MSc in Social Science of the Internet

The OII offers a eleven-month residential Masters programme, the MSc in Social Science of the Internet. This programme enables students from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds to take Internet-related courses in law, policy and other social sciences in the context of this dynamic and supportive multi-disciplinary department.

The MSc is a full-time intensively taught Masters course, with a core syllabus designed to ensure that all students attain an in-depth understanding of the social science concepts, theories and methods (including Internet-specific research methods) required to undertake and assess rigorous empirical research or policy analysis of Internet-related issues.

Students will take a combination of core and option papers, and produce a 10,000 word thesis on a research topic in areas of the OII's expertise. By the end of the degree, students will be expected to have gained an in-depth understanding of the main disciplinary, theoretical and methodological debates on key Internet issues.

Please note: From the 2012/13 academic year, the OII will be running a visiting student programme. Students from the University of Indiana School of Law will therefore be attending various courses from the MSc in Social Science of the Internet in Hilary term 2013.

Why choose the OII?

We are a world-leading centre for research and study of the Internet and its social implications, and we pride ourselves on providing a stimulating and friendly environment in which students can flourish. In addition to a busy calendar of seminars, conferences and social events, regular brownbag seminars engage faculty and students in discussion of ongoing research.

Understanding the societal implications of the Internet and related information and communication technologies requires the joining of disciplinary perspectives. As a multi-disciplinary department, the OII offers MSc students the opportunity to study pressing academic and policy-related issues which can only be understood by drawing on contributions from across different disciplines.

The intellectual life of the department is marked by a willingness to discuss and collaborate across disciplines, and students intending to study at the department are expected to embrace this ideal. We provide dedicated student working space in open plan offices with PCs available as needed. A common room is available for use by staff and students, as is our library collection of Internet-focused texts and journals.

The Oxford 1+1 Programme

This MSc can form part of the Oxford 1+1 Programme, which enables exceptional and motivated students to combine their MSc with the Oxford MBA (Said Business School) in order to provide a two-year Oxford postgraduate experience that combines the depth of study of an MSc, with the managerial and leadership breadth of an MBA. The OII MSc will provide you with deep analytical expertise in social science internet research to which you will apply your enhanced management skills: there is growing evidence that this "depth + breadth" is what the world needs, and what employers seek.

Oxford's 1+1 Programme will be offered to students applying for 2012 matriculation at the University of Oxford, with the intention that they will spend the first year completing the MSc and then begin the MBA in September 2013. Successful candidates for the Oxford 1+1 Programme will need to meet the admissions requirements for both courses and be admitted separately to both. We are currently taking applications for 2012 entry.

If you are applying for the 1+1 programme, please indicate this on your personal statement. You will be asked to state in detail your reasons for applying to the 1+1 programme on your application to the Said Business School, but may wish to refer to this also in your application to the MSc.

Indiana University-OII Joint Program

The Indiana University Maurer School of Law and the Oxford Internet Institute have launched a joint program in which graduate law students admitted to the Maurer School of Law spend the autumn term in Bloomington, Indiana and then move to Oxford to study at the Oxford Internet Institute in the winter and spring as visiting students. Aimed primarily at international students, the new program will give students with an American law degree or non-U.S. equivalency the opportunity to take 14-16 credit hours of existing regular law courses in the broad area of information and intellectual property law.  At the conclusion of the program, successful students receive an Indiana University Maurer School of Law LL.M. with a Certificate in Information Law and Policy from the Oxford Internet Institute. The program is led by IU Distinguished Professor and C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law Fred H. Cate, and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at the OII.

How to apply: As the LL.M degree is awarded and administered by Indiana University Maurer School of Law, all students wishing to participate in this program must apply directly to that institution. Further details about the program and details of how to apply can be found at: http://www.law.indiana.edu/degrees/joint/information-law/

About our students

The OII will admit up to 20 students every year. The degree is designed for:

• Students who wish to focus on Internet studies in the further pursuit of a law degree or a doctoral degree in information, communication, or any of the social sciences, or to move into professional careers in these fields.
• Professionals who have done original, creative work on the Internet, such as in their early career, and wish to gain a broader understanding of the societal aspects of its design or use.

Many of our students return to academic study after time spent in employment, and we welcome the insight and experience that mature students bring to the department.

• Guangyue He

  MSc student (2010)

  During my study and practice of the law over the years, I never gave up seeking for a path that would allow me to combine my experience in law with my long-term interests in the public policy of the Internet. The dream had not come true until I got to know of this innovative MSc programme. The interdisciplinary approach makes us all-round researchers on the Internet from distinct perspectives. The small class size enables close interactions and friendships among peers, not to mention the personlised instructions from the supervisor and other faculty - I dare to say that the OII is one of a few places in the world where you can find a faculty-student ratio higher than 1.5! I believe my journey here will become an invaluable asset to my future career.

• Wei-Feng Ni

  MSc student (2010)

  After working in journalism for a couple of years, I found that I needed more academic training to sharpen my thoughts about this dynamic society, so I was wondering what I should do, and where I should go. My generation in a changing China was lucky enough to witness numerous things going on at the same time - one of them is the Internet. The Internet is subtly changing this country, from politics to people's day-to-day lives. Therefore, I decided to come to the OII, the only institution in the world running the fantastic MSc program in Social Science of the Internet. So far, apart from English food and the weather, I have been enjoying my time at the OII. I have learned a lot from the multi-disciplinary faculty as well as my brilliant peers, who come from different cultural and educational backgrounds. This is a place with a real remix culture, which usually fosters great ideas and cutting-edge research.

Last updated on: 29 January 2013