List of Masters Programs in Tech Policy, Public Policy and Security (Europe)

By sberg @ 2023-05-29T10:23 (+47)

We created this non-exhaustive List which was inspired and based on Konstantins personal research into Masters programmes. We expanded it with the help of others across the policy community. It was created for the 2023 cohort of fellows of the EU Tech Policy Fellowship hosted by Training for Good and includes a list of Masters in Europe, the UK and the US. 
CLICK HERE for the list. 

Limitations and Epistemic Status 

• The list is based on personal experience, research, and limited feedback from others in the community. 
• It is curated from a European perspective. Thus, the numbers and deadlines take European/EEA citizens as a reference point. Furthermore, whilst Masters from Europe, the UK and the US are listed, we have focussed on researching Masters in Europe. The latter lists are currently very incomplete. 
• It's important to emphasise that this list is not exhaustive and may not represent all options of Masters in this Field. 
• Additionally, the quality and relevance of each program may vary depending on individual needs, goals, and interests.
• Therefore, we recommended that individuals interested in pursuing a career in tech policy or policy in general conduct their own research, explore various programs, and consider multiple sources of information before making a decision! Ultimately, the decision to pursue a particular graduate program should be based on a thorough evaluation of individual goals, resources, and circumstances.

What this post is not 

This post does not outline what to study and what to aim for in choosing your Masters Degree. It is supposed to help people who have already decided that they want to pursue a Masters in Tech Policy, Security Studies or Public Policy but does not mean to imply that these are your only or even best options if you want to enter the Tech Policy field. A possibly safer and more classical approach of entering EU policy is to study basic law and economics subjects as they still hold a high standing across departments and fields in policy (See this article on “Joining the EU bubble”). This would also give you more flexible career capital than tech policy degrees. 

To elaborate on these different paths a detailed post (such this one) outlining what to aim for in your studies if you want to contribute to tech policy, would be incredibly valuable and we encourage you to write this up and share your perspective if you have spent some time thinking about this! 

Created for who?

This list is aimed at people interested in working in public policy (especially in Europe) and in tech policy with a potential to specialise in AI but only provides a very narrow selection of options. Degrees with "tech" or "AI'' related words in the name are helpful to quickly signal your relevance on these topics. Many of the Masters in this list are geared towards people with a non-technical undergraduate degree in social sciences, economics etc. Thus, it excludes many Masters on Artificial Intelligence and Tech Policy that require you to have had a Computer Sciences or technical background. We wanted to share the list to help with some of the preliminary research in choosing a Masters programme. 

The inclusion of Security Studies Masters programmes comes from the argument that it seems like a viable path from which to enter inter/national think tanks or institutions working on relevant AI policy without having technical specialisations beforehand. 

Other considerations

Besides studying in Europe, studying in the US can be a great and high-impact option since many degrees are both highly regarded in Europe as well as allowing you to potentially work in US policy. We highly encourage you to read this post on working in US policy as a foreign national and this post on masters in the US, including a database of top options as found in this post. An internal tip we’ve received is that Georgia Tech’s public policy Masters is a popular choice, offering access to a range of AI efforts, tech policy specialists, philosophers, and multiple NSF AI Institutes. Purdue University is also launching a new Masters in tech policy and politics with a focus on regulation and compliance, set to launch in fall 2024.

Typically it seems to be a good option to aim for the most prestigious universities which in the EU bubble include the College of Europe, LSE, Sciences Po, Oxbridge, and possibly Bocconi. Another classic option is to pursue a degree with a law or econ heavy focus, as these are valuable skills to have in policy. You can then still supplement your education with other credentials, such as MOOCs, to signal competence in the tech side of things. 

It remains to be said that overall when it comes to the types of backgrounds that are valued in the field, those with STEM, law, and quantitative economics degrees tend to stand out. While degrees in political science, international relations, or policy are still valuable, they may not be as competitive in the job market since they are currently overrepresented and the EU seems to be moving towards diversifying these study backgrounds and “origins” of applicants. 

In summary, choosing the right Masters program requires careful consideration of your career goals and interests. Look for programs with a strong reputation and consider supplementing your education with additional credentials or skills to make yourself stand out in a competitive job market. By taking these steps, you can be well on your way to a rewarding career in tech policy.

Invitation to edit 

As mentioned above, this is nowhere near being an exhaustive list and we’d love to receive suggestions, feedback and any other comments that can improve the content of this Airtable. Please use the Feedback Form on Airtable (Link HERE) or email us directly at sarah.fberg@gmail.com. Since we did not include economics or law degrees in our list, we’d like to encourage people to post their favourite ones in the comment section below so that we might include them. 

Get in touch. Please reach out if you are considering which masters degree would be most impactful to work in tech policy, we have a wide network of people in similar situations and might be able to connect you.