MA Governance, Politics and Policy

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
• MA (part-time)
  UK students (per annum): £8,150
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £14,700

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.

Who is this course for?

This course is a core module for the MA in Governance and Public Policy and is available as an option across some other Masters level programmes (Democracy and Elections, Politics, European Politics and Policy). There are no pre-requisites for this course.

The course aims to introduce you to theories, concepts and practice associated with contemporary governance and policy making.  It will explore the meaning of governance and the changing nature of the state and drawing on theories and practice of policymaking, seek to understand how policy is made and how it is effective or ineffective. The course will provide you with the opportunity to develop skills in applying theoretical concepts and understanding to practical policy environments and vice versa, in the assembly and presentation of materials and in small group and written work

By the end of this course unit and demonstrated by means of written assessed work and oral presentations you will -

• have a greater awareness of the concept of governance and the key concerns and ingredients of policy making;
• utilise theories, models and practice associated with contemporary public policy making;
• relate these theories and concepts to actual policymaking examples and live political issues; 

And be better able to:

• utilise theories, models and practice associated with contemporary public policy making;
• relate these theories and models to real political and policymaking areas;
• use primary materials;
• record key points of discussion;
• précis and present arguments and policy ideas in written materials.

The course is organised into weekly one hour lectures and one hour seminars.   There are ten sessions (including the introductory session).  There is no reading week and part of the session in week 7 will be used to organize presentations in weeks 8, 9 and 10 and offer consultations on assessed work.

Attendance at seminars is compulsory.  If you know in advance that circumstances beyond your control will prevent you from attending a seminar, you should contact me as soon as possible to explain your absence.

It is essential that you read in advance of course meetings, so that you are able to take a full part in class discussions.  This is facilitated by the workshop approach in which everyone does a manageable amount of reading for each seminar and anyone may be called upon to introduce the discussion on the basis of the reading they have done. The details of the workshop approach and the system of assessment are given below.

Course assessment will be broken down as follows:

• 60% of the final course mark will derive from a 2,400 word written assessment.  
• 40% The final weeks will involve individual student presentations in weeks 8, 9 and 10.

Some Key Texts and Guidance on Reading

The following books will be relevant for several sessions of the course and provides an excellent overview of contemporary governance debates as well as a strong analytical framework for considering these debates.  An electronic copy is available through the University Library (see link to lists).

• Bell and Hindmoor (2009) Rethinking Governance, Cambridge
• Dorey P, ‘Policy Making in Britain’, Sage, 2014
• Richards, D and Smith, M, J. 2001.  Governance and Public Policy in the UK, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

On public policy

• Ball S, The Education Debate, Policy Press, 2008
• Collier P, ‘The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties’, Penguin 2019
• Goodhart D, ‘The Road to Somewhere: the Populist Revolt and the Future of Politics’, Hurst, 2017
• Fukuyama F, ‘Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, Picador, 2018
• Judt T, ‘Ill Fares the Land: A Treatise On Our Present Discontents’ Penguin, 2011
• King A and Crewe I, ‘The Blunders of Our Governments’, Oneworld, 2013
• Kingdon J, 'Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies', 1984
• Newman, J. ‘Beyond the New Public Management? modernising public services, in: J. Clarke et al. (Eds.), New Managerialism, New Welfare? (Sage and Open University Press) 2000
• Runciman D, ‘Politics’, Profile, 2014
• Seldon A and Lodge G, ‘Brown at 10’ Biteback, 2010 
• Seldon A and Snowdon P, ‘Cameron at 10: The Verdict’ Biteback, 2016
• Seldon A, ‘May at 10’ Biteback, 2019
• Shipman T, ‘All Out War: the Full Story of Brexit’ William Collins, 2017
• Yong, B and Hazell R, ‘Special Advisers. Who They Are, What They Do and Why They Matter?’, Hart, 2014

Political memoirs:

• Cameron D, ‘For the Record’, William Collins, 2019
• Campbell A ‘The Blair Years’ Arrow 2008
• Mandelson P ‘The Third Man – Life at the Heart of New Labour’, Harper Collins, 2010
• McBride D, ‘Power Trip: A Decade of Policy, Plots and Spin’, Biteback, 2013
• Mullin C, ‘View from the Foothills’ Profile 2009 & ‘Decline and Fall’, Profile, 2011
• ‘Ministers Reflect’ Institute for Government, various.

In addition read political and media commentary when you are able – broadsheets, tabloids, blogs – as well as pamphlets, think tank reports and contemporary debates discussed in parliament.

• Podcasts – ‘BBC Newcast’, ‘Times Red Box’, ‘Institute for Government: Inside Briefing’, ‘Talking Politics’ and ‘Talking Politics: History of Ideas’
• Columnists – Rachel Sylvester, Martin Wolf, Phil Collins, Paul Johnson and many more!
• Think Tanks – Institute for Government, IFS, NIESR, Resolution Foundation, Policy Exchange, IPPR and IPPR North, Centre for Cities, Centre for Towns, CLES