University College London (UCL)
Global Governance and Ethics MSc
London, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
This MSc program explores the complex issues surrounding global governance and ethics. It is designed to help students understand how international institutions, states, and non-state actors interact within the global system. The course emphasizes critical thinking about governance strategies, ethical challenges, and the responsibilities of different actors in addressing global problems like conflict, inequality, and environmental issues.
Students will examine key topics such as international law, global justice, human rights, and sustainability. The program also offers opportunities to analyze real-world cases, develop practical skills, and engage in policy debates. It aims to prepare students for careers in international organizations, NGOs, policy-making, or academia, by fostering a deep understanding of the ethical and governance frameworks shaping our interconnected world.
UCL Scholarships
There are a number of scholarships available to postgraduate students, including our UCL Masters Bursary for UK students and our UCL Global Masters Scholarship for international students. You can click the link below to search via the scholarships finder for awards that you might be eligible for. Your academic department will also be able to provide you with more information about funding.
External Scholarships
Online aggregators like Postgraduate Studentships, Scholarship Search, Postgraduate Funding and International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search contain information on a variety of external schemes.
If you have specific circumstances or ethnic or religious background it is worth searching for scholarships/bursaries/grants that relate to those things. Some schemes are very specific.
Funding for disabled students
Master's students who have a disability may be able to get extra funding for additional costs they incur to study.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars, and is taught by scholars that combine extensive expertise in relevant theoretical and empirical research fields with institutional, policy and country-specific knowledge. Programme assessment varies across modules and can be conducted through unseen examinations, long essays, policy briefs, and the dissertation.
Assessment is through examinations, long essays and the dissertation.
For full-time students, typical contact hours are around 12 hours per week. Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.
Example of time spent if a Full-time Student versus Part-time Student
- Full-time: Students study for 40 hours per week. Additionally, students retaking a year will be deemed Full-time, when retaking more than half of the activity of the year.
- Part-time: Students study at a structured rate per week, normally half the rate of Full-time study. Additionally, students retaking a year will be deemed Part-time when retaking half or less of the activity of the year.
Modules
Full-time
You will undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. You can personalise your programme to your own academic or professional interests.
There are two compulsory modules, which provide in depth knowledge of the study of global governance and the ethical challenges it raises.
You must also take one qualitative and one quantitative methods module to qualify you to conduct independent research.
You will choose an additional three optional modules from a wide range of modules that are offered in the department which run the gamut of international relations, political science and international public policy, tackling a wide range of issues from international conflict, to development and climate politics, among many more. Finally, you will write a dissertation.
Part-time
The programme structure for part-time students follows the same structure as our full-time students. Please note that all students must take one qualitative and one quantitative methods module in order to conduct further independent research.
We do encourage our part-time students to distribute their workload evenly between the two years of study. The majority of part-time students opt for one of the following patterns:
- 75 credits in year one and 105 credits in year two;
or
- 90 credits in year one and 90 credits in year two.
Upon completion you will have undertaken modules to the value of 180 credits, comprising three compulsory modules providing you with in-depth knowledge of the study of global governance and the ethical challenges it raises. You will also complete a dissertation. You will have further attended elective module(s) so you can personalise your programme of study to your own academic or professional interests.
Compulsory modules
- Global Ethics
- Global Governance
- Dissertation
Optional modules
- Qualitative Methods: Interviews, Observations and Mixed Methods
- Qualitative Methods: Using Texts, Transcripts and Images
- Qualitative Methods: Case Studies and Comparative Analysis
- International Political Economy
- Global Security Policy
- Causal Inference
- Introduction to Quantitative Methods
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Global Governance and Ethics.
What this course will give you
UCL Political Science is recognised as a centre of excellence in the field and offers a stimulating environment for the study of global governance and ethics.
Weekly seminars offer students an unrivalled opportunity to meet and engage with some of the leading figures in the field. By the end of programme students will:
- Have a deeper appreciation of how global governance works and how this complex arena of global political interaction may be approached in a theoretically-informed systematic manner.
- Be aware of the variety of ethical issues raised by the structures of global rule, and the effects of globalisation on global public goods objective, in light of a range of normative questions surrounding accountability, responsibility, and equity in international affairs.
- Be equipped with the theoretical tools and empirical evidence necessary for an in-depth understanding of empirical theories and studies of global governance, globalisation and international policy-making on the one hand, and of normative theories of international justice, democracy and public ethics, on the other.
- Attain proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, covering their theoretical, ethical and practical dimensions.
- Possess the skills essential for the analytical study of politics and for the development of a normative assessment of the main issues currently facing the design of global institutions and policy making at the international level.
UCL Political Science offers a broad array of global governance-related expertise and teaching able to accommodate a wide scope of student interests within a university that has in recent years put emphasis on global governance issues, including the climate crisis, global health and pandemic preparedness, among various other initiatives.
The foundation of your career
Most students choose the MSc as the foundation for a career in intergovernmental institutions; in central, regional or local government; in NGOs, business, lobby groups, charities and public affairs, and for funded PhD study.
Employability
Our students receive excellent training to think critically and creatively. Through our methods training, students also possess sophisticated skills in demand by employers in the public and private sector as well as the skills necessary for further academic study.
Networking
As a student in the Department you will have access to an impressive range of support, activities, and events that will contribute to your experience. Student societies, exhibitions, lectures, and valuable training is just a snippet of what is on offer for you.
- The Department host an eclectic and impressive offer of events, these range from our 'Policy and Practice' seminars which include talks by high-profile policy makers, practitioners and academics, to our Departmental Research Seminars (DRS).
- The International Public Policy Review is a student-led forum for debate, discussion, and networking for those passionate about politics, governance and international affairs
- The International and Public Affairs Society is a student-run society for all students in the Department of Political Science. They organise social and fundraising events and endeavour to develop a strong and friendly community within the School of Public Policy (SPP).
- UCL Social Data Institute is led by the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences (SHS), and the Institute amplifies UCL’s advanced research and teaching in social data and methods.