spacious environments for both learning and socialising and the building is also home to the renowned Global Policy Institute, the Institute of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, and the Durham Global Security Institute.

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