MSc Technology Policy & Management

Program Overview

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Why this course?

Strathclyde’s MSc in Technology Policy & Management will provide you with the context and skills to operate at the nexus of the public and private sectors. With innovation as the central thread running through your studies, you'll gain a repertoire of frameworks and tools that will enable you to formulate, contribute to and analyse the complex dynamics of technology policy and industrial strategy.

Through learning with our world-leading faculty and our networks of practitioners, Technology Policy & Management will equip you with a thorough theoretical grounding as well as a practice-based understanding of technology policy formulation, analysis and management.

Technology Policy & Management is a truly interdisciplinary programme that draws on the academic expertise of all four faculties at the University of Strathclyde:

Strathclyde Business School

Faculty of Engineering

Faculty of Science

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

This enables you to develop a multidisciplinary perspective that will prepare you well for a wide range of boundary-spanning careers in a variety of contexts relevant to technology policy and management.

The University of Strathclyde is embedded in, and an integral part of, the Glasgow City Innovation District. The District is home to global innovative companies and organisations that have located in Glasgow to nurture and accelerate growth, improve productivity, and access world-class research and technology from the University.

Technology Policy & Management has been uniquely designed to closely align with Glasgow City Innovation District, offering you access to, and engagement with, the wide range of organisations in this rapidly growing business community. This engagement will be realised in your studies via live case studies, projects and guest lectures from our partners, offering you a truly experiential year.

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What you’ll study

This interdisciplinary, blended learning programme will combine intensive, modular blocks of teaching with weekly lectures and tutorials, and online learning. The blend of learning formats is designed to cater to different learning styles and to provide you with greater flexibility and control over your learning journey.

The course includes a cross-cutting interdisciplinary module called Becoming an Effective Technology Analyst, which will run across both semesters. You'll work individually or in small groups on live case studies/consultancy projects provided by organisations based in Glasgow City Innovation District. This will enable you to develop and apply the practical skills required of a technology analyst/practitioner across a range of themes linked to the course.

In addition, you'll develop transferable cognitive and meta-skills required to be effective technology and innovation practitioners that will improve your employability prospects. These include, but are not limited to, critical thinking, creativity, being able to see multiple perspectives, individual and collective or collaborative leadership, resilience and so on.

A distinctive feature of the programme during the second semester includes the opportunity to choose a 20 credit elective, Hacking for Ministry of Defence (20 credits).

Hacking for Ministry of Defence will require you to work in teams on real problems specific to the defence sector and intelligence community whilst simulating what entrepreneurs are likely to experience in a new startup.

Note, that for this elective to run, there must be sufficient numbers of students enrolled to form teams. The ability to run or participate in this module may also depend on external factors beyond the university’s control.

Alternatively, you will be able to complete two 10 credit electives to achieve the necessary number of credits to complete the course:

Communicating Policy (10 Credits)

Strategy, Analysis & Evaluation (10 Credits)

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Learning objectives

At the end of the programme you will have gained:

a systematic understanding and knowledge of technology and innovation policy and broader management concepts

a critical awareness of contemporary and pervasive issues in the academic literature and professional practice in the areas of technology policy, innovation and strategic management

the ability to evaluate and apply a range of research techniques, frameworks and tools to create and interpret knowledge in Technology Policy & Management

the ability to critically evaluate and analyse academic and professional research publications, case studies and press releases relevant to Technology Policy & Management

the ability to undertake original research in a subject area of your choice relevant to Technology Policy & Management

transferable employability skills, including teamwork, leadership, communication, negotiation, conflict resolution and presentation skills

Program Outline

Course content

All modules during Semester One are mandatory. Semester Two consists of mandatory as well as elective classes. Classes will be taught in a series of blended formats including block teaching, weekly sessions and online learning.

Semester 1

Semester 1 & 2

Semester 2

Semester 3

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Systems thinking and Modelling (10 credits)

The objective of this module is to introduce participants to the theories and principles behind the discipline of Systems Thinking. Participants will study the methods, tools and techniques for modelling, analysing, improving and designing systems in a variety of organisations, including industrial, commercial and public sector.

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Policy Analysis (10 credits)

Technology and more broadly science need to be funnelled into policymaking whilst technological innovations require a certain extent of social control for limiting unintended consequences. This class draws on the literature on science and policy to explore these two perspectives. Students will also learn how governments control technologies (and more broadly science) both in policymaking and in the market.

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Regulation, concepts and practices (10 credits)

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the concepts, theories, institutions, and processes of regulatory governance. Students will develop the analytical tools required to understand the interactions between actors and institutions that form contemporary governance systems. Students will also explore the transnational and international dimensions of regulatory governance and further learn how to analyse the development of regulatory solutions and their (unintended) consequences.

