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The 10 Policy Streams of the Masters
Virtual Graduate Open House day – 17 October 2026
Interested in joining a master’s programme at Sciences Po? Come and discover our 30+ master’s programmes across our eight professional schools, as well as the admissions process. Speak with our deans, academic coordinators and students, as well as our admissions teams.
WHAT IS A POLICY STREAM?
At the School of Public Affairs, students choose a Master in Public Policy or Master in European Affairs, together with a policy stream, either as part of a standard two-year Master’s programme or a dual-degree programme.
A policy stream comprises five to seven core courses, depending on the programme, spread across the two years of the Master’s degree. These courses provide an additional foundation in a specific academic discipline, a cross-cutting public policy issue or a particular area of public action.
The policy stream enables students to deepen their knowledge and develop professional expertise in their chosen field.
WHAT POLICY STREAMS ARE AVAILABLE?
The School of Public Affairs offers 10 policy streams.
Policy Streams taught in French
The following policy-streams are available in French to candidates applying to both the Master in Public Policy and the Master in European Affairs:
Policy Streams taught in English
Candidates applying to the Master in Public Policy and the Master in European Affairs may also choose an English-taught policy-stream from the following:
- Social and Health Policies (NEW)
- Politics and Public Policy
- Economics and Public Policy
- Digital, New Technology and Public Policy
- Cultural Policy and Management
- Energy, Environment and Sustainability
Please note: the Europe in the World policy-stream is only open to candidates applying to the Master in European Affairs.
HOW SHOULD I CHOOSE A POLICY STREAM?
Policy streams are designed to deepen students’ understanding of public action and how public policies are developed and implemented. They offer different ways of approaching public affairs:
- Through an academic discipline, such as economics or political science;
- Through a cross-cutting public policy challenge, such as energy and the environment or digital transformation;
- Through a specific area of public action, such as public administration, security and defence, or education, research, social and health policies.
These disciplinary, cross-cutting and sector-specific approaches enable students to develop in-depth knowledge and professional expertise in their chosen field.
Each semester, students can also choose elective courses related to their policy stream or explore other approaches and areas of public action, allowing them to broaden and personalise their academic pathway.
WHAT CAREERS CAN POLICY STREAMS LEAD TO?
The knowledge and skills acquired through the Master’s programme, policy stream and elective courses provide a strong foundation for a wide range of careers. They are further strengthened by the professional experience students gain through internships and apprenticeship programmes during their studies.
Career opportunities span the full spectrum of public affairs, from policy design and analysis to implementation and management, across a wide variety of organisations and professional environments: cultural institutions, a social innovation consultancy firms, local environmental agencies, digital transformation consulting firms, NGOs, international organisations, start-ups, etc.
