Alumni Success
Our graduates are working globally in a variety of roles. Here are some examples of what people have achieved:
- Chief Expert working in the civil service in Kazakhstan
- Political Consultant working for a public affairs company in the UK
- Director of an early education school in Canada
- Plan and Policy Analyst for the government in Thailand
- Chief Executive Officer for a research institute in Sudan
- Country Manager for non-profit in Kenya
Yilun Li’s story, MPA Public Administration 2021
Yilun has had career success since graduating in 2021. He now works for a state-owned enterprise in Beijing.
The study experience at the School of Sociology and Social Policy was impressive. I explored public administration cases with teachers and classmates from different countries. I gained a variety of perspectives. I also became good friends with many classmates. In addition, my dissertation supervisors, Simon and Ruby, gave me a lot of good advice, which made my logic more rigorous. I will never forget the help they gave me.
The degree of Master of Public Administration has also enhanced my professional competitiveness. I have joined China National Pharmaceutical Foreign Trade Corporation. This is a state-owned enterprise (SOE) in Beijing. Since we have discussed SOEs at the seminar, I can perform my current job more effectively. Overall, the MPA program has been very helpful for my career development.
Briget Tunney, MA Public Policy 2024
Bridget studied sociology at the University of Nottingham and knew she wanted to take her studies further in this area. Before she’s even graduated she’s secured a job working for the NHS.
What I enjoyed most about this course is the interaction that you have with lecturers and tutors, there is an excellent team of staff on this course who are supportive and engaging. I've also made some great friends.
I was able to take part in the Nottingham Advantage Award scheme where I took part in a placement with The Ann Craft Trust, a safeguarding NGO. I worked on media and marketing for the organisation, and I even got to create a podcast Rugby Minds - Creating Safer Cultures in University Rugby.
My favourite module has been economics and policy analysis, this is because I was apprehensive at first, being a sociology graduate to then studying economics, but the content was perfectly set up for learning basic economics from scratch, and the seminars were interactive.
I have recently been enrolled onto the NHS Supply chain graduate programme. This job will involve procurement, inventory management, contract management and I will be working towards a level 4 CIPS qualification.
The public policy degree provided me with a great deal of knowledge on the NHS and how they work within the public sector, this helped me feel confident going into my interviews. I feel that this degree enhanced my employability massively, as being able to time manage a masters degree boosted my CV and I received a few interview opportunities for public sector roles due to the expertise that this degree provides.
Vuthika Hang's story, MA Public Policy 2016
Graduate Vuthika has already had a long and successful career as a Deputy Director General for the Ministry of Economy and Finance for the last five years. They tell us of their challenges and fondest memories of studying at Nottingham.
Studying at Nottingham was the right choice for the career I wanted to get into. The time spent interacting with the students, and especially the professors was special to me. I was able to learn from them but also allowed me to improve my cognitive thinking, and the ability to frame my written work. It was useful when I returned to work as I dealt with lots of writing in my role.
My biggest obstacle was the ability to frame an argument in a second language. However, upon reflection and feedback, I was able to improve and did well in my assignments, especially the dissertation.
Currently, as a Deputy Director General, I am responsible for the preparation of the legal and regulatory frameworks for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) management in Cambodia. This includes the law on PPPs, the standard operating procedures for PPP projects, capacity-building development plans, and regulatory matters of the PPP program. In addition, I oversee and supervise the Department of Project Development.
The degree from Nottingham is well recognised and reputable and the skills I’ve gained on the course, have certainly contributed to my career success and attributions.
Nariman Elgendy's story, MPA Public Administration 2022
Alumna Nariman is thriving since graduating from the MPA. She works at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Doha as an Associate Programme Officer. She tells us about her experience studying at Nottingham.
I chose to study the MPA because I wanted to advance my career, and open doors to higher-level positions in government, non-profit organisations, and international agencies. I wanted to equip my professional experience with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in roles such as policy analysis, program management, and public service leadership.
My favourite module was Policy Analysis by Dr Steve Iafrati. The main reason I enjoyed this module apart from my passion to learn about policies, was Steve. Steve is the best mentor I have ever met. He has a special way of disseminating knowledge and engaging students in policy conversation in class. In addition, he was always supportive and open to help and provide advice outside the classroom.
I now work at the United Nations in operations. Joining the United Nations is challenging and requires not only holding a masters degree but also critical thinking skills which I largely enhanced during my study at the University of Nottingham. My postgraduate studies helped me to organise my thoughts and learn how to build my points of discussion to support my argument which helped me a lot during the interview stage.