MPhil in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation

University of Oxford

The MPhil in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation (EBSIPE) emphasises research methods for evaluating interventions and policies, as well as the advanced study of evidence-based practice and policy.The MPhil is designed for students with a specific interest in understanding the effectiveness of policies, such as regulations concerning alcohol abuse or gun control, public health or poverty policies, and social interventions, such as cash transfers, parenting education, or violence prevention programs. It prepares students for a career in, for example, development, public policy, or policy and programme evaluation. Applicants with a professional background, such as those in evaluation, public health or policy consulting, will enhance their research skills and develop a major piece of research in a world-class environment.This course aims to develop your critical analysis, problem solving and research skills in the field of evidence-based interventions and policies for social problems, which will allow you to be both a critical consumer of research and to carry out evaluations and other research designs. Your studies will consider evidence-based practice and policy in relation to, for example, children and families, poverty and inequality, mental health, refugees, drug use, violence and injury prevention, and offending.Course structureThe MPhil has the following major components:pathway course, either Social Intervention or Policy Evaluationresearch methods training (Evaluation Methods, Quantitative Analysis, Qualitative Methods, Systematic Reviews)two specialist options, eg on Child and Family Interventions, Social Policies and Health Inequalities, Understanding and Preventing Interpersonal Violence, or Community Analysis and Large-Scale Interventions. In the second year it may be possible to select an option from Comparative Social PolicyMPhil thesis