MA in Political Communication
Course Overview
The MA in Political Communication at LSLPE is a UK Level 7 Master's degree running one year full-time or two years part-time across on-campus, online and distance routes. The programme reads political communication as an operational craft: political messaging and framing, campaign design, media strategy, crisis communication, public affairs and lobbying. Modules trace how parties, think tanks, government press offices and public-affairs consultancies actually work in the UK.
By graduation you will have produced a Whitehall-standard media plan, drafted a full campaign concept, run a crisis-comms scenario, and completed a dissertation, capstone or sponsor consulting project of around 15,000 words for a party office, think tank, campaign or communications consultancy.
Key Features
- UK Level 7 Master's with dissertation, capstone or sponsor consulting project.
- Reading list aligned with Political Studies Association (PSA), Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and Institute for Government (IfG) publication conventions.
- Senior seminars led by tutors from public-affairs consultancies, party research offices and campaign strategy.
- Optional strands in political messaging, media strategy, and public affairs.
- Live-client sponsor projects with campaign, party or consultancy partners.
- Dissertation supervision by tutors with campaign or Whitehall press-office backgrounds.
What You Will Learn
- Design a message architecture and framing plan for a UK campaign.
- Draft a media plan for a live political initiative.
- Run a crisis-communications scenario at senior standard.
- Analyse party manifesto and speech material for rhetorical structure.
- Read polling and focus-group data for strategic implications.
- Prepare a CIPR-standard communications strategy document.
- Complete an MA-standard dissertation on political-communication practice.
- Present findings at senior-seminar standard.
Who This Course Is For
- Working communications officers in party offices, government departments and NGOs.
- Public-affairs consultants moving into strategy roles.
- Journalists moving into political-communication practice.
- Career-changers from campaign, campaigning-charity or agency backgrounds.
- International applicants preparing for senior campaign or public-affairs roles.
Career Pathways
- Political Communications Officer
- Public Affairs Consultant
- Government Relations Manager
- Political Consultant
- Election Analyst
- Public Affairs Officer
- Political Analyst
The LSLPE careers service links MA in Political Communication students with party press offices, Whitehall press services, campaign teams and City public-affairs consultancies.
Entry Requirements
- A UK Bachelor's degree (2:2 or above) or equivalent international qualification in a relevant discipline.
- IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
- Applicants without a Bachelor's degree but with 5+ years of senior professional experience in communications, campaigning or public affairs are considered on portfolio.
- One academic and one professional reference.
- A 500-word research proposal or professional practice statement.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE reads political communication inside a school where the legal drafting, political theory and economic realism sitting behind every campaign are taught alongside communication craft. The MA sits in small senior-seminar cohorts led by staff drawn from campaign strategy, public affairs and Whitehall press practice.
Central London puts Parliament, the party head offices, the leading public-affairs consultancies and the City press-services community within a short tube ride of every seminar. Three parallel study modes let senior practitioners complete the MA without leaving employment, and the careers service refreshes curriculum alignment annually against PSA and CIPR guidance.
Apply for MA in Political Communication
Places are offered on rolling intakes. Enrol on an LSLPE Master's programme, dissertation, capstone or sponsor project supervised by practising barristers, policy advisers and City economists. Enrol Now.
