Regulations for the Degree of Master Of Public Policy

General Regulations

§1. Degree of Master of Public Policy

• 1. Any person who has been admitted to the status of student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy, who has satisfied the conditions prescribed by this section, and who has satisfied the examiners as required, may supplicate for the Degree of Master of Public Policy.

• 2. The Social Sciences Board with the concurrence of the Education Committee shall have power to make and vary such regulations as may be necessary for carrying out the duties laid upon it and upon the Registrar by this section.

• 3. A student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy who is not a graduate of the University may wear the same gown as that worn by Students for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

§2. Admission of Candidates

• 1. A candidate seeking admission as a Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy shall apply to the Blavatnik School of Government (BSG) Graduate Studies Committee. Candidates for admission shall be required to provide such information as the committeeSchool may determine from time to time by regulation. Applicants shall in addition be required to undertake such other tests and meet such conditions as, subject to the approval of the Social Sciences Board, the committeeSchool may determine by regulation.

• 2. No person shall be admitted as a Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy under these provisions unless he or she is also a member of a college, hall, or other approved society, and unless the application for admission as a Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy has the approval of that society. The Academic DirectorSchool shall forward the application to the candidate's society or to the society to which the candidate wishes to apply for membership, as appropriate; and admission by the committeeSchool shall be conditional upon admission by an approved society.

• 3. A student registered for any other higher degree or diploma in the University may apply for transfer to the status of Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy. The committeeSchool shall have power to make such transfer, provided that it is satisfied that the student is well qualified and well fitted to undertake the course of study for which application is made, and that the application has the support of the candidate's society. A candidate who transfers status in this way shall be reckoned as having held the status of Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy from the time of admission to his or her previous status, unless the committeeSchool shall determine otherwise.

§3. Supervision of Students

• 1. Every candidate on admission as a Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy shall be placed by the BSG Graduate Studies CommitteeSchool under the supervision of a member of the University or other competent person selected by the committee, and the committeeSchool shall have power for sufficient reason to change the supervisor of any student or to arrange for joint supervision by more than one supervisor, if it deems necessary.

• 2. It shall be the duty of the supervisor of a student entered upon a course of study to direct and superintend the work of the student, to meet the student regularly, and to undertake such duties as shall be from time to time set out in the relevant Policy issued by the Education Committee.

• 3. The supervisor shall submit a report on the progress of a student to the committeeSchool three times a year, and at any other time when the committeeSchool so requests or the supervisor deems expedient. The supervisor shall communicate the contents of the report to the student on each occasion that a report is made, so that the student is aware of the supervisor's assessment of his or her work during the period in question. In addition, the supervisor shall inform the committeeSchool at once if he or she is of the opinion that the student is unlikely to reach the standard required for the Degree of Master of Public Policy.

• 4. It shall be the duty of every Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy to undertake such guided work and to attend such seminars and lectures as his or her supervisor requests; to attend such meetings with his or her supervisor as the supervisor reasonably arranges; and to fulfil any other requirements   as set out in relevant Policy issued by the Education Committee.

§4. Residence and other Requirements

• 1. No full-time Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy shall be granted leave to supplicate unless, after admission, he or she has kept statutory residence and pursued his or her course of study at Oxford for at least thirty-two weeks.

• 2. No full-time Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy shall retain that status for more than six terms in all.

• 3. A Student for the Degree of Master of Public Policy shall cease to hold that status if:

  • (a) he or she shall have been refused permission to supplicate for the Degree of Master of Public Policy;

  • (b) the BSG Graduate Studies CommitteeSchool shall, in accordance with provisions set down by regulation by the Divisional Board, and after consultation with the student's society and supervisor, have deprived the student of such status;

  • (c) he or she shall have been transferred under the relevant provisions to another status; or

  • (d) he or she shall not have entered for the relevant examination within the time specified under this sub-section.

§5. Examination of Students

• 1. The examination for the Degree of Master of Public Policy shall be under the supervision of the BSGBlavatnik GraduateSchool StudiesMPP Committee. The subjects and methods of each examination shall be determined by regulation by the committee, which shall have power to arrange lectures and courses of instruction for the assessment. The assessment shall consist of:

  • (a) course assignments;

  • (b) written examinations;

  • (c) written reports on a summer project approved by the committee; and

  • (d) an oral examination; provided that the committee shall have power by regulation to authorise the examiners to dispense individual candidates from the oral examination. This provision notwithstanding, the examiners may, if they deem expedient, set a candidate a further written examination after examining the candidate orally.

• 2. No candidate shall be permitted to take an examination under the preceding clause unless he or she has been admitted as a candidate for the examination in question by the committee and has satisfied any other conditions prescribed in the regulations for that course.

• 3. If Unlessa otherwisecandidate providedreceives ina thisfailing sub-section,mark for any of the numbersummative andassessments, distributionthey ofmay examinersresubmit shallor beretake the assessment on one further occasion as set out in the relevantcourse regulation.

• 4. A candidate who has failed to satisfy the examiners in the examination may enter again on one, but not more than one, subsequent occasion for that part of the examination which he or she failedhandbook.

Special Regulations

• 1. Candidates must follow for at least three terms a course of instruction in Public Policy.   Candidates must complete and satisfy the examiners in the assessments associated with each of the following:

  • (a) all courses from the Schedule, and satisfy the examiners in the assignment and/or examination associated with each course;

  • (b) four Applied Policy modules. Candidates must satisfy the examiners in the in-class assessment associated with each course, the list of available modules to be published annually by the BSG Graduate Studies Committee before the first Monday of Michaelmas Term;

  • (c) two electives. Candidates must satisfy the examiners in the assignment/examination/written report associated with each course, the list of electives to be published annually by the BSG Graduate Studies Committee before the first Monday of Hilary Term;

  • (d) an approved summer project. Candidates must submit a report based on a summer project approved by the BSG Graduate Studies Committee.   Reports submitted on projects which have not been approved will deem the candidate ineligible to enter the report for examination and result in the assessment being failed. Candidates must satisfy the examiners in the written report associated with the summer project;

  • (e) candidates may be required to attend an oral examination on any of the above.

• 2. AssignmentsFull details of each course, the assessment methods, submission arrangements and written reports on projects must be presented not later than the time and date stipulated for each exercise; thesedeadlines will be published by the BSGBlavatnik GraduateSchool StudiesMPP Committee before the first Monday of each term in which thethey assignmentare or project must be undertaken. For all modules except Core III: The Politics of Policymaking, Core IV: Science and Public Policy, and the Summer Project, the required number of copies must be delivered to the Examination Schools, and addressed to the Chair of Examiners for the Master of Public Policy, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford. The assignments for Core III: The Politics of Policymaking, