Online Courses

UNU-MERIT offers a range of online and blended courses for working professionals keen to expand their expertise in public policy.

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Our online courses equip professionals with a powerful blend of theoretical foundations, practical tools, technical expertise, and sector-specific knowledge enabling participants to translate policy theory into effective practice.

Designed with a strong focus on policy design, policy analysis, and the methodologies of evidence-based policy research, these programmes deliver critical skills that are often difficult to access while in full-time employment.

To ensure flexibility, we offer a variety of formats: single online courses, certificate programmes, and blended learning options. For organisations or individuals with specific learning objectives, we also provide bespoke online course packages tailored to your needs.

Application & start dates - academic year 2025-2026

Course name Start datesApplication deadlines
Governance in Theory and Practice21 Sep 2026
19 Jan 2027
7 Sep 2026
5 Jan 2027
Public Policy Process14 Jan 2026
6 May 2026
5 Oct 2026
31 Dec 2025
22 Apr 2026
21 Sep 2026
Public Policy Analysis14 Jan 2026
6 May 2026
5 Oct 2026
31 Dec 2025
22 Apr 2026
21 Sep 2026
Introduction to Impact Evaluation of Policies and Programmes9 Mar 2026
14 Sep 2026
2 Nov 2026
23 Feb 2026
31 Aug 2026
19 Oct 2026
Impact Evaluation of Policies and Programmes: Estimation and Analysis of Casual Impacts12 Jan 2026
13 April 2026
26 Oct 2026
29 Dec 2025
30 Mar 2026
12 Oct 2026
Introduction to Migration Studies9 Feb 2026
15 Sep 2026
26 Jan 2026
1 Sep 2026
How to Communicate Research through Policy Briefs19 Jan 2026
5 Oct 2026
5 Jan 2026
21 Sep 2026
Literature Synthesis and Intelligence with Litoscope: 
Advancing Research Through Data-Driven Structured Literature Reviews
5 Oct 2026
19 Jan 2027
21 Sep 2026
5 Jan 2027

Our Online Courses

Capacity Development Office - Online course

Governance in Theory and Practice

This course introduces the wider multidisciplinary study of governance and offers diverse literature and methodological approaches.

Capacity Development Office - Online course

Introduction to Impact Evaluation of Policies and Programmes

A course instructing the methodologies required to conduct a rigorous impact evaluation of a development policy, programme, or intervention.

Capacity Development Office - Online course

Impact Evaluation of Policies and Programmes: Estimation and Analysis of Causal Impacts

This course builds upon the impact evaluation course and provides a hands-on approach to estimating and analysing causal impacts

Capacity Development Office - Online course

Introduction to Migration Studies

Over eight the course will cover important terms, concepts, definitions, data and flows related to migration studies.

Capacity Development Office - Online course

Public Policy Analysis

This course will be introduced to the fundamentals of public policy analysis in developed and developing settings.

Capacity Development Office - Online course

The Public Policy Process

This course provides a critical analytic and descriptive framework to analyse the different aspects of the policy process.

Capacity Development Office - Online course

Certificate Programme: Governance and Policy Evaluation

This certificate programme is a bundle of three online courses.

Capacity Development Office - Online course

How to Communicate Research through Policy Briefs

Participants will learn to transform their research into informative policy briefs, identify their target audience, and plan effective dissemination

Capacity Development Office - Online course

Structured Literature Reviews with Litoscope

This course provides an in-depth understanding of conducting structured academic and/or policy literature reviews utilizing modern digital tools

Application Process

You can apply for each course by using the online application form.

During the application process, you will need to upload the following documents:   

  • Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
  • A copy of your (valid) passport (PDF or JPEG)

After completing the application, you will receive a confirmation email along with the payment information. Once we receive the payment, we will register you as a participant for the course, and the Online Courses Administration Team will contact you. The administrative process typically takes an average of 5-10 working days.   

If you have any questions regarding the application documents or the application process or if there are any clarifications you need before applying, please feel free to reach out to the Capacity Development Office at the email address: onlinecourses@merit.unu.edu

Registration and Payment

https://www.aanmelder.nl/173049/subscribe

In case you cannot pay by online transfer, please send an email to onlinecourses@merit.unu.edu including your name, your preferred course and starting date. We will send you bank transfer information, and we will only register you upon receiving a bank transfer. This process will take longer to complete. 

Please note that we are unfortunately not able to provide scholarships or tuition fee waivers for the online courses.