Public Policy MSc

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Level of study:
Masters
Entry Requirements:
More information
Start date:
September 2026
Duration:
One year full-time; two years part-time
Attendance:
Full-time, Part-time
Course delivery:
On-campus (City Campus)

Information for 2026/27

About this course

In a climate of shrinking budgets, shifting priorities, and growing division, what makes a policy successful? How do we ensure that every voice is heard — and that our public policies are relevant, inclusive, and impactful?

This course has been designed for a new generation of policymakers, analysts, and advocates. Guided by practitioners from the diverse worlds of government, grant-writing, project-management, youth outreach, gender politics, and international security, you’ll examine the concepts, trends and methodologies of public policy. Participating in group simulations, you’ll explore the roles of different stakeholders. And ultimately, you’ll apply your skills and knowledge in the wild, working with your peers to solve a real-world problem.

Policymaking is a science, and an art — a combination of good data and great storytelling. Our course reflects that duality, bringing together theoretical rigour, critical reflection, and a strong focus on experiential learning. You’ll develop academically, but also as an all-round communicator; someone who can engage stakeholders, build and manage key relationships, and navigate the policymaking process with resilience, confidence, and creativity. That’s how our global community of graduates progress into fields as varied as journalism, lobbying, policy planning, and consultancy — right here in Nottingham, across the UK, and all around the world.

Specialise and localise; collaborate and negotiate; get involved and problem solve. These are the six pillars of our course, informing every aspect of what you’ll be studying and how you’ll be learning. We advocate a practical, personalised approach that connects you with the real — and not just theoretical — world of public policy. Our small-group sessions are intimate and friendly, but also incredibly diverse; we welcome students from all around the world, encouraging new friendships and lasting networks.

We’ve designed this course with change-makers, early-career professionals, and the politically curious in mind; people who are looking for applied, Masters-level study with a clear emphasis on real-world learning, as a gateway to an executive career in policymaking. It’s a broad professional field, and our goal is to provide you with the knowledge, tailored employability support, and wider transferable skills to excel in a range of roles.

Variously, you’ll be exploring the sociocultural, economic, and political contexts of policymaking and its processes; the fundamentals of research, analysis, and writing; and the art of negotiation and stakeholder engagement. You’ll consider how we can act locally and think globally to help tackle crises in international security, the climate, and the cost of living. You’ll explore local, social, and foreign policy; you’ll partner with civic services and hear from prestigious guest speakers. We encourage specialisation, and you’ll consolidate the core modules with your own choice of elective. Public policy is a multidisciplinary field, and these optional modules draw from expertise across NTU’s School of Social Sciences.

The course culminates in a 60-credit research project. You’ll be working with your peers in a small team to help resolve the real-world policy dilemma of a public, private, non-profit, civic, or academic organisation. Cultivated through our Policy Lab — one of this course’s unique features — we’ll work hard to ensure the project reflects your own interests and ambitions. The scope is huge: your project could be focused on the East Midlands or East Africa, dealing with an issue that’s distinct and specialised, or one that cuts across multiple areas. What these projects all share, however, is the natural ability to consolidate your theoretical and research skills, and to refine your so-called ‘soft’ skills — both vital ingredients for any aspiring policy professional.

Module information

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll be studying throughout the course:

Core modules

Optional modules

We regularly review our course content based on student and employer feedback to ensure they remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or availability in future years. Optional modules will only run where there is sufficient demand. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis to protect the academic and student experience.

Alex Rossell

Public Policy student

“All of the tutors I have had have been absolutely wonderful. Tutors will always go above and beyond to help their students and I feel that is an area in which NTU massively excels.”
Read Alex's profile
Georgia Wayman

Public Policy student

“Reflecting on my time at NTU, I am grateful for all the opportunities I was given to improve my knowledge, experience, and confidence. These opportunities have been crucial in helping me secure full-time employment post-graduation.”
Read Georgia's profile
Franco Fabregas

Public Policy student

“My experience as an NTU student for the past 3+ years has been amazing! Staff and services provided by NTU are always friendly and willing to help you however they can.”
Read Franco's profile
Adeolu Adekola

Public Policy student

“A ‘perfect’ job or career could sometimes look like an illusion! It is important to identify your professional goals and what you are consistently doing towards achieving them.”
Read Adeolu's profile

A wide-range of traditional and experiential teaching methods are employed in the course. These may include discussion-based seminars, online teaching and learning sessions, interactive workshops, traditional lectures, presentations and collaborative project-based work. These sessions are designed to engage students through problem-solving, sharing ideas, giving and receiving feedback and teaching each other.

