PG BoS/April 2010/Paper 3
Academy of Government, University of Edinburgh
Overview
The Academy of Government (AoG) at the University of Edinburgh will be the first professional school for public
policy in the UK. It will offer a distinctive portfolio of professional programmes that prepare students and
professionals for leadership roles in the public sector, international organisations and the voluntary sector. The
Academy is modelled on the US ‘schools of public policy’, in particular the pioneering Kennedy School of
Government (Harvard), and other international schools including the Hertie School of Governance (Germany),
Sciences Po (France), and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (Singapore). Their aim is to prepare
exceptionally talented students and young professionals for leadership roles in today’s rapidly changing world.
International Comparators
Professional schools of public policy are often housed within a university as the outward-oriented ‘interface
between academia and public policy’. A professional school may be act as a hub for a variety of research centres
in the university, as well as the provider of degree programmes – notably a Master of Public Policy or a Master of
Public Administration – which are targeted at BA students and mid-career professionals. While there are over 300
professional schools of public policy in North America, and concentrations of several prestigious schools in Asia
and continental Europe, there are no dedicated professional schools in the UK. Furthermore, while there are a
handful of Masters in Public Administration (MPA) programmes in the UK (which focus on executive organization
and management) there are no Masters of Public Policy programmes (MPP) (which emphasise the analysis and
evaluation of information to solve policy problems).
Academy of Government Provision
While administratively housed in the School of Social and Political Science (SPS), the AoG will draw on the
established strengths of faculty across SPS, Business, Economics, Geosciences, Law, Health in Social Science
and Education to facilitate new collaborations in teaching, research and knowledge exchange. More specifically,
the Academy will seek to offer: a Master of Public Policy (MPP); an MPP in European Public Policy; an MPP in
International Development; an MPP in Environmental Policy; and a (Professional) Master of Public Administration
((P)MPA). The PMPA will be oriented towards mid-career professionals, while the MPP and standard MPA
programmes will be designed for recent graduates in a relevant field. In addition, the AoG will also offer in-career
CPD programmes focussed on professional leadership training for the public sector.
The University of Edinburgh already hosts several clusters of expertise that may be deployed by the Academy of
Government. In particular, there is considerable expertise in public policy and public management, which is spread
across several Schools. With some re-branding and re-focusing, it would be possible to produce a set of initial
programmes largely from within existing provision. The University’s areas of expertise include:
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expertise in government, public policy and economics in SPS, Law, Economics and Business
expertise in European policy in SPS and Law
expertise in international development in SPS, Geosciences, Economics and Health
expertise in environmental policy in SPS, Geosciences, Business, and Law
expertise in public sector management in Business
Demand
There is strong market demand for advanced postgraduate qualifications that meet the need for professional
training in public policy and administration. In the USA, the top MPA/MPP programmes have an acceptance rate of
20-30%. Similar demand for professional degrees appears to exist in the UK. The LSE has between 300 and 400
applications for its annual intake of 80 students. The AOG, by offering professional public policy programmes
catering to the UK, EU and international communities, will be able to capitalize on already-existing demand. The
AoG will also fill a market gap by offering MPP programmes (of which there are none in the UK) geared towards
training future public leaders. Furthermore, by catering to the devolved policy community, the AoG will be able to
create new demand by preparing public leaders in Scotland with relevant skills, training and knowledge of policy
processes and public management.
Fees
The standard tuition fees for an MPA at a UK university are £21,000. In the USA, this figure is much higher (for
instance Maxwell charges $43,000 for a 1-year MPA). The LSE charges the greatest amount for the entire
programme (though it is spread over 21 months) at £33,840 for its MPA. There is therefore a strong rationale for
the AoG to introduce premium fees for the MPP/PMPA programmes.
Conclusion
The AoG is ideally situated to meet market demand for advanced programmes of public policy analysis and public
administration. There is currently a large gap in the UK market for professional programmes oriented towards
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PG BoS/April 2010/Paper 3
graduates wishing to pursue a career in the public sector (MPPs) and for mid-career programmes that provide
training in policy administration and analysis (MPAs). There are also strong opportunities for the AoG to benefit
from dual degree programmes with leading North American, Asian and European universities, as part of the
University’s internationalisation strategy. The breadth and depth of AoG offerings will be unique in the United
Kingdom, and will be developed to be competitive with the world’s leading public policy schools.
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PG BoS/April 2010/Paper 3
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