Apply Now for Birkbeck’s new MSc in Political Communication
The Department of Politics at Birkbeck, University of London is pleased to announce a new MSc in Political Communication, which will welcome its first intake of students in October 2022. Providing advanced training in issues such as campaign and media effects, misinformation, comparative media systems and civic technologies, this degree can be taken full-time over one year and part-time over two years. Our evening teaching, and extensive use of digital resources, allows students to combine work and study. Students on the MSc in Political Communication will gain deep insight into the techniques and digital technologies used by governments, political parties, activists and public affairs professionals to communicate politics. In this post, we ask Dr Laszlo Horvath, who directs the new degree, what students can expect.
What is political communication? Why do we need to train students in it?
The study of political communication is interested in a range of questions surrounding the flow of information across politics, media organisations, and the citizenry. How, if at all, do campaign and media messages influence political behaviour? Does the prevalence of misinformation on social media matter, and can we correct misperceptions? Do local governments’ use of artificial intelligence in public service provision enhance or undermine local democracy? This programme will provide students with a postgraduate level understanding of critical issues in contemporary political communication such as these, and with awareness of the current techniques used by grassroots campaigns, government actors and international organisations to communicate with a wide variety of audiences. It is aimed at those who seek a deeper understanding of contemporary politics as well as those interested in a broad range of political and public affairs roles.
How does this programme draw on research at BBK?
Teaching at Birkbeck is research-led. The MSc in Political Communication draws heavily on my research and those of other faculty members. For example, I have written a chapter in the new Handbook on Politics and Public Opinion on how mobile users’ web browsing logs can be used to understand news exposure. My colleague Dr Ben Worthy has published extensively on freedom of information and is currently working on a project funded by the Leverhulme Trust about monitory democracy. Birkbeck academics have expertise in a wide range of areas including British politics, international security, global governance, European politics, political economy, gender and the environment. The Department of Politics also enjoys close links with Birkbeck’s world-leading Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies.
What can students expect from this programme?
Political communication is an interdisciplinary subject drawing on and synthesising a wide range of theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence from political science, communication and journalism, computational social sciences, human-computer interaction, and social psychology. Our curriculum reflects this diversity through two core modules: Political Communication and Digital Technology for Governance and Politics. Students choose optional modules from an extensive list covering subjects such as quantitative and qualitative methods, British politics, public policy, public management, international relations, European politics and political sociology. They can also take modules from other Birkbeck Departments, including public relations, web-based journalism and online media production.
What do Birkbeck Politics students do after graduation?
Birkbeck students go on to a variety of roles in politics and other fields. Our graduates include senior civil servants, MPs, journalists, researchers and policy-makers working in senior roles in NGOs, international organisations and academia. I’m excited to see what our first generation of MSc in Political Communication graduates goes on to achieve.
Click here to apply to the MSc in Political Communication at Birkbeck.