Closing the gap in policy and data skills
Professor David A. Jaeger, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, explains why the global policy environment is demanding a different kind of graduate, and how the University of St Andrews Business School’s new Master of Public Policy (MPP) meets that need.
A global skills bottleneck
Across sectors, employers are reporting a growing challenge. In the UK, a parliamentary report found that government organisations are being held back by poor-quality data, outdated systems and limited digital capability, with 62% of public bodies saying that lack of access to good-quality data is a barrier to AI adoption, and 70% reporting difficulties recruiting and retaining staff with the necessary digital and analytical skills.
In the United States, new federal guidance on AI governance is raising expectations for data fluency and responsible AI use across agencies. Meanwhile, the 2025 High-Risk List from the U.S. Government Accountability Office highlights persistent “strategic human capital” vulnerabilities, including capability gaps in technical and evidence-driven roles.
From interpretation to analysis
For many years, public policy degrees have helped students grasp how institutions work, how research informs decisions and how to navigate complex political systems. That foundation still matters, but it’s no longer enough.
Policy-making today relies on more than interpretation. Professionals need to work directly with data, think critically about cause and effect, and explain complex findings clearly to a range of audiences. They also need to approach AI not as something mysterious or automatic, but as a powerful yet limited tool that we must use with care. These kinds of analytical skills were once the domain of economists or data scientists. Now, they are vital for anyone working in policy.
Yet most students, particularly those from non-quantitative backgrounds, are not being taught to do this work.
A programme built for today’s policy challenge
We designed the Master of Public Policy (MPP) to address this gap. It is a one-year, intensive programme, rooted in economics and delivered within the Business School. This deliberate choice reflects the need for evidence-based decision-making in both the policy world and the private sector.
The programme begins with a structured three-week foundation in coding, mathematics and econometrics, developed for students with little or no prior technical experience. Generative AI is introduced carefully, as a tool to lower the “barriers to entry” for coding. By the end of the first month, students who once described themselves as “not quantitative” are analysing data and thinking critically about policy evaluation.
Students develop skills in context, working on live client projects with partners across government, industry and the third sector. From May to August, they complete a supervised policy analysis and present their findings at a final symposium alongside academics and practitioners.
The emphasis throughout is on practical, applied learning, not abstract training in isolation.
International in scope, collaborative by nature
The MPP brings together students from around the globe, adding a diversity of expertise and perspectives that strengthen both classroom learning and client-facing work, and reflect the reality that today’s policy challenges are global, interconnected and often cross-sector.
Whether addressing climate transition, digital regulation or global health, tomorrow’s policy professionals need to work across borders, institutions and disciplines. The St Andrews MPP prepares them for that task.
Looking ahead
The world does not just need more policy thinkers. It requires professionals who can analyse rigorously, act responsibly and lead with evidence.
At the University of St Andrews Business School, we believe those skills should be accessible to students from all backgrounds, not only those with technical training. We built the MPP to open those pathways, and the Business School provides the environment for them to thrive: interdisciplinary, outward-facing and grounded in real-world relevance.
If we succeed, we will help shape a new generation of policy professionals, not only able to interpret the world, but equipped to change it with rigour, integrity and purpose. You do not need prior economics or statistics. You need intellectual ambition. We will teach you the quantitative tools modern policy demands.
To find out more about the programme and apply to join the first cohort starting in August 2026, visit the Master of Public Policy (MPP) programme page.