Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2022). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas. The combined MSc Social Science of the Internet and DPhil Information, Communication and the Social Sciences programmes provide an opportunity for highly qualified students to develop the theoretical and methodological toolkit needed to undertake multidisciplinary Internet-related research. This course is taking part in a continuing pilot programme to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, in order to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly. For this course, the socio-economic data you provide in the application form will be used to contextualise the shortlisting and decision-making processes. For more information see the full details about this pilot. The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) trains social scientists to undertake rigorous theoretical and empirical research in the study of the Internet and technology. During your MSc you will be equipped with essential theoretical tools and methodological skills to undertake cutting-edge research in this domain. You are introduced to the empirical evidence necessary for an in-depth understanding of the role of the Internet in society, including the changing nature of governance and the theoretical, practical and ethical questions surrounding Internet use. Full-time MSc students will be expected to spend around 40 hours studying each week during term, and to undertake further study and complete assessments during vacations. During Michaelmas and Hilary Terms, MSc students are advised to allocate between 10 and 15 hours each week for each course they undertake. This includes: At least six hours per week on reading, preparation and formative assignments for each core/option course Ten to 12 hours per week in classes (typically one and a half to two hours of lectures per course, plus a one hour seminar or workshop on certain core and methods-based courses). During the three- to four-year DPhil component, students are expected to produce an important and original piece of scholarship that will make a significant contribution to the dynamic area of Internet research. On completion, you will have the qualities and transferable skills necessary to excel in teaching, research, policymaking or business. The multidisciplinary research OII students undertake ranges across the social sciences, with most projects falling into the following broad themes:

• digital knowledge and culture

• digital politics and government

• education, wellbeing and digital life

• ethics and philosophy of information

• information geography and inequality

• information governance and security

• Internet economics

• social data science.