International Public Policy (2-Year Master's)
Gain an advanced understanding of social policy in developed and developing countries.
Gain an advanced understanding of social policy in developed and developing countries.
The course provides essential training for employment across economic sectors at local, regional, national, and international levels where a comprehensive and critical understanding of public policy is important and for further academic research in a social science discipline. Our ambition is to create critical, self-guided public policy scholars that can use their knowledge of comparative public policy quantitatively and qualitatively in a variety of academic and other professional situations.
You'll develop high level understanding of the latest international issues in public policy while also creating a supportive environment for students at different skills levels when it comes to social & public policy theories and English Language. You'll broaden your understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of international public policy developments, challenges and responses, and become aware of debates about the relationship between theory, research and policy/practice.
A first or second class honours degree or higher university degree in a social science or related discipline.
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
Average 6.0 in IELTS test, minimum 6.0 in Reading and Writing required for admission to stage 1 (To progress to stage 2 of the courses students will need to meet the SSPSSR School of Social Sciences linguistic entry requirement by gaining an equivalent grade in module PREM6011/LZ602 - Advanced English for Postgraduate Academic Study in Social Sciences and Humanities).
Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
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The following modules are what students will typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.
You take all compulsory modules and select two optional modules.
To enhance your academic study skills relative to the field of Humanities and Social Sciences, you will be encouraged to utilise all of the available University facilities. This module focuses on developing and enhancing your ability to conduct literature searches, analyse and evaluate sources and to question the suitability of the sources concerning their validity and relevance to your specified field of study. Focus will also be placed on enhancing your academic language, in preparation for constructing a detailed essay or report using an appropriate referencing style and presenting your work in the form of seminar discussions and an individual presentation. Non-linguistic transferable skills include problem solving, critical thinking, team working, time management as well as contributing in seminar discussions.
Global societies and public policy systems face many challenges in the contemporary world. This course takes a comparative approach by systematically analysing key fields related to social inequality, challenges and crises to show how a variety of countries have identified and tackled them. This puts students in an excellent position to work across sectors, ranging from charities to private companies where you need to have critical understanding of contemporary social and policy issues. This includes civil service, private and charity sectors working on social and environmental issues. The module starts with a consideration of theoretical frameworks and moves on to discuss critical challenges and poly-crises in our world today. Students will have a chance to learn not only about these issues nationally, but internationally by analysing topics such as globalisation, migration, population ageing, disability and austerity measures.
Enhance your ability to conduct research through utilising a range of University facilities in independent literature searches. You will need to demonstrate effective planning and time management in order to work independently to plan, design and execute extensive document research. Through guidance and input, you will be encouraged to find academic sources to analyse, evaluate and to question the suitability of the sources concerning their validity and relevance to your specified field of study. Your research will lead to preparing and presenting a presentation documenting your research journey, leading to a literature review. Non-linguistic transferable skills include problem solving, critical thinking, organising and managing independent study time, as well as contributing in workshop discussions.
You take all compulsory modules and choose two from a list of optional modules. You end with the dissertation.
This course provides students with the understanding and skills necessary to use research, whether within a research career or outside of it. Building on other training in the details of specific methods, it focuses on two sets of broader questions. First, it critically analyses central concepts such as truth, power, ethics, and uncertainty in social research. When addressing these issues, the module engages with how they are dealt with and approached in qualitative and quantitative research. In the module, students will engage actively with these issues and critically reflect upon their own views and how they apply them in their own research projects. We particularly discuss the difficulties of causal inference and generalisation, coming to conclusions from research reviews, and philosophical issues around ‘truth’ and values. Second, it looks at the link between research and action. In doing this, it goes from the very practical (how to ensure that your research is used by policymakers and/or practitioners, and to deal with the political pressures on researchers) to the conceptual (in what ways does evidence get used by wider society?) to the normative (should researchers be ‘critical’, and if so, what are their ethical obligations in doing this?).
On this course, you will take a deep dive into the world of comparative public policy where students develop tools allowing them to critically analyse the pressing challenges of our day and how they influence the policy landscape, including globalisation, populism, the intersection of labour markets with society, and the evolving dynamics between welfare systems, social structures, and economic trends. On the module, you will develop a comprehensive understanding of comparative public policy theories and methods, and an in-depth understanding of what approaches to use in what circumstances. You will learn about the theoretical frameworks that shape the field, illustrated by captivating examples from diverse national, regional, and international perspectives. You will also get an understanding of how comparative public policy is shaped, by which institutions at these different governance levels, in other words, analysing organisations such as the EU and the UN. Overall, the module will equip you with the theoretical, methodological, and analytical tools needed to analyse comparative public policy issues. You will gain an in-depth understanding of policy developments, drivers, constraints, and responses to key challenges within and across countries and over time.
