Public Policy Research MSc

**The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2024). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.** <br/><br/>The MSc in Public Policy Research is a one-year taught degree course that offers an outstanding education on how to conduct robust, applied and impactful research that informs and influences public policy.<br/><br/>The MSc will give you a keen understanding of the relationship between research evidence and other major influences on the public policy process, such as ideologies and institutions; you will be able to design and undertake a range of policy-relevant research methods to the highest standards; and you will be skilled in effectively communicating research findings to a wide range of audiences including policymakers and the general public.<br/><br/>The curriculum for the course is delivered in-person. Teaching styles vary and include lectures, seminars, tutorials, student presentations, or workshops across three terms.<br/><br/>The curriculum may vary from year to year. The below lists the curriculum that has been offered recently:<br/><br/><br/>- Theories and Approaches in Public Policy Research<br/><br/><br/>- Research in a Public Policy Context<br/><br/><br/>- Research Design<br/><br/><br/>- Statistics for Public Policy<br/><br/><br/>- Qualitative Methods for Public Policy Research<br/><br/><br/>- Thesis Development Seminars<br/><br/><br/>- Option module<br/><br/><br/>- Thesis.<br/><br/><br/>In the first two terms, foundational modules including Theories and Approaches in Public Policy Research, and Research in a Public Policy Context will enable you to learn how concepts and theories help researchers to identify and define public policy problems.<br/><br/>As the Blavatnik School of Government is committed to research with impact and is home to researchers engaging in profoundly independent and academically vigorous research relevant to the world’s most pressing policy issues, you will learn from and work with world-class researchers, through those modules, to generate applied research questions and hypotheses that can be tested empirically to tackle real-world problems and communicate robust research and data that informs policy designs and implementation.<br/><br/>You will begin working on your thesis, initially focusing on the development of a research proposal, on an applied public policy problem.<br/><br/>You will also take courses in Research Design and Methods, incorporating:<br/><br/><br/>- Research Design<br/><br/><br/>- Statistics for Public Policy<br/><br/><br/>- Qualitative Methods for Public Policy Research.<br/><br/><br/>In the third term, you will take an option module that enables you to explore in depth a particular public policy topic of your choice, selected from the wide range of option modules that are offered each year to students on the Blavatnik Schools Master of Public Policy. <br/><br/>Finally, you will write a thesis and produce an accompanying research brief that distils insights from the research for decision-makers in government. <br/><br/>Public Policy 1+1 programme<br/>You may also opt to apply for the Master of Public Policy (MPP) at the same time as applying for the MSc in Public Policy Research as part of the Public Policy 1+1 programme. This two-year programme enables you to be accepted onto both degrees at the same time.<br/><br/>**For the full description, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas**