Economic and Social History MSc

University of Oxford

About the course

This one-year specialist course offers a unique framework for research training in economic and social history. It offers a wide range of options and allows you to specialise in economic and/or social history, or historical demography, although the boundaries between these areas are deliberately permeable.

This course is intended to introduce you to the wide variety of methods used in the study of economic and social history, as well as to the subject itself. The core qualifying papers provide an opportunity to evaluate a range of different qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches; they impart a common language, and create a close and friendly community, in which ideas are shared, and strong personal ties are forged, developing a community that provides a base from which to venture out and experience the intellectual, social and cultural rewards of Oxford.

The course comprises.

• 'What happened and why. an introduction to themes and approaches in economic and social history', a required course for all students, focusing on social sciences methodologies and approaches and taught through a series of lectures and parallel classes during Michaelmas term;
• a course in quantitative methods and computer applications for economic and social history. You will be allocated to either the standard or the advanced course, depending on your previous statistical and/or econometric training. More advanced students will be able to take a quantitative methods course provided as part of the MPhil in Economics, subject to satisfying admission criteria.

The standard course in quantitative methods and computer applications for economic and social history is a simple and very informal introduction to elementary quantitative methods covering some of the techniques most widely used in research in the historical and social sciences and emphasizing the relevance of the historical issues. No prior knowledge of mathematics or statistical theory is expected.

The advanced course in quantitative methods is intended for students who have already been introduced to some form of quantitative methods, with the first few sessions serving as a refresher course in elementary quantitative methods. The course aims to ensure that you are aware of the range of quantitative techniques available for analysing problems in economic and social history. You will be taught how to use a number of popular statistical and econometric packages. Teaching sessions will involve computer classwork. Under certain circumstances, very accomplished students may undertake a more advanced statistics paper from elsewhere in the University, such as the MPhil in Economics.

Assessment

'What happened and why. an introduction to themes and approaches in economic and social history' is evaluated by essay, submitted at the start of Week 1 in Hilary term. The course in quantitative methods and computer applications for economic and social history is evaluated by assignment, submitted at the start of Week 1 of Hilary term. For the two advanced papers, assessment varies but is normally by a three-hour examination, two extended essays of up to 5,000 words each, or a single extended essay of 8,000 to 10,000 words.
You will also be examined on a dissertation of not more than 15,000 words, on a topic of your choice, approved by your supervisor. This will need to be submitted by the last Friday in August.

Graduate destinations

About a quarter of master’s students proceed to doctoral work at Oxford; others continue academic study at other institutions. Other career destinations are as diverse as, but broadly in line with, undergraduate history career destinations. law, finance, management consultancy, civil service etc.