Public Policy 1+1
About the programme
The Public Policy 1+1 is a two-year graduate experience linking two taught degree courses that will help you become a more effective leader, changemaker and develop your research skills for working in public policy organisations.
Through the Public Policy 1+1 programme, you will complete an intensive taught Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree course that offers a distinctive approach to learning about public policy. The MPP is a one-year graduate degree that will help you develop your understanding of public policy challenges. You will learn about how policy is made, implemented, and evaluated in governments at local, regional and global levels. The MPP is a transformative opportunity for current and future leaders with a commitment to public service. The MPP derives lessons for better governance from countries all around the world. You will discover, share, and build on successes achieved by policymakers in other countries – from the smallest to the most powerful.
In the second year, the MSc in Public Policy Research will teach you how to conduct robust, applied and impactful research, and 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 learn to design and undertake a range of policy-relevant research methods to the highest standards and you will effectively communicate research findings to a wide range of audiences, including policymakers and the general public.
At the end of the Public Policy 1+1 programme, you will be able to design and undertake a range of policy-relevant research methods and effectively communicate your research findings to policymakers and the general public.
In order to be considered for the Public Policy 1+1 you must submit separate applications for the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and the MSc in Public Policy Research in the same admission cycle. You should follow the instructions in the How to apply section of each course page, paying particular attention to the personal statement and written work requirements for each course. You should state clearly that you wish to be considered for the Public Policy 1+1 programme in your personal statement.
Applicants accepted to the 2024-26 Public Policy 1+1 programme, will undertake the Master of Public Policy (MPP) during the 2024-25 academic year and (subject to satisfactory progress on the MPP and meetings any conditions for progression that have been set) will go on to study for the MSc in Public Policy Research during the 2025-26 academic year.
Benefits of the Public Policy 1+1 programme include:
- teaching by outstanding academics, as well as expert practitioners, you will be uniquely positioned to develop academic knowledge and professional skills to address some of this century's most complex public policy challenges; and
- upon completion you will be well equipped for research and related jobs in government, quasi-governmental agencies, state and local governments, international organisations, not-for-profit organisations, charities and pressure groups.
Attendance
The course is full-time and requires attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.
Resources to support your study
As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.
The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.
The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.
There are study spaces available in the Blavatnik School building, some of which can be pre-booked.
Students also have access to the student common room, in addition to the communal facilities such as the café and the Inamori Forum. The school runs an extensive range of events and brings public policy leaders to the school to inspire and mentor students.
The Blavatnik School does not have its own library because most reading material is made available electronically. However, you will have access to the Social Science Library in addition to other University libraries and centrally-provided electronic resources.
The Blavatnik School benefits from its own ICT team, which provides support and advice to students. Students are expected to bring their own laptop.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Blavatnik School of Government and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found in another department within the University of Oxford.
You will meet with your academic supervisor to discuss the progress of your studies, and in your second year they will help you to identify your research topic, devise an important and researchable question, formulate, and execute an appropriate research design, and produce a methodologically sound and impactful thesis. The Blavatnik School of Government will assign supervisors at the start of each year based on the intellectual and policy interests expressed by students. For the MSc, in addition to the academic supervisor, you will also be assigned a policy advisor from a public policy organisation to provide advice and feedback on the research from a practitioner perspective.
Assessment
Candidates receive individual awards for each of the two programmes. Progression from the Master of Public Policy (MPP) to the MSc in Public Policy Research is subject to satisfactory progress being made on the MPP and meeting any conditions for progression that have been set. Your learning will be assessed for each programme in a variety of ways. Examples of assessment from previous years include: open-book assessments, essays, policy memo, short research proposal, presentation, thesis and in-class testing of a more practical nature.
Please see both the Master of Public Policy (MPP) course page and the MSc in Public Policy Research course page for details of how each course is assessed.
Changes to this course and your supervision
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
Entry requirements for entry in 2025-26
To be considered, interested candidates must:
- submit separate applications for the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and the MSc in Public Policy Research in the same admission cycle before the deadline(s) shown on the course pages;
- follow the instructions in the How to apply section of each course page, paying particular attention to the personal statement* and written work requirements for each course;
- meet the entry requirements for the MPP that are shown on its course page; and
- meet the entry requirements for the MSc that are shown on its course page.
*You should state clearly that you wish to be considered for the Public Policy 1+1 programme in your personal statements.
Blavatnik School of Government
The Blavatnik School of Government is a global school committed to excellence in leadership and public policy education and to pursuing a vision of a world better led, better served and better governed.
Founded in 2010, the Blavatnik School is one of the newest departments at the University of Oxford and it has developed an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching and research.
The school fosters a dynamic programme of policy-relevant and academically excellent research that has the potential for positive, real-world impact. Through innovative graduate courses, it brings the latest research and practice right into the classroom so that you can be a part of discovering and advancing knowledge on the cutting edge of public policy challenges.
The school is located in a purpose-built, iconic building in the University's Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, near the centre of Oxford.
Funding
For entry in the 2025-26 academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.
If you apply by the January deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships. For the majority of Oxford scholarships, your application will automatically be assessed against the eligibility criteria, without needing to make a separate application. There are further Oxford scholarships available which have additional eligibility criteria and where you are required to submit a separate application. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.
To ensure that you are considered for Oxford scholarships that require a separate application, for which you may be eligible, use our fees, funding and scholarship search tool to identify these opportunities and find out how to apply. Alongside Oxford scholarships, you should also consider other opportunities for which you may be eligible including a range of external funding, loan schemes for postgraduate study and any other scholarships which may also still be available after the January deadline as listed on our fees, funding and scholarship search tool.
Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on individual college websites:
Please refer to the College preference section of this page to identify which of the colleges listed above accept students for this course.
For the majority of college scholarships, it doesn’t matter which college, if any, you state a preference for in your application. If another college is able to offer you a scholarship, your application can be moved to that college if you accept the scholarship. Some college scholarships may require you to state a preference for that college when you apply, so check the eligibility requirements carefully.
Costs
Annual fees for entry in 2025-26
Information about course fees
Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges.
Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.
Where can I find further information about fees?
The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees, including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability.
Additional information
Master of Public Policy (MPP) component
MSc in Public Policy Research component (indicative costs, based on study in the 2024-25 academic year)
Living costs
In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.
Living costs for full-time study
For the 2025-26 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,425 and £2,035 for each month spent in Oxford. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (assuming that dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).
Further information about living costs
The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. For further information, please consult our more detailed information about living costs, which includes a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs.
College preference
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference.
If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide.
The following colleges accept students for study on the Public Policy 1+1 programme:
How to apply
To be considered, interested candidates must submit applications for both the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and the MSc in Public Policy Research in the same application cycle and meet the conditions shown under the entry requirements. Students admitted to the Public Policy 1+1 programme will also need to meet any conditions set to progress to the MSc in Public Policy Research.
Applying to the Master of Public Policy (MPP)
Please refer to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) course page for full details about the course, its requirements, deadline(s) and how to apply.
Applying to the MSc in Public Policy Research
Please refer to the MSc in Public Policy Research course page for full details about the course, its requirements, deadline(s) and how to apply.
Supporting documents common to both courses
Personal statement
If you would like to be considered for the Public Policy 1+1 programme you should state this clearly in your personal statement (in addition to making a separate application for both courses). You will need to upload a separate personal statement specific to each application when you apply. Details on what should be included in each personal statement can be found in the How to apply section of each course page.
Written work
If you are applying as part of the Public Policy 1+1 programme, please note that the documents required to apply for each of these two programmes are different. Please make sure you refer to the ‘How to apply’ instructions on both course pages for further information on the application requirements.