Politics Research (Taught)

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2025). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.

The MSc in Politics Research is a research-based course offering advanced training in political science methods, including statistics, research design, and comparative government, preparing students for doctoral study through a supervised thesis.

This MSc is an intensive one-year research preparation master's degree. It is not a standalone course, but rather it is intended for students who would like to proceed directly to doctoral study at Oxford or elsewhere but who must first obtain the necessary research training in political science.

The MSc in Politics Research provides an advanced level of training in research techniques and methodology, and enables you to acquire substantive knowledge in the discipline.

Course structure
You will attend core classes and tutorials, and a programme of research methods training. You will also design a research project and write a short thesis under supervision.

The approach to teaching comprises intensive and interactive work between you and your supervisor and course teachers, combined with a carefully planned programme of classes, seminars and lectures, as well as directed self-study.

Many of the academic staff who teach and supervise on the programme also organise extracurricular research seminars for graduate students, in recent years these have included the Comparative Political Economy seminar, the Nuffield Politics Seminar, the Constitutional Studies Programme and the Politics Research Colloquium which takes place throughout term.

The Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) also hosts a wide range of research centres and programmes which actively seek to develop collaborative research activity via conferences, workshops and other academic events, and which include graduate students in their activities.

Research centres provide opportunities for you to present your own work in research seminar series and at conferences in the department and beyond. The research centres have an established and popular visitors’ programme which has allowed many scholars of international repute to participate in the DPIR’s research activities.