Course summary

Enhance your professional capability and critical reflection on the theories, methods and practices of policymaking. This course is designed to enable experienced professionals working in a range of policy arenas – locally, nationally, and globally – to develop their policy analysis expertise without having to take a full career break. Combining advanced training in policy research and analysis with a thesis based on original research, it is built around a cohort model and can be spread out over four to eight years. Throughout the course, you will have access to a wide range of sector-specific expertise across the University, including industrial strategy, international development, health, education and digital public policy. This is a part-time distance-learning course that normally includes face-to-face teaching on a two-week residential, this year held at the end of August and early September. The course is designed to be compatible with near full-time employment over a period of up to eight years, with the possibility of being completed more quickly for high-performing students who can allocate more time to study. This course is designed to:

• give particular priority to multidisciplinary research and learning relevant to the workplace, to enhance the academic and the professional contribution that policymakers and practitioners can make to theory and practice in their field.

• engage current practitioners with knowledge, awareness and understanding of philosophical, organisational, political, social, economic, managerial, interpersonal, and technical dimensions of policy.

• broaden capability to understand critical issues facing policymakers in diverse fields and contexts.

• provide students with a strong foundation from which they can hone their specific interests towards the conduct of supervised research and make an original contribution to their field.

• support you in publishing and disseminating your research.