Public Policy MA

The University of Warwick

Warwick's Public Policy MA provides you with an interdisciplinary understanding of theories and concepts of policy making, combined with the practice of policy analysis and evaluation, to build an understanding of how governments respond to global challenges such as pandemics and climate change.

Course overview

Why do some issues grab the attention of policy-makers and others do not? How do governments decide which problems to focus on? Why do bad ideas become policy and good ideas languish for years? Why do governments respond differently to global policy challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic? Governments are facing more complex demands every day. If you want to make a difference in the world, you need to understand the limits and possibilities of how policies are developed, implemented, and evaluated.

This programme will give you an advanced understanding of the major theories and concepts of governance, public management, and public policy. You will work with world leading experts on transnational policy making and gain a practice focused understanding of why and how ideas are turned into public policy; whose interests make the biggest impact and how; and why some policies are more difficult than others to implement.

Double Degrees

Our Double Degree programmes enable you to combine the study of this MA programme in PAIS with a Master’s programme at any one of our partner universities:

• American University, Washington DC, USA
• University of Waterloo, Canada
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
• Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
• University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
• Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
• Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Learn more about double degree on our website.

This information is applicable for 2024 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply.