MA Political Science - Democracy and Elections (Research Route)

• Learn from the greatest concentration of elections scholars in the country, at one of the UK’s top 5 universities for politics (Times Higher Education, 2024).
• Benefit from teaching informed by our British Election Study, the UK’s longest running social science survey.
• Understand the development of democratic ideals and the challenge of putting them into practice.
• Develop vital skills for a career in research, or any related field.

Democracy should not be taken for granted. On our Political Science – Democracy and Elections master’s course, you’ll learn to think creatively about how to enhance its effectiveness and engage the electorate.

Through mandatory course units, you’ll be introduced to a range of research approaches, while developing your qualitative and quantitative skills. The programme also considers the philosophical and historical foundations of Britain’s party-political system.

You’ll also be able to tailor your studies to fit your interests, with an array of optional units including:

• Comparative Democratisation in Eastern Europe and Latin America
• Public Policy (in)to Practice
• Gender in Comparative Politics
• Global Governance

Throughout the programme you’ll develop skills in critical inquiry, research design, creative thinking and problem-solving. At the point of completion, you’ll be well placed to pursue a career in academic research, policy, charity and a great number of similar fields.

Full entry requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English should meet the following language requirements:

• IELTS Academic test score of 7 overall, including 7 in writing with no further component score below 6.5
• TOEFL IBT 100 with 25 in writing and no further score below 22 in each section. TOEFL code for Manchester is 0757
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 76 overall, with 76 in writing and no further score below 70

Pre-Sessional English Courses

We will consider applicants who do not meet these scores but you may be required to complete a pre-sessional English language course at the University of Manchester prior to the start of the course.

To be considered for a pre-sessional English language course for this programme we require the following minimum IELTS (Academic) scores:

6 Week Pre-Sessional Course : IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing and no more than one sub-skill of 6.0.

10 Week Pre-sessional Course : IELTS 6.0 overall with 6.0 or above in each sub-skill

If you have not yet completed your current academic study and are interested in studying a pre-sessional course, you must hold an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) test certificate to ensure that you are eligible for a separate visa for the English language course.

Career opportunities