Public Policy & Management
Background
Glasgow is a fantastic laboratory within which to study policy making and delivery in action. The city is seen as an object-lesson in public-sector led revival while Scotland established its own Parliament just over ten years ago. This body was set up with a wide range of powers but a very active debate continues about its relationships with UK and European governments. As the largest, most cosmopolitan and most vibrant city in Scotland, Glasgow is an exciting place to live and study.
The programme is a collaboration between two groups within the College of Social Sciences: Urban Studies and Management. Urban Studies is part of the School of Social & Political Sciences. It has an international reputation for the excellence of its research and teaching in public policy, urban and housing policy, social justice, and planning and real estate. It runs undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in public policy, as well as postgraduate programmes in urban policy, planning, housing and real estate.
One of its key strengths has been the postgraduate education provided to a range of professional groups for over 25 years. Through this teaching, and through our applied social research, we have deep ties with a wide range of public and voluntary sector organisations in Scotland and elsewhere. Our teaching is shaped by our desire to break down boundaries between professions, and to integrate cutting-edge research with the inputs from leading practitioners. We have a large body of postgraduate students (nearly 200 in 2010/11) on an integrated suite of programmes.
Management is part of the new Business School. Its aim is to stimulate interest and reflection, heighten awareness and expand horizons, enabling creative thinkers, managers and executives to realise their full potential. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate education in management, including the Masters in Business Administration and a suite of MSc programmes. These programmes benefit from a progressive, collaborative and embedded research culture, with a high level of commitment to effective knowledge transfer through teaching. Management teaching is focused on creating leaders who can think critically, and who have the ability to lead companies and organisations and their people at the highest level.
The UK Cabinet Office has approved the MBA for the UK Civil Service. The Business School holds accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the premier global accrediting body for business schools; less than 10 percent of the world's business schools hold AACSB accreditation. It is also fully accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA).
We know from experience that a good induction process is key to a successful start for our postgraduate students, especially those from outside the UK. We ensure that students are familiar with our structures and regulations, as well as campus facilities and services. We also take time to check that they are clear about our expectations of postgraduate students in terms of standards and styles of working. The induction block is also an opportunity to introduce the group to other students on our programmes and to the city.
We continue to monitor student progress through the year. Our continuous assessment helps to identify problems early on so we can direct students to the many support services which the University provides.