The course also benefits from activities and research seminars taking place within the Nottingham Institute of Humanities, Arts, Society and Political Studies, and across the School of Social Sciences. You will have the option to partake in various events focusing on politics and policy. Activities range from negotiation simulations, and guest lectures by politicians and practitioners, to problem-solving activities.

An active research environment

Teaching on the course is drawn directly from regionally aligned research strengths in the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, the Indian sub-continent, and Europe. This research feeds directly into the course allowing you to learn about the latest issues in this field from world-renowned experts.

Taught by experts

Your teachers and mentors specialise in:

Social policy
Foreign policy
Media policy
Health policy
Economic policy
Security policy
Citizen engagement
Local and regional development
Global governance
Negotiation and diplomacy
Politicisation and Expertise

Our focus

Applied and collaborative approach
Outward-facing local engagement
Citizens in the policy process
Employability and career support

You will benefit from

Policy Labs
Nottingham Civic Exchange (Internal Think Tank)
Local civic network
Employability and career development support
Specialisation drawing from expertise across the Social Sciences and Nottingham Business School
Both online and face-to-face teaching and learning methods

What opportunities await you?

You will have the opportunity to:

Specialise
Localise
Collaborate
Negotiate
Get involved
Problem solve

In-sessional English language support

In-sessional English language support classes are available to all international (non-EU) students studying on degree courses at NTU. There is no extra charge for these classes

How you're assessed

Assessment of the course involves coursework, conducting your own research piece, individual and group class presentations and a reflective assessment. To encourage and facilitate independent learning the course will take full advantage of NTU's online workspace (NOW).

Moreover, the assessment methods enable students to develop and strengthen transferable skills, thus supporting their employability profile. The Politics and International Relations Employability Coordinator, together with NTU’s employability team, will assist in developing a professional portfolio that can be used when applying for internships, professional employment or further study.

Contact hours

You will have around 8-10 hours per week of contact time (lectures, seminars and workshops). Approximately 90% of this teaching is in person. Overall, contact time makes up around 30% of a full-time week, while the remaining 70% of your time will be devoted to independent study.

Ana Isabel Nunes

Senior Lecturer

Dr Ana Isabel Nunes is a Senior Lecturer in Social and Political Sciences and Course Leader for the MSc Public Policy and MSc Politics and Public Policy programmes at Nottingham Trent University. She contributes to teaching across a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate modules within the Nottingham Institute of Humanities, Arts, Society and Political Studies.
Visit Ana Isabel Nunes's staff profile
Eva Zemandl

Senior Lecturer

Eva Zemandl is a senior lecturer in public policy. Her research and teaching focus includes local stakeholder engagement, participatory governance, the policy process and policy learning.
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Dr Antonio Cerella

Senior Lecturer

Dr Antonio Cerella form NTU's Department of Social and Political Sciences.
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Marianna Poberezhskaya

Associate Professor

Marianna Poberezhskaya is an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations with teaching responsibilities on the BA (Hons) International Relations, BA (Hons) Politics, and BA (Hons) Politics and International Relations courses. Marianna teaches on the following modules: 'Post-Soviet Geopolitics', ‘Environmental Citizenship’, ‘Environmental Politics and Policy’, ‘Media, Power and Truth’. Marianna is the Research Lead for the Department of Social and Political Sciences. .
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Katerina Krulisova

Associate Professor

Katerina is a Lecturer in International Relations at the Department of Social and Political Sciences. She contributes to teaching on BA (Hons) in International Relations. Her teaching focuses on feminist theories, gender, and international security.
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Dr Nathan Jones

