MA Political Economy (Standard Route)

Year of entry: 2025

Overview

Degree awarded
Master of Arts (MA)
Duration
1 year
Entry requirements

We require a UK bachelor's degree with a First or Upper Second classification or the overseas equivalent, in any discipline.

When assessing your academic record we consider your degree subject, grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.

Full entry requirements

How to apply
Apply online

Course options

Full-time Part-time Full-time distance learning Part-time distance learning
MA Y Y N N

Course overview

  • Benefit from a course that draws on a long and highly distinguished tradition of political economy at The University of Manchester.
  • Develop your interest in a unique, cross-disciplinary curriculum of study in political economy.
  • Pursue your own particular interests in political economy through one of our distinct pathways.

Open days

The University holds regular open days, where you will have the opportunity to find out more about our facilities and courses.

During the open day, you will have the opportunity to find out more about the School of Social Sciences, our resources, and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have.

For more information, see open days and visits .

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:

  • MA (full-time)
    UK students (per annum): £17,500
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £28,500
  • MA (part-time)
    UK students (per annum): £8,750
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £14,250

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Policy on additional costs

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).

Scholarships/sponsorships

For information on available funding, please see fees and funding or search the University's postgraduate funding database .

Contact details

School/Faculty
School of Social Sciences
Contact name
School of Social Sciences Admissions Office
Telephone
+44 (0) 161 306 5500
Email
Website
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/politics
School/Faculty

Courses in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

We require a UK bachelor's degree with a First or Upper Second classification or the overseas equivalent, in any discipline.

When assessing your academic record we consider your degree subject, grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.

English language

Applicants whose first language is not English should meet the following language requirements:

  • IELTS Academic test score of 7 overall, including 7 in writing with no further component score below 6.5
  • TOEFL IBT 100 with 25 in writing and no further score below 22 in each section. TOEFL code for Manchester is 0757
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 76 overall, with 76 in writing and no further score below 70

Further information on accepted language requirements can be found here .

Pre-Sessional English Courses

We will consider applicants who do not meet these scores but you will be required to complete a pre-sessional English language course at the University of Manchester prior to the start of the course.

To be considered for a pre-sessional English language course for this programme we require the following minimum IELTS (Academic) scores:

6 Week Pre-Sessional Course : IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing and no more than one sub-skill of 6.0.

10 Week Pre-sessional Course : IELTS 6.0 overall with 6.0 or above in each sub-skill

If you have not yet completed your current academic study and are interested in studying a pre-sessional course, you must hold an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) test certificate to ensure that you are eligible for a separate visa for the English language course.

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Applicants from Majority English-speaking countries

If you are a national of a   majority English-speaking country   (or have studied for a full bachelor's degree or higher from one of these countries) you may be exempt from submitting further evidence of English language proficiency.

Other international entry requirements

We accept a range of qualifications from across the globe. To help international students, the university provides specific information for many individual countries. Please see our  country-specific information page   for guidance on the academic and English language qualifications which may be accepted from your country.

Application and selection

How to apply

Advice to applicants

As there is a high demand for our courses, we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places and high quality of applications that we receive, we give preference to students from high ranking institutions and with grades above our minimum entry requirements.

Please ensure you submit all supporting documentation with your application before the application deadline to avoid a delay in processing.

Applications for 2025 entry:

Stage 1: Application received by 7th December 2025 ; Application update by 21st February 2025

Stage 2: Application received by 2nd March 2025 ; Application update by 1st May 2025

Stage 3: Application received by 5th May 2025 ; Application update by 5th June 2025

Stage 4: Application received by 1st July 2025 ; Application update by 25th July 2025

Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date.

Applications received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.

Please note: All places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.

Tuition fee deposits

If you are successful in receiving an offer, you will be required to pay a tuition fee deposit of £1,000 by the deadline stated in your offer letter to confirm your place. We ask for the deposit as competition for places is high and there is limited availability. The deposit amount is then deducted from your tuition fees when you register on the course.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Course details

Course description

The MA in Political Economy course at The University of Manchester offers a cross-disciplinary curriculum of study in political economy.

The MA is housed in the Centre for the Study of Political Economy, which brings together the world-class research strengths in the field of political economy at the University.

The course is taught by members from across the Faculty of Humanities in the School of Social Sciences, the School of Environment and Development, and the Alliance Manchester Business School.

