Politics/Social & Public Policy

Politics and social and public policy is a combination that links the theoretical study of power and political institutions to the practical analysis of how governments design and deliver policy across social domains including healthcare, education, housing, welfare, and criminal justice. Politics examines how power and influence are distributed within society and how this affects decision-making within and among countries. Social and public policy asks what governments do with that power, how policies are designed, implemented, and evaluated, and what the effects of policy choices are on different groups in society.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year full-time programme develops both disciplines with rigour and depth. You will study political theory, comparative politics, and international relations alongside the conceptual and empirical tools of policy analysis, covering areas such as welfare state development, health policy, education policy, poverty, inequality, and the politics of public sector reform. The programme includes a year abroad, which gives you exposure to different political and policy environments and broadens your comparative perspective.

The combination is particularly powerful for students who want to understand not just what governments do but why they do it and what the consequences are.

Graduates from politics and social policy programmes go on to careers in the civil service, local government, policy research, think tanks, health and social care management, the voluntary sector, political organisations, and journalism. The analytical and quantitative skills the programme develops are valued across all of these fields. Further study at postgraduate level in politics, public policy, social policy, or public administration is a natural route for those who wish to develop specialist expertise or pursue research careers.