Teaching & modules
Modules
Required Modules
You are required to take the following modules:
- Key Concepts in Contemporary Political Economy (30 credits)
- Dissertation (60 credits)
If you are taking the part-time course, you will usually take Key Concepts in Contemporary Political Economy during the first year of your programme and the dissertation during the second year.
Optional Modules
You will take an additional 90 credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:
- Evaluating Public Policy (15 credits)
- Liberty, Equality & Justice: Political Theory and Public Policy (15 credits)
- Media, Elections and Campaigning (15 credits)
- The Political Economy of Corruption (15 credits)
- Gender, Politics and Public Policy (15 credits)
- New Political Economy of the Media (15 credits)
- Causal Inference (15 credits)
- Ethics and Public Policy (15 credits)
- Business and Politics (15 credits)
- Comparative Political Economy (15 credits)
- Quantitative Methods in Political Economy (15 credits)
- The Political Economy of Organised Crime (15 credits)
- Institutions and Economic Development (15 credits)
- Political Economy of Discrimination (15 credits)
- Cities and Social Transformation in The Middle East (15 credits)
- Experimental Economics (15 credits)
- Climate Change Economics and Policy (15 credits)
- Climate policy and global energy transitions (15 credits)
- The Political Effects of Extreme Weather Events (15 credits)
- Policymaking in Non-Democracies (15 credits)
- Parties, Voters and Political Culture in Britain, 1945-2010 (15 credits)
- Democracy in the United Kingdom (15 credits)
- Theories of Politics (15 credits)
- Britain and Europe Since 1945 (15 credits)
- Election Campaigning Public Opinion and Politics in Britain (15 credits)
- No 10 the Cabinet and UK central government: leadership and coordination (15 credits)
- People protest and mobilisation: Exploring Social Movement Theory (15 credits)
- Political Economy of Authoritarianism in the Middle East (15 credits)
- Development Economics
- Using Economics in Government
- Topics in Applied Microeconomics (15 credits)
- The Law and Politics of Economic Regulation (15 credits)
- The Political Economy of Gender: Democracies and Elections (15 credits)
- Constitutional Political Economy (15 credits)
- Managing the UK economy: Fiscal and monetary policy since 1945 (15 credits)
- Political Economy of Violence (15 credits)
- Internship module (15 credits)
- Anglo-American Relations Since 1945 (15 credits)
- Islam, Politics and Society (15 credits)
If you are taking the part-time course, the Department will allow you to select how many optional modules you wish to take during Year 1 and during Year 2.
Students may take a maximum of 30 out of the 90 optional credits from level 7 modules outside of their programme’s approved module list, subject to approval by the Programme Director.
Teaching methods - what to expect
We use lectures, seminars, and group tutorials to deliver most of the modules on the course. You will also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study.
At King’s, all students on a taught programme are allocated a personal tutor who will play a key role in helping you to get the most out of your studies, providing support and encouragement for your time at university.
Personal tutors provide you with the opportunity to periodically take stock of your learning, academic progress, and general wellbeing as you progress through your studies, offering guidance on how to seek further support if you need it, and how to access the range of opportunities available to you as a King’s student.
We offer some pre-sessional training for 1 week before the term begins to update students’ knowledge.
|
Module |
Lectures, seminars and feedback |
Self-study |
|
Per 15-credit taught module |
The total contact time for each 15-credit taught module is 20 hours. |
Each 15-credit taught module has 130 hours of self-guided learning time. |
|
Dissertation module |
A set of dissertation workshops plus one-to-one dissertation consultations. |
592 hours self-study and project work. |
Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.
Assessment
- Coursework
- Written/practical examinations
- Assessed Essays
- Presentations
Your performance will be assessed through a combination of coursework and written/practical examinations. Forms of assessment may typically include written examinations, coursework, assessed essays and presentations. You may also benefit from some informal assessment during individual modules to help steer your studies and enhance your learning.
Application closing date guidance
Key Information
Course type:
Master's
Delivery mode:
In person
Study mode:
Full time / Part time
Duration:
One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2026