Social Science of the Internet MSc

University of Oxford

The MSc in Social Science of the Internet provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to question and understand the multi-faceted ways in which the internet and emerging digital technologies are influencing and affecting our lives, societies, businesses, and governments.

Learning from the Oxford Internet Institute’s world-leading multi-disciplinary faculty, students of the MSc course will leave with new knowledge on important social science concepts and theories, research methods, technological fundamentals, and how to conduct and communicate high-quality research.

The MSc in Social Science of the Internet is offered on both a full-time (one year) and part-time (two year) basis. The degree and expectations for both modes of study are equally rigorous: part-time students take their classes with the full-time students, but spread over two years to accommodate work and personal circumstances. Whether you choose to apply for the part-time or full-time course, you will be part of a close-knit cohort of students from diverse backgrounds.

Full-time students will be expected to spend around 40 hours studying each week during term and are additionally expected to complete assignments and undertake further study during vacations. During the first (Michaelmas) and second (Hilary) terms, students are advised to allocate between 10 and 15 hours each week for each course they undertake.

This includes:

• At least six hours per week on reading, preparation and formative assignments for each core/option course
• 10 to 12 hours per week in classes (typically one and a half to two hours of lectures per course, plus a one hour seminar or workshop on certain core and methods-based courses)

Part-time students will be expected to commit to a proportional workload. The course content for the part-time degree is identical to that taken by full-time students but will be completed in two years rather than one year. Part-time students will be expected to attend lectures, seminars and workshops in the department for one to two days a week during term-time, and to participate fully in the life of this friendly and dynamic department.

During Trinity term, you will attend weekly seminars where you will present and develop your thesis research and receive feedback from fellow students and academic staff.

Core Courses

• Internet and Society
• Internet Technologies and Regulation
• Digital Social Research: Statistics Core
• Digital Social Research: Methods Core

Option subjects

• Substantive Options
• Cultural Analytics
• Digital Capitalism and Its Inequalities
• Digital Era Government and Politics
• Digital Technology and Economic Organization
• Education the Internet and Society (run in the Department of Education)
• Internet Economics
• Social Network Analysis and Interpretation
• Law and the Internet
• Subversive Technologies

Methods Options

• Advanced Statistics for Internet Research
• Computational Methods for the Social Sciences
• Digital Interviewing and Qualitative Data Analysis
• Digital Ethnography

Please note that not all Substantive or Methods options run every year.