Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Study Details: MPA 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
The Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) in Digital Technologies and Policy at UCL offers an applied, interdisciplinary approach to contemporary challenges arising from emerging digital technologies. The programme’s unique socio-technical approach prepares future decision-makers in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors to tackle complex digital technology policy issues like cybersecurity, data protection, algorithmic integrity and data quality, and consolidation in digital markets.
Leaders and decision-makers working at the interface of digital technologies and policy require a rigorous, multi-disciplinary understanding of how emerging digital technologies impact the global economy, national security, organisational resilience, individual freedoms and fundamental rights, employment, and critical sectors such as healthcare.
As a student on the MPA in Digital Technologies and Policy, you will develop a unique mix of technical and policy knowledge necessary to effectively assess these critical challenges. With guidance from academics and leading practitioners, you will gain a deep understanding of the political economy of Internet operations and platforms, from the physical infrastructure to the application layer, and how these dynamics continue to shape critical issues in digital technology policy such as encryption or the spread of misinformation online. Building on these foundations, you will explore the effectiveness of current regulatory frameworks and initiatives designed to address the risks and uncertainties arising from the increasingly widespread use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence or the Internet of Things. Throughout the programme, you will evaluate diverse viewpoints, using the latest research from across disciplines such as public policy, law, economics, psychology, and information security. You will also engage with leaders in digital technology and policy through guest lectures, symposia, and networking events.
A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor’s degree from a UK university in a relevant discipline or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Students are encouraged (but are not required) to have work experience prior to enrolling on this programme.
For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more
UCL offers a range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies.
Alumni from this programme have found and pursued successful careers in the growing digital technologies and policy market. Some have joined graduate schemes in government or in top-tier technology companies. Others have gone on to work in international organisations, public agencies, NGOs, standards-making bodies, or technology trade associations. Some alumni have also established their own successful businesses.
Employability
The programme is designed to enhance the prospects of graduates and early career professionals to step into key decision-making and leadership roles across a variety of organisations in the field of digital technologies and policy. The MPA is a professional degree that will allow you to build not only competencies and knowledge but also a network of like-minded colleagues that will be of value throughout your career.
The programme provides a balanced mix of theory and practice, focusing on skills development to enhance your analytical, research, and communication abilities through the development of policy memos, systematic literature reviews, verbal briefings, and an applied dissertation project working closely with a real-world organisational partner.
At the end of the programme, you will have developed considerable policy and technical knowledge to be able to engage with rigour in the formulation or implementation of digital technology policy, whether in the public, private, or not-for-profit sector. The programme is flexible enough to help students build this strong foundation while allowing them to explore and develop areas of their own interest in the digital technologies and policy space.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
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