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Systems Engineering Concepts (10 credits)

This module will enable participants to understand the principles and techniques of Systems Engineering.  Participants will learn how to apply systems engineering techniques in engineering contexts, taking into account a range of regulatory requirements as well as commercial and industrial constraints.

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Big Data Fundamentals (10 credits)

This module will enable students to gain an understanding of the new challenges posed by the advent for big data, as they refer to its modelling, storage, and access. They will also gain an understanding of the key algorithms and techniques, which are embodied in data analytics solutions.

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Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues for the Information Society (10 credits)

This module will enable students to develop a critical awareness of the legal, social, ethical and professional issues commensurate with the practice of Information Systems Engineering and modern data management.

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Becoming an Effective Technology Analyst (20 credits)

This cross-cutting module will provide students with the opportunity to undertake a series of mini-projects and/or live case studies linked to the thematic content covered during the year with a view to enhancing the practice-based element of the course.

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Management of Innovation (10 credits)

The central focus of this course is innovation implementation rather than innovation formulation. Drawing on research insights from the fields of strategy, management control, innovation, technology and innovation and organisational behaviour, it aims to provide students with the concepts, frameworks, and tools to gain an “execution advantage” while innovating.

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Business Analysis (10 credits)

This module will provide students with the tools and techniques for the effective analysis and design of business information systems to enable them to understand and critically assess their respective advantages, disadvantages and applicability.

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Exploring the International Business Environment (10 credits)

This class aims to help students understand and become comfortable with the inherent ambiguity and uncertainty in the contextual (or macro) environment in which all organisations operate and over which they have no control. Students will also learn the skills of scenario planning.

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Making Strategy (10 credits)

Making Strategy is designed to explore the issues in seeking to develop inside-out strategies. The class addresses the issues facing a group of strategy stakeholders, such as a management team, using their experience, wisdom, and expertise in exploring and making strategy.

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Electives

When choosing electives, there are two routes available.

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Route 1

Students have a choice of completing one 20 credit elective: Hacking for Defence (20 credits).

Note:

this elective requires students to work in groups and can only run if sufficient numbers of students enrol on the module to form teams.

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Route 2

Alternatively, students can complete two 10 credit electives:

Communicating Policy (10 credits)

Strategy, Analysis and Evaluation (10 credits)

Note:

both electives under Route 2 have to be completed to attain the required number of credits to proceed to the dissertation.

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Hacking for Ministry of Defence (20 credits)

This elective simulates the experience of entrepreneurs setting up a new startup. Students will learn and apply a lean startup methodology as they work in teams on real technology and/or policy-related problems specific to the defence sector and intelligence community.

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Communicating Policy (10 credits)

This class is designed to equip students with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to communicate research to politicians. It examines how the policy process works across different levels of government, and how to approach and not approach politicians in order to communicate effectively and have influence and impact.

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Strategic Analysis and Evaluation (10 credits)

This module aims to develop students’ ability to work as managers within complex, dynamic and systematically interwoven organisational environments by providing them with structured opportunities to explore and understand the major management and economic theories, alongside the language of strategy and strategic management.

During the final semester, students are given the option to choose two routes of study for their final piece of assessment.

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Dissertation (40 credits)

The MSc dissertation is assessed by means of an academic or practice-based project, which is prepared and submitted at the end of the third semester.

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Learning & teaching

Teaching approaches will include a mixture of face-to-face interactive lectures, tutorials, seminars and workshops using a range of modern delivery methods including the university’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Individual and group-led learning approaches are incorporated throughout the programme and students will be exposed to experiential and reflective approaches to cater to different learning styles. Case-studies and mini consulting projects are a mainstay of the programme to help students acquire and apply practical skills (know-how) alongside the theoretical/conceptual understanding (know-why) of the topics studied.

Class materials are provided in soft copy and available via myPlace for students to gain access to in their own time.

The MSc dissertation is assessed by means of an academic or practice-based project, which is prepared and submitted at the end of the third semester.

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Assessment

A variety of assessment methods will be used across the programme to equip students for their future work environments. These will include written examinations, individual and group reports, oral presentations and moderated peer assessments. Both formative and summative approaches will be used in order to help students monitor their own learning and academic performance.

Meet our experts

Students who take this course can analyse the complex relationships between technology and society. This makes them greatly demanded in both social as well as technical roles, and well able to fulfil responsibilities in both the public as well as private sector.

Scott Cunningham

Programme Leader

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