MPhil in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation

The MPhil is designed for students with a specific interest in understanding the effectiveness of policies, such as regulations concerning alcohol abuse or gun control, public health or poverty policies, and social interventions, such as cash transfers, parenting education, or violence prevention programs. It prepares students for a career in, for example, development, public policy, or policy and programme evaluation. Applicants with a professional background, such as those in evaluation, public health or policy consulting, will enhance their research skills and develop a major piece of research in a world-class environment.

This course aims to develop your critical analysis, problem solving and research skills in the field of evidence-based interventions and policies for social problems, which will allow you to be both a critical consumer of research and to carry out evaluations and other research designs. Your studies will consider evidence-based practice and policy in relation to, for example, children and families, poverty and inequality, mental health, refugees, drug use, violence and injury prevention, and offending.

Course structure

The MPhil has the following major components:

• pathway course, either Social Intervention or Policy Evaluation
• research methods training (Evaluation Methods, Quantitative Analysis, Qualitative Methods, Systematic Reviews)
• two specialist options, eg on Child and Family Interventions, Social Policies and Health Inequalities, Understanding and Preventing Interpersonal Violence, or Community Analysis and Large-Scale Interventions. In the second year it may be possible to select an option from Comparative Social Policy
• MPhil thesis

During the first and second terms, the majority of learning is classroom-based, complemented by independent reading, tutorials, and formative and summative assessments. The third term involves largely self-directed study for remaining summative assessments, exam/assessment revision, and further development of the MPhil thesis proposal. Additional lectures and question/answer are typically offered on an optional basis to support students in preparing for exams and/or assessments and using various methodologies for thesis projects. In subsequent terms, MPhil students follow a largely self-directed schedule based on remaining training needs/interests identified with their supervisor, enrol in a second specialist option course, and are encouraged to fully participate in regular seminars, colloquia, and research group meetings offered by the department.

Pathway course

 You will select one of two available pathways, to be taken over two terms:

• Social Intervention, covering evidence-based methods to evaluate social interventions, theories underlying interventions, ethical issues, and applying research in practice and policy, including the challenges of implementing programmes in the real world; or
• Policy Evaluation, introducing you to social policy analysis, policy formation, and the relationship between evidence and policy, and to different research methods for evaluating policies, eg quasi- experimental designs, natural experiments.

You may be able to change your choice of pathway in the first week of the course.

Core course on research methods training

Students following the social intervention or policy evaluation pathway take an evaluation methods course. This course, taken over two terms, trains students to critically consume and produce evaluation research for policies and social interventions, focusing on multiple methods, including randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised methods, and field methods, ie managing, costing and running real-world evaluations. The course has a strong focus on ‘open science’ and research transparency.

In addition, all students in the MPhil EBSIPE take the following methods courses: systematic reviews, quantitative analysis and qualitative methods

• systematic review ie finding, describing and synthesising the best available evidence, including meta-analysis and qualitative synthesis (2 terms)
• quantitative analysis ie key statistical concepts and learning statistical programming in the leading software, R (1 term)
• qualitative methods (including mixed methods) ie design, data collection, analysis and critical appraisal (1 term

MPhil students may attend advanced methods classes, such as Intermediate Statistics, in their second year. 

MPhil thesis

You will write a research thesis to acquire expert knowledge in your area of interest, to apply the research methods, and contribute to new scientific knowledge.

EBSIPE MPhil students will belong to the Centre of Evidence-based Intervention research group that gives an opportunity to explore topics around social intervention and policy evaluation in more depth. In their second year MPhil students will have the opportunity to present their thesis-project in the research group.

The department runs several seminar series during the year providing the opportunity to hear external expert speakers. In addition, there is a bi-weekly colloquium at which members of the department present and discuss their research, creating an excellent chance for staff and students to learn more about each other’s’ ideas or receive input on their own research.

The department’s research methods hub provides research students with specialist support on qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as tailored training. Through the Oxford social sciences division a range of methods-training seminars and summer schools are offered.

Attendance

Resources to support your study

MPhil students have access to the world-leading Bodleian Social Science Library, in addition to other University libraries, and the centrally provided electronic resources (giving access to the majority of academic journals published).

The department provides a computer and workspace room for masters' students and has its own IT provision and specialist IT support staff. Students are able to book meeting spaces and lecture rooms to organise study groups.

The department has a common room open to both staff and students. Barnett House Coffee Mornings are held fortnightly and these occasions provide excellent opportunities for talking to academics and research staff, and also fellow students.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Students are able to meet their potential supervisor in the first week of term. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Department of Social Policy and Intervention.

In the case of students who require specific help to adjust to an academic programme or to a new range of skills, the supervisor will work with them to ensure that they have additional support.

Assessment

Assessment will be based on your MPhil thesis. The thesis is undertaken throughout the duration of the course. You will also be assessed by a series of assessments throughout each year using a combination of examinations and/or submitted coursework assignments (summative assessments). 

Graduate destinations

Recent graduates from the MPhil have gone on to study for doctorates in a range of high quality universities. Many of the department’s graduates go on to pursue academic careers in world-leading research universities, while others hold influential positions in government, non-governmental and international organisations, such as the World Bank, J-PAL, World Health Organisation and UN agencies.

College preference

The following colleges accept students on the MPhil in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation: