The Bartlett Faculty is pleased to announce the new Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP, pronounced “steep”). The Bartlett played an integral role in the establishment of STEaPP’s Masters in Public Administration (MPA) and Doctor of Public Administration (DPA), supporting and encouraging the growth of these programmes’ intellectual foundations. 

STEaPP’s mission to educate the world’s next generation of science and technology policy professionals is supported by The Bartlett’s values of radical and interdisciplinary thinking. STEaPP aims to meet the increasingly technically complex issues of public policy head-on.

Department Head Jason Blackstock said, “As the influence of science and engineering on our global societies continues to accelerate, it’s more crucial than ever that public decision-makers have access to knowledge and expertise from these fields.” STEaPP’s rigorous programs equip students for work at local, national and international levels, and for work within many contexts, including the built environment.

STEaPP’s academic offerings engage broadly with external policy partners. Instead of a formal dissertation, students in the MPA do a nine-month group project with a real-world partner, furthering their practical understanding of how to meaningfully integrate science and engineering into policy processes and decision-making. Students of the DPA program spend 50-70% of their time with a partner organisation, and complete a portfolio of applied policy cases and analyses.

STEaPP’s research profile brings interdisciplinary expertise on a variety of themes, including science advice and diplomacy, risk and regulation, knowledge systems and innovation policy. Core to STEaPP’s approach is ‘action research’, and the principle of ‘co-production’ in the design and execution of STEaPP’s research initiatives with academic, policy and industry partners.

Students at The Bartlett and STEaPP benefit through shared electives and faculty-level partnerships. The Bartlett is excited to continue to explore the rich potential for collaboration with STEaPP.

You can find more information about STEaPP and its programmes here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/steapp/masters.