Program Overview

MSc International Social Welfare and Social Policy

Introduction

Do you want a career that gets to the heart of society’s problems and changes people’s lives? Gain the skills to identify key social challenges, and analyse and identify policies used to address them on this interdisciplinary Masters course.

Course Options

• 13 months full-time
• 25 months part-time

Key Facts

• Study options: 13 months full-time
• Start dates: January, September
• Location: Cambridge
• Fees:
  • £11,100 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)
  • £19,500 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

Teaching and Assessment

• Whole course: You will be assessed using methods that best allow us to assess your development throughout the course, and that relate to the kind of work you can expect to produce in your future career. These include essays, reports, case studies and debates - there are no exams in this course.
• Modules are subject to change and availability.

Core Module

• Postgraduate Research Methods
• Global Development: Policy and Practice
• Beyond Borders Intercultural Communication Welfare and Policy
• Postgraduate Project

Optional Module

• Theoretical Foundations: Critiques, Debates and Contexts
• Policing Transnational Crime
• Contemporary Debates in Sociology
• Race, Racism and Resistance in Modern Britain since the Eighteenth Century
• Intercultural Consultancy Project

Entry Requirements

• A first degree, with honours, at a minimum final classification of Lower Second (2:2) or equivalent.
• If English is not your first language you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 6.5 (Academic level) or equivalent English Language qualification, as recognised by Anglia Ruskin University.

Fees and Paying for University

• Tuition fees for UK students (2025/26): £11,100 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)
• Tuition fees for international students (2025/26): £19,500 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)
• ARU graduates may be eligible for an Alumni Scholarship and get a 20% fee discount.

Facilities

• Outstanding student support
• Award-winning learning facilities, including extensive library and IT resources
• Expert staff who will guide your research interests and career development
• Support, should you need it, with study skills, health and wellbeing, and more

Lecturers

• Claudia Schneider: Reader in Migration Studies
• Mirna Guha: Deputy Head of School
• David Skinner: Associate Professor

Careers

• The skills and knowledge you pick up on this Masters course will prepare you for a career in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) (including community organisations, charities, social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations), employment in governmental organisations and academic organisations.
• Our past graduates have gone on to work in education, poverty reduction, charities and NGOs, consultancies, and government bodies both in Britain and overseas.
• You might also choose to continue onto a research degree, such as our PhD/MPhil International Relations or PhD/MPhil Sociology.