You will pursue your particular interests in political economy through one of our four pathways:

  • theoretical political economy;
  • political economy of society, space and environment;
  • political economy of finance, business and work; or
  • political economy of development.

Each pathway offers courses drawn from across the different disciplines in the schools, offering you exposure to the full breadth of the field of political economy.

Teaching and learning

Part-time students complete the full-time course over two years. There are no evening or weekend course units available on the part-time route.  

You must first check the schedule of the compulsory units and then select your optional units to suit your requirements.  

Updated timetable information will be available from mid-August and you will have the opportunity to discuss your unit choices during induction week with your course director.

Course unit details

All students studying the MA Political Economy course take a core unit, Theoretical Approaches to Political Economy, which provides a thorough grounding in both classical and contemporary theories of political economy and introduces the basic concepts of the discipline.

If you are studying on the standard route, you will also take at least two core units, and three optional units from your chosen pathway. You will also undertake research training units in Dissertation Research Design. Taught units comprise two thirds of the course. The remainder of the course consists of a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation on a substantial issue in political economy.

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Theoretical Approaches to Political Economy POEC61011 30 Mandatory
Research Design and Skills POLI60312 15 Mandatory
Dissertation POLI72000 60 Mandatory
The Political Economy of Global Business BMAN62012 15 Optional
Multinationals and Comparative Employment Systems BMAN70051 15 Optional
Analysing Companies BMAN72201 15 Optional
Poverty, Inequality and Government Policy in Less Developed Countries ECON60212 15 Optional
Microeconomics ECON60391 15 Optional
Macroeconomics ECON60411 15 Optional
Economics of Environmental Policy ECON60782 15 Optional
Global Economic History ECON60852 15 Optional
Space and Sustainability GEOG60982 15 Optional
Climate Change Knowledge Politics GEOG70492 15 Optional
Issues in Environmental Policy GEOG70912 15 Optional
Key Debates in Environmental Governance GEOG70921 15 Optional
Political Ecologies GEOG70952 15 Optional
Industrial Competitiveness and Global Transformation MGDI60002 15 Optional
Global Political Economy MGDI60072 15 Optional
Work and Employment in the Global Economy MGDI60131 15 Optional
Poverty and Development MGDI60141 15 Optional
Gender Inequality: Theory and Evidence MGDI60202 15 Optional
Globalisation, Trade and Development MGDI60271 15 Optional
Trade Theory and Development MGDI60291 15 Optional
The Politics and Governance of Development MGDI60391 15 Optional
Climate Change and Development MGDI60552 15 Optional
Development Macroeconomics MGDI60581 15 Optional
Economic Development MGDI60711 15 Optional
Migration and Development MGDI60742 15 Optional
Key Issues in Environment and Development MGDI60801 15 Optional
Gender & Development MGDI70802 15 Optional
International Management MGDI71030 15 Optional
International Finance for Development MGDI72121 15 Optional
Contemporary Issues in Development Finance MGDI72162 15 Optional
Comparing Capitalisms in the Global Political Economy POLI60031 15 Optional
The Politics of Money & Finance POLI60081 15 Optional
Governing in an Unjust World: Justice and International Relations POLI60182 15 Optional
European Capitalisms: Crises, Transformations and Contestations POLI60292 15 Optional
Critical Globalisation Studies POLI70282 15 Optional
Critical Approaches to International Political Economy POLI70311 15 Optional
Debating Justice POLI70611 15 Optional
Theories of Rights POLI70722 15 Optional
Democracy: Theory & Practice POLI70872 15 Optional
Critical Environmental Politics POLI70921 15 Optional
The Politics of Global Climate Change POLI71142 15 Optional
Sociology of Consumption SOCY60551 15 Optional
Understanding Social Change for Environment and Sustainability SOCY60802 15 Optional
Environment, Sustainability and Society SOCY60831 15 Optional
Social Capital and Social Change SOCY71012 15 Optional
Creating a Sustainable World: Interdisciplinary Applications of the Sustainable Development Goals UCIL60312 15 Optional
Displaying 10 of 49 course units

Scholarships and bursaries

The School offers a number of awards for students applying for master's study.

To find our more, please visit our master's funding opportunity search page.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk

Careers

Career opportunities

Recent MA Political Economy graduates have gone into careers in academia, the civil service, journalism, the NGO sector, and wide range of related positions in both the public and private sectors.

The University also has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate.

At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .