Postgraduate taught degree programmes

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Urban Research

Background

The Research Masters in Public Policy and the Research Masters in Urban Research are designed for those who wish to advance their research skills for application either in academia or within a broad range of public, private or third sector organisations. These two programmes are part of a suite of Research Masters offered within the College of Social Sciences. They are recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council as providing a thorough background in social science research and offer an excellent training prior to commencing doctoral studies. The ESRC is the main funder of postgraduate research studentships in the UK.

Both programmes aim to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge to formulate theortetically interesting research questions within the context of a particular field of study and to turn these into robust and feasible research designs. We aim to produce graduates who are independent, critical thinkers able to make well-judged contributions to policy and research debates and to work in a wide range of academic, policy and practice roles. In particular, we aim to provide our students with a sound conceptual and methodological basis to commence their PhD studies or equivalent work-related research careers. We expect our graduates to be able to:

  • demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the key approaches to conceptualising research questions and the appropriate methodologies for addressing them;
  • develop in-depth and specialised understanding in chosen policy fields;
  • acquire important transferable skills in self-management, critical analysis, and written communication.

All our postgraduate students have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of seminars and workshops in addition to their taught courses.

Glasgow is not only an excellent place to study but it represents a rich environment in which to study public and urban policy. 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.