Social Policy has been taught in the University of Edinburgh since 1918. The Subject Group is one of the most respected in the UK and amongst the front rank for the quality of its teaching and research.

The Subject Group offers a broad range of courses and postgraduate training, including taught MSc degrees in Childhood Studies,Comparative Public Policy, Policy Studies and Research in Social Policy as well as several undergraduate joint degrees.

The Social Policy Group comprises an enthusiastic and experienced teaching team of ten members of staff, three of whom hold Chairs in Family Policies, Socio-Legal Studies and Social and Public Policy, as well as several Honorary Fellows. Research and teaching in the Subject Group brings established expertise in theoretically informed empirical research to the study of social and public policies in the 21st Century.