Program Overview

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MSc in Sociology

The MSc in Sociology is a taught course offering advanced training in sociological theory and research methods, with options like gender, political sociology, and social stratification, culminating in a dissertation based on original research.

About the Course

The course is a one-year master's degree if studying full-time, or two years for part-time students. Students will receive high-quality research training in sociology, which includes knowledge of relevant theoretical approaches, an understanding of their application to substantive problems, and skills in the use of major research techniques.

• There is also a significant element of self-directed study, including further reading and research, that will complement the hours of teaching.
• The time spent on further research will be determined partly by the student's academic background so far, and partly by their own interest in and curiosity for the subject.
• Students will have the opportunity to attend lunchtime sociology seminars with many interesting speakers participating.
• Most of the classes and lectures will take place at the Department of Sociology.

Course Structure

An overview of the course structure is provided below. Details of the compulsory and optional elements of the course are provided in the Course Components section.

• The MSc Sociology consists of two core elements (Sociological analysis and Research methods), two optional elements, and a dissertation.

Attendance

The course can be studied full-time or part-time with both modes requiring attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements. Part-time students are required to attend course-related activities in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year.

• 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 their study over two years to accommodate work and personal circumstances.
• Regardless of 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.

Resources to Support Study

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources, and IT services.

• The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK.
• The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities.
• The Social Science Library is the largest freestanding social science library in the UK and is located in the Manor Road Building.
• Hot-desking areas with access to printing are available in the department.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Sociology and 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 Sociology.
• You can typically expect to meet with your supervisor at least twice a term, and at least three times over the summer vacation when you are writing your thesis.

Assessment

Assessment will be conducted either by timed examination or submission. At the end of the year, you will submit a dissertation of up to 10,000 words, which will consist of a sociological analysis.

Graduate Destinations

Graduates pursue a variety of careers. Many go on to doctoral research either in Oxford or at leading departments in the US and continental Europe. Others pursue careers, often with a substantial research responsibility, in government departments, NGOs, and the private sector.

Course Components

Compulsory Study

Sociological Analysis

In Michaelmas term, the course consists of eight lectures, followed by seminars where the class is split into groups. If you are studying part-time, you will take this course in the first term of your second year of study.

• It examines the nature of different sociological explanations, their potentials and methodological implications, and their relationship with concepts from other disciplines.
• It also examines the interrelationships between description and explanation, theory and empirical data.

Research Methods

This course comprises three sections: research design, qualitative methods, and statistics. The statistics section consists of eight statistics lectures and eight computer-based sessions (Michaelmas term). The qualitative methods section (Michaelmas term) consists of eight lectures. The research design section (Hilary term) consists of eight lectures and classes. If you are studying part-time, you will take the three sections of the research methods course in the listed term of the first year of study.

Dissertation

You will write an MSc dissertation which you will carry out under the guidance of your supervisor.

• Part-time students will write their dissertations in the third term of their second year and submit by 1 September of that second year, but will be encouraged to start planning their thesis from their first year.

Options

In Hilary term, you will prepare for two option papers. You should note that the options available may vary from year to year; a typical offering is listed below:

• Advanced Quantitative Methods
• Sociology of Mafias
• Social Movements
• Political Sociology
• Causality
• Social Stratification
• Sociology of Gender
• Sociology of Latin America
• Sociology of China
• Sociology of the Family
• Sociology of Cybersecurity
• Critical Social Theory and its Impact

Entry Requirements

Proven and Potential Academic Excellence

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our guidance to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.

• As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
  • a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a social science subject
• The department will only consider applicants who have an undergraduate degree in arts, humanities, or science subjects if they can demonstrate a strong interest in sociology, as taught at Oxford
• However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent

English Language Proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement.

