International Social and Public Policy with Study Abroad

International social and public policy is a discipline that examines how governments and other institutions respond to social problems, and how those responses vary across countries and contexts. It draws on economics, political science, sociology, behavioural science, and philosophy to ask fundamental questions about the causes of inequality, the design of welfare systems, the politics of public spending, and how evidence can and should inform the decisions that shape people's lives. Comparative analysis, examining how different societies have approached similar challenges, is central to the field.

At Bristol this four-year full-time programme, which includes a foundation year as its first stage, develops your ability to analyse and critically evaluate policy issues in and across societies in a range of geographical and cultural contexts. You will compare key ideas and theoretical frameworks from multiple disciplines, learning to assess the evidence for different approaches to social problems and to understand why similar policies can have very different effects in different places. The programme takes its international dimension seriously, preparing you to think across borders and to engage with policy challenges that are genuinely global in character, from climate adaptation to migration, health systems, and poverty reduction.

The study abroad component embedded in the programme gives you the opportunity to spend time at a partner institution and experience a different policy context directly.

You will develop skills in quantitative and qualitative analysis, policy evaluation, academic writing, and critical thinking, alongside a substantive understanding of the major social policy domains and the political and economic contexts in which they operate.

Graduates move into careers in government and the civil service, think tanks, international organisations, NGOs, research, consultancy, journalism, and the health and social care sectors. Postgraduate study in public policy, social policy, international development, economics, or related fields is a well-established route for those who wish to specialise or pursue research.