Senior Lecturer

Nathan Jones is a Senior Lecturer in Politics in the Department of Social and Political Sciences, specialising in comparative European politics, party politics, elections and electoral systems, voter behaviour, and public opinion.
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Nick Foard

Principal Lecturer

Nick Foard is a Principal Lecturer in Sociology, within the Nottingham Institute of Humanities, Arts, Society and Political Studies. He is departmental lead for undergraduate provision in Sociology. Nick has over twenty years’ experience of teaching in the fields of digital and urban sociology, contemporary culture and identity, and research methods. Earlier in his career he carried out research in the area of youth political engagement, while his current research interests focus on the use of social media for developing belonging, attachment and identity in local communities.
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Will Rossiter

Professor

Will is Professor of Regional Policy and Development and Director of the Centre for Economy, Policy and Place at Nottingham Business School.
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Lesley Masters

Senior Lecturer

Lesley is the course leader for the MA International Relations, and MA International Relations and Security courses at NTU.
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Eszter Simon

Senior Lecturer

the Moscow-Washington hotline, risk of war measures, nuclear risk reduction, Cold-War superpower relations, trust in International Relations, theories foreign policy decision-making, populist foreign policy, and Hungarian foreign policy. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has done substantial work on issues relating to teaching and learning Politics. She was the NTU principal investigator for the Erasmus+ grant, BELONG: Better Education through Long-term Investment into Inclusiveness and Student and Staff Wellbeing (2022-2025).
Visit Eszter Simon's staff profile

Entry requirements

UK students

Applying with prior qualifications

You will need an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK undergraduate honours degree (normally 2.2 or above). If you hold a first degree but it doesn't meet the entry requirements above, please refer to the information below.

Applying with non-standard entry qualifications/experience

Applicants with non-standard entry qualifications and/or relevant experience will be considered on an individual basis. You will be required to demonstrate how your experiences and knowledge would enable you to study this course at Masters-level in your Personal Statement.

No references are required when applying for this course.

Additional requirements for UK students

There are no additional requirements for this course.

Other qualifications and experience

We welcome applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds and work experience. We consider credit transfer, vocational and professional qualifications, and any work or life experience you may have.

You can view our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy which outlines the process and options available, such as recognising experiential learning and credit transfer.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form.

International students

Academic entry requirements: 2.2 honours degree or equivalent qualification. We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.

English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.

Additional requirements for international students

There are no additional requirements for this course.

English language requirements

View our English language requirements for all courses, including alternative English language tests and country qualifications accepted by the University.

If you need help achieving the language requirements, we offer a Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes course on our City campus which is an intensive preparation course for academic study at NTU.

Other qualifications and experience

You can view our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy which outlines the process and options available, such as recognising experiential learning and credit transfer.

Sign up for emails

Sign up to receive regular emails from the International Office. You'll hear about our news, scholarships and any upcoming events in your country with our expert regional teams.

Getting in touch

If you need advice about studying at NTU as an international student or how to apply, our international webpages are a great place to start. If you have any questions about your study options, your international qualifications, experience, grades or other results, please get in touch through our enquiry form. Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world.

Policies

We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.

Full-time - £9,100
Part-time - £4,550

Please note that if you are considering a course that runs over more than one year, the tuition fee stated is for the first year of study. The course fee for the second year may be subject to annual review.

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including scholarships, discounts and loans.

Scholarships

You might be able to get a scholarship to help fund your studies. We award scholarships to those who can demonstrate excellent achievement, passion and dedication to their studies. See which courses are eligible for scholarships.

Alumni discount

We’re happy to offer a 20% alumni discount to most current NTU students and recent NTU alumni. This discount is currently available for those starting an eligible postgraduate taught, postgraduate research or professional course.

Postgraduate loans

There is a government postgraduate loan scheme for Masters degrees. The loan contributes towards costs of study, and students can put it towards tuition fees, maintenance costs or other costs at their discretion. Find out more about postgraduate loans.

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.