Asking questions about society is primary to the work of a social scientist. However, how we go about asking those questions is not straightforward. When planning reliable and generalisable research, many steps need to be taken to ensure robust results. This course provides students with the tools to do just that. The course introduces students to the logic and methods of social research, including the central topics in research design, understanding the methodological choices necessary when designing social research, and the realities of ensuring ethical research from the start. Throughout this process, students will be introduced to both the positivist and critical/interpretive debates behind social research. Additionally, both qualitative and quantitative methods will be covered. This will prepare students to design a research proposal, including selecting appropriate methods, formulating a research plan which covers data collection and analysis, and ultimately allowing them to successfully conduct their own research.
Globally, we are seeing a wide range of pressures and challenges to national, regional, and international public policies, including rising social and economic inequalities and climate change. This course delves into the critical challenges faced in international public policy by systematically examining and differentiating key areas and issues. It does so by taking a deep dive into key policy areas of contemporary international public policy through critical discussions of empirical examples.
The module engages empirically and theoretically with contemporary international public policies, equipping students with skills the enable them to apply their knowledge on ‘real life’ public policy issues. You will get a structured overview and critical discussion of the primary domains where international and national public policy agendas intersect and evolve and critically analysis variations in international policy responses. Specific areas of public policy covered include climate change and environmental issues, demographic changes including ageing societies, health, social security, migration policy, social and political exclusion and urban versus rural policies.
On the module you will enhance your employability by gaining knowledge about how various policy sectors grapple with transformative political, environmental and socio-economic processes their responses to these challenges will differ based on a range of internal and external socio-economic and political factors.
Understanding what works, why, where and for whom remains a fundamental inquiry across diverse organizations and financial sectors, especially in the realm of designing and implementing policies with far-reaching impacts across populations, locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally.
This module equips you with a comprehensive grasp of qualitative and quantitative tools, and other research methodologies crucial for executing evidence-based evaluations. Thereby it equips you with critical employability skills for anyone working with policies and evaluations across sectors. You will gain invaluable skills in applying evaluation methods, understanding the process of a policy and assessing it.
You will delve into the analysis of policies, examining their design, outcomes, and impacts to determine whether they effectively achieve their intended goals and objectives. Exploring key principles of impact evaluation and experimental design enable you to develop essential skills for understanding and critically assessing the policy process, enhancing your ability to navigate the challenges and political dynamics in policy.
The aims of this module are twofold:
First, to provide students with the opportunity to independently carry out an in-depth inquiry to investigate a research question(s) of their choice, producing a coherent review of the relevant literature, a logical discussion and a clearly communicated set of conclusions in the form of a dissertation.
Second, to prepare students to become ‘research-minded’ practitioners in order that they have the capacity to undertake research in practice settings and/or take a lead role in supervising others in such work.
Modules combine various forms of coursework; a research dissertation also acts as a modular component of the course in its own right.
For course aims and learning outcomes please see the course specification.
The atmosphere of the School is informal and friendly and has at its centre a lively and diverse postgraduate community. The weekly staff/postgraduate seminar series is designed to introduce you to the work of major scholars from the UK and abroad, and there is also a wide range of other seminar and workshop series each academic year.
Our postgraduate students have access to dedicated office space within the department and are able to take advantage of excellent library and computing facilities.
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of Social Policy; Journal of European Social Policy; Voluntas; Social Policy and Administration; and Social Policy and Society.
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.
Building on Kent’s success as the region’s leading institution for student employability, we place considerable emphasis on you gaining specialist knowledge in your chosen subject alongside core transferable skills.
We ensure that you develop the skills and competences that employers are looking for including: research and analysis; policy development and interpretation; independent thought; writing and presentation, as well as time management and leadership skills.
You also become fully involved in a professional research culture. A postgraduate degree in the area of social and public policy is a particularly flexible and valuable qualification that can lead to many exciting opportunities and professions..
Recent graduates have pursued careers in academia, journalism, local and central government, charities and NGOs in roles which utilise their wide range of skills and are often found in managerial positions.
Home: £10,000
Overseas: £16,600
EU: £16,600
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy. If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.
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