Political Strategy and Communication - MA

University of Kent

Overview

An MA in Political Strategy and Communication engages students in the practical issues of political delivery. The areas of political communication, political leadership, strategy, crisis management, political branding, and public relations are all the leading vocational aspects of a developed academic understanding of politics and international relations, and it is an area of growing importance that distinguishes BSIS graduates as policy-relevant, engaged thinkers in the political arena.

Politics is not merely about power. Sophisticated politics involves communication, strategy and manipulation of the political agenda. Whether it be a political leader motivating people to follow, a government seeking allies for a policy in the international arena, a campaigner mobilizing supporters, or a high-priced corporate lobbyist explaining a client’s policy to legislators, all political ideas ultimately depend on them being communicated to an intended audience, with precision, efficiency and above all credibility.

What are the appropriate forms of communication for a politician? What forms of ‘spin’ can work, and which do journalists see through? What are effective ways of framing a client’s perspective for government officials, and what are the entry points in the decision-making cycle that makes their communication strategy most effective?

Brussels has emerged as the largest centre for international media, measured in the number of foreign correspondents, which has now exceeded the number in Washington DC. Brussels is also home to thousands of political lobbyists, engaged either as public relations specialists, political strategists, or corporate communications advisors. A recent study of graduates from BSIS who stay in Brussels shows that political communication is among their primary career destination.

About the Brussels School of International Studies

The University of Kent's Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS) is a specialist postgraduate centre offering advanced English language-based degrees covering the spectrum of international affairs. We host three academic schools of the University of Kent which allows students to specialise in one programme while informing their personal approach to international studies with another, via a secondary specialisation.