• The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below
• Minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level requirement:
  • Test: IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713)
  • Minimum overall score: 7.5
  • Minimum score per component: 7.0
  • Test: TOEFL iBT (Institution code: 0490)
  • Minimum overall score: 110
  • Minimum score per component: Listening: 22, Reading: 24, Speaking: 25, Writing: 24
  • Test: C1 Advanced
  • Minimum overall score: 191
  • Minimum score per component: 185
  • Test: C2 Proficiency
  • Minimum overall score: 191
  • Minimum score per component: 185
  • Test: Oxford Test of English Advanced
  • Minimum overall score: 165
  • Minimum score per component: 155

Funding

For entry in the academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,100 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.

• If you apply by the January deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships
• For the majority of Oxford scholarships, your application will automatically be assessed against the eligibility criteria, without needing to make a separate application
• There are further Oxford scholarships available which have additional eligibility criteria and where you are required to submit a separate application
• Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential

Costs

Annual Course Fees

The fees for this course are charged on an annual basis.

• Full-time study:
  • Fee status: Home
  • Annual Course fees: Ł26,820
  • Fee status: Overseas
  • Annual Course fees: Ł40,710
• Part-time study:
  • Fee status: Home
  • Annual Course fees: Ł13,410
  • Fee status: Overseas
  • Annual Course fees: Ł20,355

Additional Costs

You will normally be required to carry out a small fieldwork training exercise as part of the qualitative methods course. This may require a short trip out of Oxford, but usually not an overnight stay. You will need to cover any costs (e.g., travel) related to this training exercise, which the department estimates to range from between Ł20 to Ł100.

• You are not formally required to undertake field research for your thesis; however, depending on your choice of topic and the research required to complete it, you may have to meet the costs of fieldwork
• These costs would likely include travel and related expenses such as visas, accommodation, subsistence, translation, and research assistant services if required
• These costs will vary widely according to the location and length of the fieldwork

Living Costs

In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

• For the academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between Ł1,405 and Ł2,105 for each month spent in Oxford
• We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford
• Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (if dependant visa eligibility criteria are met)

College Preference

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college.

• If you apply for a place on this course, you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you
• Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference

Full-time Study

The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:

• Blackfriars
• Campion Hall
• Green Templeton College
• Jesus College
• Kellogg College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Linacre College
• Nuffield College
• Oriel College
• Regent's Park College
• Reuben College
• St Antony's College
• St Catherine's College
• St Cross College
• Trinity College
• Wadham College
• Wolfson College
• Wycliffe Hall

Part-time Study

The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:

• Blackfriars
• Campion Hall
• Jesus College
• Kellogg College
• Nuffield College
• Regent's Park College
• Reuben College
• St Antony's College
• St Catherine's College
• Wolfson College
• Wycliffe Hall

How to Apply

Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application, including advice to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.

• If it is important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline e.g., under the January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance
• Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines and when to apply in our Application Guide

Application Fee Waivers

An application fee of Ł75 is payable for each application to this course. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• Applicants from low-income countries
• Refugees and displaced persons
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds
• Applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria

Completing Your Application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.

• For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé
• You should not upload a separate document
• If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application

Referees

Three overall, academic preferred. Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete.

• Academic references are preferred, though professional references are acceptable if you have spent a significant amount of time in work
• Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation, and a demonstrable interest in sociology as it is taught at Oxford

Official Transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

• More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide

Personal Statement and Optional Research Proposal

All applicants should submit a personal statement. If you think that you might like to continue onto the DPhil in Sociology after this MSc, you should also submit a proposal for your research at doctoral level.

• The combined word count for both documents should be no more than 2,000 words
• Your personal statement should be a maximum of 750 words and should focus on your academic interests and research proposal rather than your personal achievements, interests, and aspirations
• Your statement should be written in English
• If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document

Written Work

Two writing samples, a maximum of 2,000 words each. Academic essays or other writing samples from your most recent qualification, written in English, are required.

• Extracts of the requisite length from longer work are also permissible and should be prefaced by a short note which puts them in context
• The written work should preferably be on a sociological subject or otherwise have some sociological content
• The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes
• It is not permitted to submit one 4,000-word essay in place of the two shorter ones

Start or Continue Your Application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice.