Course summary

The International Public Policy course at Queen’s offers a high-quality programme of academic and personal professional development, providing students with the tools to understand and influence the contemporary policy problems faced by governments globally. Students undertaking the programme will engage with a wide variety of theories, ideas and sources in the study of public policy both domestically and internationally and will be introduced to a variety of research methods. As they progress through the programme, students can choose to examine public policy issues across a range of international policy domains including climate change, global ethics, security and terrorism, policing and crime, and EU governance, and write a supervised dissertation on a public policy theme of their choosing. There will also be a study visit to the EU, OECD and other international institutions in Brussels and Paris to better understand the interplay of public policy between national and international levels and hear about traineeship and other employment opportunities. The programme uniquely offers opportunities for personal as well as academic advancement opportunities, and participants on the MSc can avail of the opportunity to undertake the Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Work placements with the Northern Ireland Civil Service may be offered to a limited number of students.