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.

Sample topics: 
(1) The value of democracy 
(2) Deliberation and Voting
(3) The Boundary Problem 
(4) Elections vs Sortition
(6) How do we measure democracy?
(7) Are there preconditions for democratic governance?
(8) How do we promote and reproduce citizens’ engagement?
(9) How do we ensure people’s effective voice?
(10) Is democracy in crisis?

The aim of this course is to examine democracy through both normative and empirical frameworks in order to gain an understanding of its nature and essential features, while also appreciating some of the contemporary challenges democratic societies must face. In particular, the course examines the following key questions: Why is democracy valuable? What values underlie the ideal democratic system? How are we to best implement those values? What demands does democracy place upon those within it (citizens, voters, officials)? How do we best ensure that these expectations are fulfilled? What is the extent of democratic authority – how and when might it be permissibly challenged? How can we ensure that an effective connection between voters and politicians is maintained? How can democratic ideals of equal representation be fulfilled in practice? Are our political institutions genuinely democratic? Can we do more to protect, deepen or nurture democratic practice.The course addresses these and further questions by looking both at insights of democratic theory and at the empirical study of democratic institutions.

On completion of this unit successful students will be able to: Understand the key normative ideas that underlie democratic theory, and demonstrate this understanding by applying these insights to solving contemporary practical problems.

10 x 2 hour seminars

On completion of this unit successful students will be able to demonstrate:• An in-depth knowledge and understanding of the values and goals underlying democratic theory.• An ability to identify and describe the complex problems that arise in the implementation of 
democracy at the local, national and international levels.• Show an in-depth critical knowledge of the attempts to solve various contemporary problems associated with democratic theory and its application.•  The ability to critically reflect on the contemporary  debates concerning the democratic deficit, the representation of minorities in a liberal democratic society, teaching civic skills in schools especially those concerned with inculcating the values of democracy, the effect of different electoral systems on the 
realisation of democratic values and ideals.• To articulate and defend their own position vis à vis the value and importance of democratic values and their practical implementation at the local,national and international arenas. 

One essay of 2,000 words (75%), critical review 1000 words (25%).

Preliminary Reading:

• Beetham, D. (2005) Democracy: A Beginner’s Guide (Oxford: One World Publications)
• Blais, Andre (2000) To Vote or Not to Vote: The Merits and Limits of Rational Choice Theory (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press).
• Christiano, Thomas (ed.) (2003) Philosophy and Democracy (Oxford: OUP)
• Dahl, Robert. (2000) On Democracy (New Haven: Yale UP)
• Eliasoph, N. (1998) Avoiding Politics: How Americans Produce Apathy in Everyday Life (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
• Fasulo, L. (2004) An Insider's Guide to the United Nations (New York; UNDP)
• Goodin, R. & Pettit, P. (1997) Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Anthology (Blackwell).
• Gutmann, Amy and Dennis Thompson. Democracy and Disagreement (Cambridge: Harvard UP)
• Milner, Henry (2002) Civic Literacy: How Informed Citizens Make Democracy Work (Hanover: University Press of New England).
• Parkinson, John. (2006) Deliberating in the Real World: Problems of Legitimacy in Deliberative Democracy (Oxford: OUP)
• Pattie, C., Seyd, P.  & Whiteley, P.  (2003) "Citizenship and Civic Engagement: Attitudes and Behaviour in Britain" Political Studies 51, 443-68.
• Putnam, Robert (2000) Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community (New York: Simon & Schuster).
• Russell, Andrew; Fieldhouse, Ed; Kalra, Virinder & Purdam, Kingsley. (2003) Electoral Commission: Research Report "Voter Engagement & Young People"
• Shapiro, Ian (2003) The State of Democratic Theory (Princeton: Princeton University Press)
• Skocpol, Theda & Fiorina, Morris (eds.) (1999) Civic Engagement in American Democracy (Washington/New York: Brookings Institute/Russell Sage Foundation,).
• United Nations Development Programme Website: Online: http://www.undp.org/governance/
• Wattenberg, Martin (2002) Where Have All The Voters Gone? (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press).

Timetable