Why this programme?

The first semester is the same for all students. The focus is on the theories and practice of governance and policy analysis. You will take three courses and several skills trainings covering the general aspects relevant in the fields of governance and policy analysis. You will learn to apply current theories and research in the following academic disciplines:

• public policy
• public economics
• public policy analysis
• data science and statistics
• regression analysis
• research design

This will provide you with a strong foundation and will prepare you to conduct detailed analyses of the issues covered in the specialisation you choose.

At the end of the first semester, you will choose an area of specialisation. The programme director and the specialisation coordinators will support you in making your selection. The areas of specialisation are:

• Governance of Innovation (in cooperation with UNU-MERIT)
• Social Protection Policy (in cooperation with the ILO)
• Risk and Vulnerability (in cooperation with UNU-EHS)

• Migration Studies

• Global Governance for Development

 More on the specialisations

Among the most challenging yet rewarding parts of our programme is the quantitative training. A fundamental part of the programme, all students are required to take this training in the first semester. We asked our alumni:

Fanny Trang: “The quantative training really opened a whole area of evidence-based policy that I did not know at all. It is a very hard course and it taught me many lessons because, in fact, I failed econometrics the first time. I have never studied harder than I did prior to retaking that exam and I ended up having the highest grade of the class after the second sit. If you really put your mind to it, this field can unlock a lot of knowledge.”

For Benjamin Bogliacino: “Working in public affairs and having to deal with specialists from ministries back in London or the EU in Brussels I do need a broad understanding. So if you read a report that contains statistical data you need to quickly grasp the meaning, so you don’t have to rely on other people… The course was very tough, it is hard work, but you get a lot of support from the school.”

And for Praachi Kumar: “One of the key factors of public policy is not only having the skills to analyse policy but also to build policy. Much of what I did after graduating the MPP was to contribute in the development of the Gender Vulnerability Index (GVI). The skills I learned during the social protection specialisation allowed me to build such indices and interpret them for a policy audience.”

At UNU-MERIT, we utilise the academic resources of Maastricht University and a strong international network. Experts from universities and international organisations come from all over Europe and from other parts of the world to share their expertise by teaching courses and giving workshops and lectures. The School’s fast growing international academic network is also used to provide internship possibilities for our students.

About 80 per cent of the students and researchers at UNU-MERIT come from outside the Netherlands. They come from over 55 countries around the world. The diversity results in a stimulating blend of country-specific knowledge and individual experience that will enrich your academic experience and expose you to many different views and ways of approaching the same subject.

The language of instruction for the programme is English. For students who are non-native English-speakers, the programme's English curriculum will strengthen your command of the language and prepare you for a career in an international environment.