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Course Details

MASTER OF ARTS IN PUBLIC POLICY

Degree Course Type 

Masters

Entry Level Qualification 

Graduate

Degree Course Duration 

2 Year

Course Fields 

Arts

Degree Course Entrance Exam 

CUET UG, CUET PG

Average Course Fee 

12000 - 180000 Per Year

Average Salary Offered 

300000 - 900000 Per Year

Course Highlights 

Here are Key Highlights of the Course: 

Course Level

Post-graduate

Duration of Course

2 Years

Type of Examination

Both:  Semester System Year-wise

Minimum Eligibility Criteria

Bachelor’s Degree in any course from a recognized university with at least minimum aggregate of 50% marks.

Admission Process

Based on Entrance examination Merit List

Average Annual Fees

INR 12,000 to 1,80,000 (Approx.)

Average Annual Salary

INR 3,00,000 - INR 9,00,000 per annum

Job Roles

Policy Analyst, Lobbyist, Government Analyst, Research Associate, Statistician, Chief Administrative Officer, Program Director, Assistant Professor, Public Affairs Manager, Director of Public Policy etc. 

About Course 

M.A. Public Policy is a 2-year full-time PG level programme that primarily focuses to impart knowledge amongst the students about the skills addressing economic, political, and social issues. It also aims to provide them with some management skills to resolve these issues with coherent solutions. The subjects covered under this course are law and governance, statistical and data analysis, qualitative and quantitative research, social public policy process, academic and economic writing for public policy, political philosophy, social and cultural theory along with some other subjects. In addition, students also get training in writing their dissertations.

It is mandated for students to fulfil the minimum eligibility criteria to get admission to M.A. Public policy. To be eligible, applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline from a recognized board/university with at least a minimum aggregate of 50% marks in the last qualifying examination.  

Admission to M.A. Public Policy is done either on the basis of merit lists or entrance exams conducted by the admission authorities. The admission fees for M.A. Public Policy courses vary from university to university but the average annual course fees generally range between INR 12,000 and INR 1,80,000. 

M.A. Public Policy graduates can work as a Research Associate, Policy Analyst, Government Analyst, Lobbyist, Statistician, Chief Administrative Officer, Program Director, etc. The average salary ranges between INR 3,00,000 – INR 9,00,000 per annum in top recruiting companies like ActionAid, Bennett & Coleman, Indian Revenue Services, Thornton, etc.

Why Choose Course And Required Skills 

There are many benefits of pursuing a MA Public Policy course. The main benefits of pursuing this program are as follows:

1. Various Career Options: MA degree holders get plenty of career options to choose from. The options range from pursuing a professional course like CA and CS to opting for higher education options such as M.Phil, PhD etc. 

2. Job Opportunities: After post-graduation students get the opportunity to work in sectors. Students passing this course can work in many government and private sectors, they can work in consultancies, PSUs, NGOs, and research organizations. They can work as a Policy Analyst, Lobbyist, Government Analyst, Research Associate, Statistician, Chief Administrative Officer etc.

3. Higher Salary: Due to various job profiles and job areas to choose from, you will be able to earn a decent salary package. The average salary will be around INR 3,00,000 to 9,00,000. 

4. Entrepreneurship: After completing the course many choose to be an entrepreneur. This is due to the fact that a MA postgraduate knows about consultant, finance, public policy and insurance which aids them in starting a small scale (MSME) business and work towards achieving their goal of being a successful entrepreneur.

Eligibility  

Applicants must meet the mentioned eligibility criteria to be considered for M.A. Public Policy Admission:

1. The applicant must have secured a minimum aggregate score of 50% in the 12th class from any recognized board/institution.

2. The applicant must be a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in any course with at least minimum aggregate of 50% marks secured.

3. It is mandatory to own a graduation degree from a college or university which is affiliated.

Entrance Exams Details 

There are only a few colleges which conduct an entrance examination for admission to the M.A. Public Policy course. The duration of entrance examination is of 2 to 3 hours during which the students are required to attempt objective type questions.

Degree Course Syllabus 

The M.A. Public Policy syllabus covers a theoretical and practical comprehensive and integrative curriculum which spread over the four semesters in two years. A semester-wise breakup of the M.A. Public Policy syllabus is tabulated below: 

Semester I

Semester III

Law, Governance and Institution

Administration & Public Finance

Data Analysis & Statistical

Programme Design & Evaluation

Research Methodology (Qualitative)

Pre-Dissertation Writing

Public Policy Process

Elective

Academic Writing (Workshop)

-

Public Policy Economics - I

-

Semester II

Semester IV

Public Policy Economics - II (Macro)

Dissertation & Capstone

Political Philosophy

Electives

Policy Action (Workshop)