Full-time - £18,300
Part-time - £9,150

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including scholarships, discounts and loans.

Scholarships

Alumni discount

Living costs

See our advice on managing your money, the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget.

Paying fees

As an international student, you'll need to make an advance payment as part of your offer conditions. You'll then need to pay your tuition fees in full, or have an agreement to pay in two further instalments, in order to enrol on the course.

Find out how and when to pay your fees, including information about your advance payment, instalment dates and how to make payments securely to the University.

Enquiries

If you have any queries relating to advance payments or arrangements to pay, please contact our friendly and experienced international enquiries team.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Your modules will point you to key textbooks and recommended reading. Many are available online, and in our libraries, but some students choose to buy their own copies. You’ll receive resource lists showing where to access eBooks, digital resources and physical copies. Our friendly Library team is always on hand to help you find what you need.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Fees and funding advice

For more advice and guidance, phone the Student Money Team on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Cost of living information and support

Managing your money can help you make the most of life at NTU. Here's how we can support you, and now you can make your funding go further.

Cost of living in Nottingham

Our student benefits and free services

Money advice for international students

Careers and employability

As MSc Public Policy graduates, you will have the opportunity to reflect on the subject and transferable skills learnt while preparing coursework. These include expertise in writing complex, yet concise, analytical pieces, developing and implementing projects, interpersonal communication, diplomatic and negotiation skills, problem-solving, and the ability to present in-depth ideas with confidence. You will be offered encouragement and assistance in articulating those skills in relation to occupations that may be of interest to you.

Gain experience working with local organisations

As part of their work-based dissertation, our students have had the chance to work with the following organisations:

Framework Housing Association
Nottingham Women's Centre
Nottingham Trent University (within the School of Social Sciences, and in our apprenticeships team)
Nottingham Sustainable Food Partnership
Meadows Food Bank and Pantry
Nottingham Strategic Cultural Partnership
Enterprise Educators UK
Mansfield District Council.

Graduates from this course are ready to undertake a wide range of careers and professions. Previous graduates from within the Nottingham Institute of Humanities, Arts, Society and Political Studies have gone on to work in relevant government departments as well as joined international aid and development agencies.

Employability Promise

Personalised support, one-on-one coaching and industry-specific advice – it’s all part of our Employability Promise. And it doesn’t end when you leave NTU – you’ll have access to all our careers services for three years after you graduate (conditions apply).
Assessed work-like experience

We’ve embedded at least eight weeks of assessed work-like experience into all of our courses. This gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in real-world scenarios, build your confidence, and develop the experience employers are looking for.
NTU Enterprise

If you’re a budding entrepreneur, NTU Student Enterprise can help you to develop your ideas and innovations and turn them into a reality. We also offer training, mentoring, workshops, financial advice and more to develop your business skills.

Campus and facilities

You’ll mainly be studying in the Chaucer and Newton buildings, at the centre of our vibrant City Campus. As well as a range of classrooms and lecture theatres, the facilities including a mock prison cell, banks of open-access PCs, social spaces for either quiet study or busy group work.

NTU’s City Campus has everything you’ll need to stay busy between lectures. As well as the Boots Library and its beautiful roof garden, there’s our stylish Students’ Union building and two-storey, 100-station gym; a whole host of cafés, bars, restaurants and food outlets for every taste; our much-loved Global Lounge; performance and rehearsal spaces for musicians; and much, much more!

Take a few steps off campus and you’ll find yourself in the heart of Nottingham — one of Britain’s top 10 student cities, and one of Europe’s top 25. It’s stuffed with history, culture, and well-kept secrets to discover at your leisure. Enjoy lush green spaces, galleries, hidden cinemas and vintage shopping by day, and an acclaimed food, drink and social scene by night.

Applying

UK students

All applications to this course can be made through our NTU Applicant Portal.

If you are interested in joining us in September, this course will be open for applications through the applicant portal from September the previous year.

Please contact the Course Leader for further information and keep checking the course page for more updates.

Good luck with your application!

Apply now

International students

Apply online through our NTU applicant portal.

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.