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The introduction of a master's in public policy at the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government ("Candidates, follow our curriculum and prepare for global government", 11 October) is undoubtedly a welcome development in the provision of postgraduate education in our field in the UK. The pressing social and economic challenges we face mean that nurturing high-quality public policy analysts with a truly global perspective is a task of the utmost importance.

However, I would like to correct one point of fact: Oxford and the University of Edinburgh are not the only ones to offer MPP programmes in the UK. Here at the University of Bristol we launched our one-year MPP in 2003. Its guiding principle is that understanding today's key public policy issues requires a critical global perspective. Just last week I had the pleasure of welcoming this year's cohort of 50 students who have joined us from a dozen countries across the globe.

Alex Marsh, Head of the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol