MA Political Science - Philosophy and Political Theory / Course details
Year of entry: 2026
- View tabs
- View full page
Course description
Philosophy is vital to understanding the ideals that shape our politics. Political theory is key to understanding the factors that can obstruct our ideals. By studying our MA Political Science - Philosophy and Political Theory, you'll learn how the two disciplines enrich each other.
Working with a large and talented pool of academics in small intensive seminar groups, you’ll interrogate core classical and contemporary concepts in 21st century political theory, such as justice, liberty and equality. You will also be introduced to a range of research skills and approaches, bolstering your ability to investigate, analyse, and communicate complex cases and arguments.
Throughout your course, you will be able to tailor your learning to suit your interests through optional course units covering an array of current and interesting topics across politics and philosophy, such as:
- Philosophical Bioethics;
- Analytic Philosophy;
- Political Economy;
- Human Rights.
See a full list of mandatory and optional course units below.
By your graduation, you will have developed subject area expertise as well as highly transferrable skills such as research, critical inquiry, and writing and communication skills, setting you up for multiple career paths in the public, private, or third sectors. You will also be well-placed to continue developing and using your research expertise, either professionally or in PhD study.
Special features
Prestigious department
The University of Manchester boasts one of the largest and best-known politics departments in the UK. We are home to some of the world’s leading experts and academics in the subject, and co-hosts (with Oxford) of the British Election Study, one of the longest-running election studies in the world and the longest-running social science survey in the UK.
Unique city
In our biased opinion, there’s no better place to study politics and philosophy than Manchester. Titanic thinking, revolutionary ideas, and radical reform are etched into the city’s character and streets, from workers' rights to feminism, Marxism to devolution.
Interdisciplinary approach
Interdisciplinary study is actively pursued at Manchester, with many course units involving expertise and contributions from a number of different schools and departments at the University, such as economics, social statistics, and global development.
Teaching and learning
The MA Political Science – Philosophy and Political Theory is taught by an interdisciplinary team using a variety of delivery methods:
- lectures;
- workshops;
- student-led presentations and debate;
- group work;
- individual research.
Coursework and assessment
Most course units are assessed by written assignments and essays. Some course units may differ and may be assessed by methods relevant to the units’ contents, such as data analyses, presentations, or research design documents.
Part-time students
Part-time students complete the full-time course over two years. There are no evening or weekend course units available on the part-time course.
Course unit details
A master’s degree is formed of 180 credits.
120 of these credits are made up by a mix of mandatory and optional course units, worth between 15 and 30 credits each. You will need to select between seven and eight of these course units, depending on how many credits each is worth. On the MA Political Science – Philosophy and Political Theory, there are three mandatory course units:
- POLI60312 Research Design and Skills;
- POLI70601 Political Theory Research Training Seminar;
- POLI70611 Debating Justice.
You will also choose between four and five optional course units – see the full list below.
The availability of individual optional course units may be subject to change. Information that is sent to you in August about registration onto the course will clearly state the course units that are available in the academic year ahead.
The remaining 60 credits are awarded through a compulsory research component in the form of a 12,000-to-15,000-word dissertation. Your dissertation must be within the area of one of the course units you have chosen.
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.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Design and Skills | POLI60312 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Political Theory Research Training Seminar | POLI70601 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Debating Justice | POLI70611 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Dissertation | POLI72000 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Philosophical Bioethics | CSEP60201 | 30 | Optional |
| Ethics | PHIL60052 | 15 | Optional |
| Philosophy of Mind | PHIL60071 | 15 | Optional |
| Philosophy of Language | PHIL60082 | 15 | Optional |
| Aesthetics | PHIL60282 | 15 | Optional |
| Landmark Papers in Analytic Philosophy | PHIL60311 | 15 | Optional |
| Displaying 10 of 20 course units | |||
| Display all course units | |||
Facilities
You will be supported by first-class resources, in addition to networked study areas.
You will also have access to the John Ryland's University Library , with over 4.5m books and vast archives of historical material and rare volumes, it is one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the country.