-

Social & Cultural Theory

-

Electives

-

Top Colleges 

1. University of Lucknow

2. Mumbai University

3. Adamas University

4. OP Jindal Global University

5. MSRUAS

6. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University of Social Sciences

7. JSGP

8. Central University of Jammu

Course Fees 

Applicants can check here the list of top M.A. Public Policy Colleges in India along with their admission process, average fee (per annum) and average annual salary before choosing a college for them:

Name of Institution

Admission Process

Average Fee (per annum)

Average Annual Salary

University of Lucknow, Lucknow

Based on Entrance

INR 36,000

INR 4,38,000

Mumbai University, Mumbai

Based on Entrance

INR 34,405

INR 5,28,000

Adamas University, Kolkata

Based on Entrance

INR 1,05,100

INR 6,00,000

OP Jindal Global University, Sonepat

Based on Merit

INR 3,51,000

INR 8,78,000

MSRUAS, Bangalore

Based on Merit

INR 2,63,250

INR 7,25,000

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University of Social Sciences, Indore

Based on Merit

INR 12,000

INR 5,97,000

JSGP, Sonepat

Based on Merit

INR 2,50,000

INR 6,87,000

Central University of Jammu, Jammu

Based on Merit

INR 11,715

INR 3,52,000

Top Recruiters And Salary 

After completion of M.A. Public policy, applicants can work in both government and private sector. The top career options for M.A. Public Policy graduates are in the field of research, advocacy, monitoring, social entrepreneurship and etc. 

The top recruiting companies for M.A. Public Policy graduates are ActionAid, Bennett & Coleman, Chase India, Asian Development Research Institute, Indian Revenue Services, Grant Thornton, Dell Incorporation, MSME Foundation, Axis Foundation and etc.

Some of the popular jobs roles for M.A. Public Policy graduates along with the corresponding salaries are tabulated below: 

Job Profile

Job Description

Average Annual Salary

Policy Analyst

The job role of a Policy Analyst is to identify the issues and exploring areas for policy areas, collecting information followed by analysing that information. In addition, they also have to come up with new policies to address the existing problems of existing policies and government programs.

INR 5,87,632

Lobbyist

The primary job role of a lobbyist is to convince the legislators to opt for certain public policy of their client’s interest with the help of statistical analysis or research.

INR 6,97,218

Public Affairs Manager

Public Affairs Manager’s job role is to monitor the effects of any changes in the public policies on the company, charity, trade union, think-tank, or trade association that they work for.

INR 4,84,604

Research Associate

Research Associate are responsible for the market research and gathering that data to help their company with better marketing of their products or services. Also, to identify company’s competitors and analysing their market details.

INR 3,02,473 

Chief Administrative Officer

Chief Administrative Officer, are the top-tier executive manages responsible for supervising all the administrative, financial, and marketing-related business of any company.

INR 9,21,034


Course Scope And Career Options 

1. The candidates who have successfully completed the post-graduation course in MA Public Policy can work in government and intergovernmental organizations. 

2. The career options for these postgraduates are in the field of research, advocacy, monitoring in civil society organizations, social entrepreneurship and many more. 

3. The top hiring companies for these candidates are ActionAid, Bennett & Coleman, Chase India, Asian Development Research Institute, Indian Revenue Services, Grant Thornton, Dell Incorporation, MSME Foundation, Axis Foundation and a lot of other companies.

Admission Process 

Admissions to the M.A. Public Policy are done based on both Merit and Entrance Examinations.

1. Merit List Admission: The applicants’ admission will be on the ground of marks secured in the test. Applicants must fall under the merit list for the selection process of M.A. Public Policy Admission.

2. Entrance Exam Admission: All reputed colleges and universities conduct various entrance examinations for the candidates for the admission process in the M.A. Public Policy course within their colleges/universities.

The steps of the entrance-based admission for M.A. Public Policy are listed below: 

Step 1

Registration

Applicants have to register themselves using their valid email id and mobile number. 

Step 2

Filling up of Application Form

After creating the login id, applicants fill in the application form by providing the required information correctly.

Step 3

Uploading of Documents

Applicants have to upload the necessary documents such as photograph, signature, id proof, Class 10 and 12 certificates, Bachelor’s degree etc in the defined dimensions or size of the documents. 

Step 4

Application Fee

On uploading the required documents, applicants have to pay the requisite amount of application fee via online mode. 

Step 5

Issuing of Admit Card

Based on the details submitted by the applicants, the admission authority will issue the admit cards to the eligible candidates.

Step 6

Entrance Examination

After receiving the admit card, examination dates will be released by different conducting bodies. Applicants have to sit for the entrance test and qualify the same to get admission. 

Step 7

Declaration of Result

Admission authorities will declare the results of the entrance test they have appeared for.

Step 8

Enrolment

Qualified applicants will then be allotted seats to the respective colleges/institutes.