About the courseThis interdisciplinary, nine-month master’s degree analyses global migration and mobility, in historical context, and as part of the broader processes of development and social change.Taught by world-class researchers, the course will introduce you to key migration and mobility-related concepts, methods and theories across the social sciences, and prepare you for further research or a professional career.Teaching and learningApart from four core faculty members from the School ... READ MORE

About the course

This interdisciplinary, nine-month master’s degree analyses global migration and mobility, in historical context, and as part of the broader processes of development and social change.

Taught by world-class researchers, the course will introduce you to key migration and mobility-related concepts, methods and theories across the social sciences, and prepare you for further research or a professional career.

Teaching and learning

Apart from four core faculty members from the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography (SAME) and the Department of International Development (ODID) who are dedicated to this degree, research staff from Oxford’s internationally renowned Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) and other units will provide additional teaching input. Teaching on the degree is both theory- and problem-focused and is delivered through a combination of lectures, classes and tutorials, seminars, student-led presentations, essays and library work. You will be expected to prepare for each lecture, class or tutorial by reading a selection of recommended book chapters, articles and working papers. The MSc is a demanding course and, as is typical at Oxford, you will be expected to keep up with a considerable reading workload. Class sizes are small to mid-size – generally between 6 and 26 students – encouraging active participation and enabling students to learn from each other.

Assessment

Assessment consists of formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment, which does not count towards your final degree, but helps you to develop your analytical and writing skills, will be in the form of short essays (1,500 words), response papers and presentations.

Summative assessment, which will count towards your final degree, currently takes the form of essays and exams, research methods coursework, and a 15,000-word dissertation.

Graduate destinations

The MSc in Migration Studies seeks to prepare students for further social science research, or for a career within the increasing number of organisations – public and private, national and international – concerned with migration issues. Graduates of the MSc have gone on to doctoral degrees, law school, research and consultancy. Many are now employed by organisations such as the European Commission, ILO, IOM, UNICEF, RAND, Red Cross, Red Crescent, think tanks, national governments and leading universities.