Public Affairs MPA

University of Surrey

Key Course Facts

Student Satisfaction	93%
Salary after 15 months	£25000
Unemployment Rate	6% unemployed Proportion of students of this particular course unemployed and not studying 15 months after their course ended. Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
Student Dropout Rate	3% Proportion of students of Public Affairs MPA who are not continuing into their following year of study or have not been awarded a qualification in either of the two comparison years. Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
Duration	4 years - Full-time
Campus	On campus - Stag Hill
Degree	Master of Public Administration, MPA
Subject	Public Policy

Admission advice for international students

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 110 graduates of Public Affairs MPA and other courses in Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology at University of Surrey for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology.

Overall student satisfaction

93 /100

110 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

	Public Affairs MPA and other Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology courses of University of Surrey	Average review score among all Public Policy courses in the UK
Explanations	97	95
Interesting courses	89	85
Intellectually stimulating	90	84
Challenged to do my best	93	87
Depth of concepts	89	94
Builds on previous learnings	93	83
Joined ideas from different topics	91	86
Balance directed/independent study	83	79
Applicability of course content	81	77
Clear criteria in markings	85	73
Fair assessment	84	75
Tests reflected your learning	88	81
Timely feedback	97	77
Helpful feedback	88	75
Approachability of teachers	96	91
Support from teachers	93	91
Organisation of courses	96	87
Communication of changes	93	80
IT facilities	90	84
Library	95	85
Course specific resources	91	90
Student feedback opportunities	88	89
Student feedback valued	85	79
Student's feedback acted upon	68	73
Work of student union	79	66
Mental wellbeing services	81	67
Overall satisfaction	93	81

Source: National Student Survey NSS 2023. The Overall student satisfaction data point is from 2022 (latest available year). The Office for Students made the unfortunate decision to discontinue collecting overall student satisfaction data points per course.
All Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology courses of University of Surrey

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£25000	£23500	£29000
25-75 percentile range	£20000 - £30000	£20500 - £27500	£22500 - £34500

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology courses of University of Surrey

Salary of all UK Graduates of Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£24750	£21858	£25736
25-75 percentile range	£21060 - £28402	£17180 - £27818	£19394 - £32862

Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
All Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology courses in the UK

Course Description

Why choose this course

Public affairs is about how organisations engage with politics to manage risk and influence public policy.

Our unique integrated masters course will give you in-depth knowledge of political science, public policy and international affairs. By combining undergraduate and postgraduate study into a single tailored package, this course fuses disciplinary fundamentals with a focus on application and generating change.

Along the way you’ll develop an understanding of the key actors and methods of influence in public affairs, and be able to address the biggest debates in contemporary public policy.

The Department of Politics is currently ranked 9th in the UK in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023, and 11th in the Complete University Guide 2023.

Our award-winning Professional Training placements prepare students for roles in industry.

We were shortlisted for University of the Year in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

What you will study

On our Public Affairs MPA course, you’ll get a full disciplinary grounding in politics and public policy. You’ll also develop advanced applied knowledge of practical techniques of public affairs, including political leadership and communication, negotiation and lobbying, campaigning, and public administration.

In your final year, you will have the opportunity to develop and apply advanced primary research skills to a masters dissertation project on a topic of your choice.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

What graduates are doing after 15 months

	All University of Surrey graduates of undergraduate studies in Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology	All UK graduates of undergraduate studies in Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology
Total respondents	70	20
Unemployed	6%	10%
Studying	3%	5%
Working	72%	80%
Both studying and working	17%	10%
No information	0%	0%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology courses of University of Surrey

Current jobs

Job in line with future plans

Utilise skills from studies

Work is meaningful

	Agree or strongly agree	Disagree
Job in line with future plans	65%	35%
Utilise skills from studies	55%	45%
Work is meaningful	75%	25%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All courses of University of Surrey

Required skill level of job after 15 months

% Skilled jobs

	% Skilled jobs
Highly-skilled jobs	60%
Non highly-skilled jobs	36%
Skill level unknown or unclassified	3%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Social Policy courses of University of Surrey

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Public Affairs MPA at University of Surrey

13%	Finance Professionals
13%
9%	Natural and social science professionals
8%	Natural and social science professionals
7%	Sales occupations
6%	Business and public service associate professionals
5%	Administrative occupations
5%	Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
4%	Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
4%

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023

Grading Distribution

Students of the course received the following grades

	Students of the course received the following grades
Not classified	0
Pass	0
Merit	0
Distinction	0
Ordinary degree	0
Other honours degree	2
Lower second class	9
Upper second class	59
First class	30

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 2016

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology

Average UCAS Tariff Score 134

Tariff score	% of students accepted for courses in Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology
<48	0
48-63	0
64-79	1
80-95	2
96-111	18
112-127	22
128-143	24
144-159	21
160-175	9
176-191	3
192-207	1
208-223	0
224-239	0
>240	0

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
All Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology courses of University of Surrey

English language requirements

test	Grade	Additional Details
IELTS (Academic)	6.5	6.5 overall with 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in each other element.

Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023

We are proud to be one of the most culturally diverse universities in the UK, with more than 140 nationalities playing a role in university life. Our International Recruitment team are here to help you throughout the application process – from advising on choosing the right course to applying for a visa and preparing for your first few weeks at Surrey. You can contact them via [email protected] Applicants who require a Student Visa to study in the UK: To apply for a Student Visa, you must have a Confirmation of Acceptance (CAS) for the University you wish to study at. This is a unique number which will enable you to apply for your visa. The University is under no legal obligation to sponsor any individual and exercises caution with respect to issuing a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) to avoid risking its status as a Student sponsor. Confirmation of Acceptance to Study (CAS) will be issued in accordance with the Student Route and CAS Issuing Policy, available at: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/apply/policies

The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.

Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Public Affairs, MPA, if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent	£518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home)	£50
Supermarket shopping	£81
Clothing	£35
Eating out	£33
Alcohol	£27
Takeaways / food deliveries	£30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food)	£24
Holidays and weekend trips	£78
Transport within city	£17
Self-care / sports	£20
Stationary / books	£13
Mobile phone / internet	£13
Cable TV / streaming	£7
Insurance	£51
Other	£95

Average student cost of living	£1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

Source: Own research based on surveys and university data

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of University of Surrey in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of University of Surrey in related subject specific rankings.

Social Studies & Humanities

- #19
- #119
Social Sciences

NTU Rankings by Subject
[Published 11 July, 2023]

See all 31 university rankings of University of Surrey

About University of Surrey

The University of Surrey is a government funded research university located in Guildford, England. The university’s stated goals are to become a leading global university performing important research and innovation, creating great researchers and achieving outcomes which make important contributions to society.

List of 341 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Surrey - Course Catalogue

Student composition of University of Surrey

Total number of students enrolled at University of Surrey by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
undergraduates:: 10985
postgraduates:: 3275
Total:: 14260

Source: Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022

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