Evidence Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation MSc

University of Oxford

The MSc or MPhil in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation (EBSIPE) emphasises research methods for evaluating interventions and policies, as well as the advanced study of evidence-based practice and policy.

The MSc or MPhil is designed for students with a specific interest in understanding the effectiveness of policies, such as regulations concerning alcohol and drug 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 MSc has five major components:

• core course on evaluation methods
• pathway course, either Social Intervention or Policy Evaluation
• specialist option, eg Children and Families, Social Policies and Health Inequalities, Understanding and Preventing Interpersonal Violence, or Community - Analysis and Large-Scale Interventions
• research methods training (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, R-Programming, Systematic Reviews)
• MSc thesis.

The MPhil has six major components:

• core course on evaluation methods
• pathway course, either Social Intervention or Policy Evaluation
• 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
• research methods training (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, R-Programming, Systematic Reviews)
• MPhil thesis