MPhil in Comparative Social Policy

University of Oxford

The MPhil in Comparative Social Policy explores welfare systems and policy developments across a range of countries with an OECD focus. The comparative element is a key part of the course, and is one feature that makes the course at Oxford unique.

The central aim of the MPhil in Comparative Social Policy at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention is to provide high quality graduate level research training in social policy, taking a comparative perspective, concentrating primarily on the most highly-developed welfare states. More specific aims are to develop your capacity to:

• analyse, interpret and review the major concepts, theoretical approaches and historical and contemporary issues in social policy and welfare state development in a range of OECD countries or systems;
• analyse and compare specific areas of social policy (eg health, education) in different countries or systems, drawing on both empirical data and broader theoretical literature; and
• undertake quantitative and qualitative as part of the research methods paper, to understand the major issues involved in research design and technical analysis in social policy related research.

In your first year, you will have the opportunity to take two specialist course from a list of options focusing on a particular topic or area of social policy. You are assessed on one of these option courses. During your second year, you will have to opportunity to take a second option. Recent options offered include comparative education policy, gender and family policies, healthcare policy and health inequalities, labour market policies, poverty and political economy of social policy.