Master of Arts (MA) in Social Policy

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Master of Arts (MA) in Social Policy

With the introduction of the MA Social Policy programme in 2008, CSPS signalled a shift from a purely research-focused organization to also building the capacity of social policy practitioners and academics. Graduates of this programme are equipped with skills for critical analysis of social policy and to design relevant social development interventions.

APPLY NOW for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Visit the website of the School of Graduate Studies for admission requirements, and application instructions.

APPLY through the online portal.

The submission DEADLINE for online applications has been EXTENDED to 15th August 2025

Key Facts

Start date
Application deadline	15th August 2025
Duration	Two semesters
Annual intake	2021/2022 - 5 students 2022/2023 - 5 students 2023/2024 - 5 students 2024/2025 - 8 students
Minimum entry requirement	Second-class lower or better in any discipline
Location and format	University of Ghana, Legon Campus (in-person classes)

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirements for MA Social Policy is a lower second-class degree or equivalent in any discipline.

Competition for places at CSPS is high. Meeting the minimum entry requirement does not guarantee you an offer of admission; candidates must also pass an entrance examination and interview.

Find out more about post-graduate admissions here.

Fees and Funding

The MA in Social Policy is a fee-paying programme.

Find out more about fees at the College of Humanities here.

Programme structure and courses

The MA Social Policy is a two-semester programme that offers a maximum of five (5) courses, both core and elective, each semester.

Lectures for all courses are delivered through slide presentations, interactive discussions and group work.

Courses

Semester 1	Core	Electives
	Seminar	Social Mobilization and Volunteerism
	Research Methods	Special Issues in Vulnerability
	Human Rights and Human Development
	Public Policy Analysis
	Theoretical Perspectives in Social Policy
Semester 2	Economics of Social Policy	Child Rights and Protection
	Managing Social Conflicts and Consensus Building	Decentralization and Social Policy
	Social Protection in Practice
	Gender and other Social Diversity Issues
	Practical Training
	Dissertation

Fieldwork

Each year, MA Social Policy students undertake a practical fieldwork exercise after selecting a relevant policy issue of interest. Students visit some districts in Ghana for data collection and analysis. The findings of the week-long fieldwork are submitted as a report for grading.

The field exercise gives students practical training in social policy-related work and prepares them to write their individual dissertations at the end of the twelve-month programme.

Interested? Contact us for more details at csps@ug.edu.gh

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