Programme introduction

The MSc degree in Public Policy at UCL aims to contribute to the education of a new generation of public policy-makers and policy analysts, familiarising them with the necessary concepts, theories, methods and principles involved in the formulation and analysis of public policy. The course aims to equip students with the theoretical tools and empirical evidence necessary for an in-depth understanding of policy-making in liberal democracies, including the changing nature of governance and the theoretical, practical and ethical questions surrounding the future role of the state. The course draws on the disciplines of political science, economics, law, public management and public health.

The interdisciplinary aspect of the course provides participants with the opportunity to address some of the key issues of contemporary governance after two decades of reform. These include, for example, questions of the appropriate design of institutions, the management of contractual relationships, the design of regulatory mechanisms and economic approaches to policy evaluation. Through its strengths in Economics and Law, UCL can bring together two of the key disciplines necessary for an understanding of these complex issues. The field of Political Science provides new generalisable models to understand how policy actors behave in the changed environment. Furthermore, with the involvement of the Medical School, UCL is uniquely-well placed to draw together theory and practice in the field of public policy in Health, where perhaps the most far-reaching of all public sector reforms has taken place.

By the end of the course, students will

• Have a working knowledge of those aspects of political science theory that are particularly relevant to understanding how public policies are formulated, especially rational actor models and pluralist approaches.
• Have a basic understanding of economic approaches to public policy analysis, including market equilibrium, cost benefit analysis and the economic approach to questions of public provision and regulation
• Have an understanding of the theory of regulation (from property rights to privatization), the range of approaches available to address social problems, and the reasons to apply one approach rather than another in a particular situation.
• Understand the concepts of economic efficiency and equity as societal objectives and the relationship between them. Be aware of the ethical dilemmas raised by modern public policy analysis and public management change, such as uncertainty, risk, justice and issues of life and death.
• Through selection of option courses, have focussed on at least one area of public policy in depth, either: health policy; environmental policy; public management; politics and political theory; economic approaches to policy analysis; or legal issues in public policy.
• Through a compulsory dissertation, have focussed on one issue within the field of public policy and produced a significant piece of work in this field. Such an opportunity provides students with concrete research experience, preparing them for both further academic research and research-based career progression.

The programme is made up of the following elements, to total 180 credits:

1.   You are required to take the following four compulsory modules:

• Theories and Actors of the Policy Process (30 credits)
• Public Policy Economics and Analysis (15)
• Introduction to Qualitative Methods (15)
• Introduction to Quantitative Methods (15) OR Advanced Quantitative Methods (15)
• Dissertation - 10,000 words (60)

2.   Choose at least one of the following 15 credit modules (the other remains an option to choose in step 3):

• Law and Regulation (15)
• Public Management: Theories and Innovations (15)

3.   Choose any two further modules worth 30 credits in total (the following are suggestions):

Students may take graduate modules from cognate subjects available elsewhere in UCL but must seek approval from the Programme Director in the first instance.