Education (Higher Education)

The increasing significance of university rankings, the growing range of international student exchange schemes and public discussion of the ‘vocationalisation’ of degree programmes, are just some of the current issues within higher education in many countries. Debates about the benefits of higher education to graduates, employers and the state underpin considerations of student fees and how they should be funded.

During this full-time course, students will have the opportunity to consider these and other complex issues that university and college leaders, higher education policy-makers and higher education researchers are addressing today. Teaching sessions will combine tutor input and class discussion, plus small group working.

Course members study three core papers which consider national higher education systems and their economic impacts from theoretical, historical and empirical perspectives. Invited speakers will present their own recent research findings, ensuring that the course content reflects live debates and emerging understandings within the field of higher education policy.

In addition to these three pathway-specific core papers, two core papers in research methods develop students’ understanding of key concepts and principles of educational research design and methodology, using quantitative and qualitative methods and data. Students benefit from the expertise available through the Qualitative Methods Hub and the Quantitative Methods Hub at the Department of Education. MSc Education students also choose one assessed option paper from a selection offered by academic staff across the department.

This MSc is aimed at future leaders in the field – academics, policy-makers, researchers and managers. It is assessed through written assignments, a two-hour examination, and a research dissertation. Work towards this dissertation will be supported by practical sessions, that develop themes covered in the research design and methodology lectures, and one-to-one meetings with a supervisor throughout the course.

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Education. This will be done on the basis of the topic of research and the availability of individual supervisors. It is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Department of Education.

The most recent Oxford University Destination of Leavers from Higher Education Survey made contact with 635 master's course students who graduated from the Department of Education between 2012 and 2014. Fully 90.2% of alumni were in work and 5.8% in further study with only 2.0% looking for work, ranking the department in the best 3 of the 20 departments in Oxford's Social Sciences Division.

Past master's and DPhil students from the Department of Education have gone on to academic and research careers at a range of universities in the UK and across the world, or are employed across a wide range of other sectors such as policy for government departments or NGOs, international organisations such as OECD, think tanks and administration at local and national levels. The department’s ‘Conversations with Alumni’ feature includes interviews with two DPhil alumni on their career paths after Oxford.

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. 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 sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Other courses you may wish to consider

If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.

Courses suggested by the department

Development Studies MPhil
Comparative Social Policy MSc
International Health and Tropical Medicine MSc
Social Science of the Internet MSc

All graduate courses offered by the Department of Education

Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition MSc

Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching MSc

Education DPhil

Education (Child Development and Education) MSc

Education (Comparative and International Education) MSc

Education (Higher Education) MSc

Education (Research Design and Methodology) MSc

Educational Assessment MSc

Learning and Teaching MSc

PGCE PGCert

Teacher Education MSc

Oxford 1+1 MBA programme

This course can be studied as a part of the Oxford 1+1 MBA programme. The Oxford 1+1 MBA programme is a unique, two-year graduate experience that combines the depth of a specialised, one-year master’s degree with the breadth of a top-ranking, one-year MBA.

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Entry requirements