MPhil in Digital Policy

Applicants can apply to study either full-time (FT): 9 months or part-time (PT): 18 months. The admit term for both modes of study is Michaelmas Term (October) each year.

Aims

This course is aimed at policy and technology professionals in the UK and overseas, who have embarked on or are embarking on a relevant policy and technology industry career, and who want to develop their career in digital policy. It will:

• Provide students with a thorough grounding in the process of policy making, as well as an understanding of the knowledge and approaches needed to be effective in the relevant technical domains
• Build a foundation to analyse the economics of digital platforms critically, evaluate the role of data and algorithms in markets and government, and design and assess policy for the digital economy.
• Equip students with advanced theoretical and empirical frameworks for systemic thinking of sovereignty and corporate power, and the emerging geopolitical order of the digital era.

Key learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will have:

• Acquired a foundational understanding of the political and technical context for policy decision.
• Developed a clear grasp of key policy issues in the digital domain, and
• Cemented basic skills in the use of data and data science (including R/Python).

They will also have the knowledge and understanding of how to:

• Demonstrate a critical awareness of digital policy issues from a range of different disciplinary perspectives.
• Integrate different forms of thinking, including qualitative and quantitative modes of thought in the creation of original research.
• Have a conceptual understanding of the implications of complexity, risk, and uncertainty in policy making in a technically complex and rapidly changing area.
• Apply complex theoretical frameworks of political economy to diagnose real-world digital governance failures and successes, distinguishing between technical and political root causes.
• Analyse evidence to design proportionate policy interventions with assessment of their potential consequences on innovation and investment.
• Design and evaluate national digital/AI strategies, translating concepts of Digital Public Infrastructure and Algorithmic Governance into concrete, evidence-based policy roadmaps.
• Navigate the conflicting incentives of states, corporations, and civil society by simulating multi-stakeholder negotiations, identifying viable compromises between public interest, market innovation, and national security.
• Translate technical complexity into political analysis, communicating the societal implications of emerging technologies clearly to non-technical policymakers and stakeholders.

After completing the course, students can expect to have developed:

• Communication skills including preparation of specialist policy briefings and reports.
• The ability to obtain and synthesise relevant information and communicate these to different audiences.
• The ability to autonomously judge sources of data and information.
• Strategic thinking in decision making for complex issues.
• Critical reasoning and independence of mind.
• Teamwork skills for use in professional environments.
• The ability to evaluate the quality and importance of the arguments of a range of different policy experts and analysts.
• Regulatory and policy literacy related to digital and AI governance and be able to argue for the appropriate tool based on market evidence.
• The capacity to act as an intellectual bridge between technical specialists and policymakers, effectively communicating the political implications of complex technologies (such as AI or DPI) to non-technical audiences.
• A sharpened analytical lens for identifying and evaluating systemic risks in digital and AI infrastructure, moving beyond immediate crises to understand long-term dependencies in the global political economy.
• The confidence to operate within the ambiguity of emerging technologies, equipping them for high-level roles in civil service, international organisations, or tech policy advocacy.

Learn how to apply for the MPhil in Digital Policy in this session with Prof Diane Coyle, Programme Director, recorded on 4 November during the University of Cambridge’s Virtual Postgraduate Open Days 2025.

Enquiries can be directed to the MPhil in Digital Policy Course Coordinator: admissions@bennettschool.cam.ac.uk