MA Governance, Politics and Policy (Research)

Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:

• MA (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £16,300
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £29,400

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

• Learn more about - student finance options for UK students .
• Learn more about - fees and finance for international students .
• Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.

The course unit aims to:

• Debate the politics of policymaking in the European Union  
• Explain contemporary social problems in the European Union
• Evaluate competing narratives about the future of the European Union
• Develop students’ analytical, critical, and creative thinking 

On completion of this unit successful students will be able to demonstrate:

• Critically reflect on the politics of policymaking in the European Union
• Analyse social problems within the European Union
• Construct an alternative future for Europe and develop policy ideas
• Pursue independent learning and develop a critical approach to social science 

 

Teaching will take place in 10 weekly sessions. These will include a combination of short lectures and group discussions hosted by the lecturer. Students will be assigned preparatory questions to consider from the reading each week and post short reflections on the discussion board prior to the sessions.  

A 2400 word essay will be 80% of the mark; the remaining 20% is for short weekly discussion board posts (600 words).

Introductory

Cini, M. and Perez-Solorzano Borragan, N. European Union Politics (6th Edn), 2019

 

Institutions and Policy Making

Dinan, D., Nugent, N. and Paterson, W. The European Union in Crisis, 2017

Nugent, N. The Government and Politics of the EU (8th Edn), 2017

Wallace, H. Pollack, M. and Young, A. Policy-Making in the European Union (7th Edn), 2014    

Timetable