University College London (UCL)

Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value MPA

Teaching and learning

The Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value MPA is delivered both inside and outside of the classroom. On campus, the course will be taught through a series of lectures and small group seminars. To apply policy tools in action, you will take part in research and policy projects at the Institute, making important contributions to high-level work with governments and NGOs around the world and working in partnership with faculty members.

With the support of the Institute, you will also stretch and test your classroom work, gaining new experiences and insights, through participation in conferences and competitions, and organise trips and panels with scholars and practitioners to benefit their peers. Our past students have arranged conferences hosted at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose in collaboration with organisations such as INET’s Young Scholars Initiative (YSI), entered competitions such as Map the System, and have presented their work at the Institute’s annual conference.

The course is assessed through personal and group presentations, and written reports and papers. The mix of assessment methodologies will help develop both your writing and presentation skills and will provide you with teamwork experience.

Over Terms 1 and 2, full-time students will typically have 12 hours of contact time per week on average, consisting of both lectures and seminars. Our optional enrichment lectures are an additional hour per session.

In Term 3, you will either choose the thesis or placement modules, whilst keeping regular contact with your supervisor throughout the term and summer period.

In addition to scheduled core learning, we encourage you to structure your self-directed study time with good judgement, in line with the UCL-recommended hours for full-time, part-time and flexible study.

Modules

Full-time

The Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value MPA is delivered over three terms when taken in one academic year, with six compulsory and two elective taught modules plus a final project.

All students will take six compulsory modules, which represent the four disciplinary pillars of the course: economics, politics, public administration, and design. Uniting these distinct modules is a focus on challenging economic orthodoxies and exploring the new thinking, institutions, and skills governments need to drive transformative change.

Part-time

The Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value MPA can also be completed on a part-time basis, As a part-time student, you will study the same six compulsory modules, two elective modules and a final project (a Policy Analysis Thesis or Placement) as full-time students, however this will be completed over the duration of two years.

Year 1 Term 1 is focused on modules ‘New Economic Thinking and Public Value’ and ‘Economics of Innovation and Public Purpose’ that delve into the different approaches to understanding the creation and measurement of public value and different framings for purpose led organisations.

Term 2 is focused on the module ‘Creative Bureaucracies’ looking at governance frameworks geared to developing dynamic capabilities within organisations that need to be flexible, adaptable and willing to experiment. You will also take an elective module according to the pathway you choose.

Year 2 Term 1 is focused on modules ‘Politics, Power and Systems Change’ and ‘Making Decisions: Evidence and Evaluation’ that consider how the approaches learned in Year 1 can be applied to understanding structural change in the economy (from innovation challenges to those in fiscal and financial frameworks.

Term 2 is focused on the module ‘Transformation by Design’, developing practical policy design and implementation skills with special attention to the emerging sphere of digital and AI tools. You will also take an elective module according to the pathway you choose.

Flexible
The Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value MPA can also be completed on a flexible basis, over the duration of up to five years. You will select a combination of both core and elective modules: the same six compulsory modules as the full-time pathway, plus two optional taught modules and a final project comprising of a Policy Analysis Thesis or Placement.

Please note that the list of elective modules given here is indicative rather than exhaustive. This information is published in advance of enrolment and availability is subject to change. As a flexible student, the number of modules per term will be dependent on the number you choose to enrol onto in any given year.

As with part-time students, we recommend that flexible students plan to undertake one of two study patterns for completing the intensive module of the final project. For the Thesis option, you can start your research during Term 3 of your first year and then complete in Term 3 and the summer of your second year. For the Placement option, you can negotiate with your employer or arrange other commitments so that you can dedicate yourself to working on the project full-time through Term 3 and the summer of your final year. If you choose to study the Placement option, you will have no commitments in Term 3 and the summer of your first year.

Compulsory modules

• New Economic Thinking and Public Value
• Creative Bureaucracies
• Final Project: Policy Analysis
• Placement
• Transformation by Design
• Economics of Innovation and Public Purpose
• Politics, Power and Systems Change
• Making Decisions: Evidence and Evaluation

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 MPA in Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value.

Placement
During Term 3 of the Innovation, Public Purpose and Public Value MPA, you will have a choice either of undertaking a placement with one of the partner organisations of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose or writing a thesis. During the placement, you will work closely in a group on a policy problem with your placement organisation. The aim is to apply the new ways of thinking that you will acquire in the first two terms of the MPA in live contexts.

Placements take place with a wide range of organisations within the UK and around the globe and the Institute matches students and organisations based on both students’ interests and their professional and academic backgrounds and skills. Many placement organisations are members of our Mission-Oriented Innovation Network (MOIN). MOIN brings together over 100 public organisations around the world, including state investment banks, innovation agencies, strategic design units in cities, and other public organisations with that are engaged in cutting-edge policymaking.

The projects that students in the past have undertaken are varied; from analysing government challenge programmes to supporting government strategy formation and are grounded in research and a shared benefit between students, faculty, and partners.

What this course will give you

UCL has been ranked ninth best university in the world for the second year in a row, marking UCL’s 13th year among the top 10 universities worldwide (QS World University Rankings 2025). Across the university, UCL’s students and faculty are tackling grand challenges, ranging from climate change to healthcare for ageing populations. Tap into a world-leading faculty, including Founder and Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose Mariana Mazzucato and Deputy Directors Rainer Kattel and David Eaves, all situated within the heart of London, the best student city in the world (QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2025).

By studying on this course, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the economics of innovation, technological, social and institutional innovations, and cutting-edge thinking around public administration and governance, strategic design and digital transformation. A cross-cutting theme throughout the MPA is new economic thinking and systems approaches needed for tackling key 21st century challenges.

Not only will you be studying course content that matters both to your future career and to tackling the grand challenges of the 21st century, but you will also gain access to an active and growing alumni network, exchanging knowledge and skills with like-minded individuals from across the globe who are experienced in the realms of public policy, organisational and institutional innovation, and strategic design and digital transformation of public services.

The foundation of your career

100% of UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose graduates were in highly skilled work 15 months after graduation (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-21).

Top industry sectors for UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose graduates are scientific research, development and analysis (50% of graduates); consultancy (17%); and policy and government (17%) (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-21).

Example jobs:

• Economist
• Statistician
• Social and humanities scientist
• Business and research professional
• Business manager/director

Example employers:

• Canadian Government
• Centre for Local Economic Strategies
• Chambers and Partners
• City of London Corporation
• Urban Renewal Authority
• Local and district councils
• Digital Catapult
• PPL
• Cabinet Office
• Centre for Public Impact
• Financial Times
• HM Revenue & Customs
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• OECD

Many public sector organisations, policy think tanks and other policy analysis organisations, NGOs and large private organisations are looking for employees who are well-versed and skilled in new ways of justifying, evaluating and implementing public policies, and the Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value MPA is structured in a way that responds to the changing demands of these organisations.

With a unique set of skills, including analysis, leadership, public policy, organisational and institutional innovation, new models of innovation policy (mission-oriented innovation), and strategic design and digital transformation of public services, our graduates are sought after for their knowledge and new thinking on public sector innovation and innovation policy, as well as for their connection to globally recognised policy work of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.

Graduates of the Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value MPA have gone on to exciting work at all levels of government, both in the UK and abroad, as well as important roles in international organisations. Our alumni now work everywhere from international organisations such as the OECD to in local governments such as London’s Camden and Hackney; at globally leading innovation agencies such as Vinnova in Sweden, cutting-edge digital agencies such as UK’s Central Digital and Data Office, and at leading private firms such as Public Digital.

Employability
The world is facing pressing challenges — social, technological and economic. What is the future of the welfare state? How can digital platforms be governed in democratic and inclusive ways? What new forms of investment, regulation and collaboration can best tackle global warming?

The answers to these questions require public and private organisations to collaborate in new ways and become more purpose driven. In this context, governments require different tools and capabilities to co-create and co-shape markets, not just fix market failures. The Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value MPA teaches the competencies, capabilities and leadership skills needed for purpose-driven organisations in all sectors and cultivates leaders who co-design growth that is innovation-led, sustainable and inclusive.

Core modules have been designed so that you will be encouraged to take a wide view of the threats to systems change, and the role of a broad range of policy actors, organisations and institutions. You will also be encouraged to understand innovation dynamics in different country contexts, according to context-specific challenges and opportunities for innovation. To complement this, our curriculum will also develop your stakeholder management skills, teaching you about negotiation theory and how to creatively influence organisations to become more flexible, adaptable and willing to experiment.

As the transformation of policy and systems has a significant practice component, core learning on the MPA also offers practice-based seminars allowing you to apply the tools and thinking introduced in lectures. Taking the application of theory to practice one step further, we offer you the opportunity to undertake a research-based policy analysis thesis, or to undertake a placement where you can apply new ways of thinking from your studies to real-world challenges in the UK and around the globe.

In addition to the core UCL Careers provision, as a student affiliated with The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment you will have access to a mix of faculty-wide and department-specific support and activities to bolster your career development. Open across the Faculty, this includes a programme of lively industry panel discussions and interactive workshops, spotlighting the key sectors graduates typically venture into such as construction, consultancy, commercial property and urban planning and development.

Additionally, The Bartlett’s Building a Better Future Consultancy Project will give you a unique opportunity to collaborate in a multidisciplinary team to tackle a real world challenge the built environment is grappling with, equipping you with the in-demand skills sought after by employers. Featured organisations in this programme include global consultancies such as BuroHappold, Hoare Lea, AtkinsRealis to burgeoning start-ups and SMEs as well as local councils and not-for-profit organisations such as C40 Cities, Greater London Authority and London authorities.

On a departmental level, students will receive a bespoke provision of practical workshops led by experienced Career Consultants that cover crucial topics of your career planning such as developing your networking skills and how to successfully navigate the job search.

Ultimately, our students graduate from the Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value MPA understanding the theories that shape current practice and with the tools to re-imagine the role of the state.

Networking
Gain exclusive opportunities to network with a wide range of organisations within the United Kingdom and around the globe. Many of your peers will already be working in the public sector, while the Institute’s academics regularly advise local, national and international governments and organisations. We collaborate with governments globally, from the highest political levels to service delivery organisations, helping them to rethink the way they work to tackle the challenges they face. You will have the chance to get involved in our applied research and learning projects, embed in a policy organisation during the flagship placement programme in Term 3, and access a vibrant alumni network.

Each year we also host alumni sessions in London where you can meet with alumni and build on the growing network of policy makers around the globe educated at the UCL Institute of Innovation and Public Purpose.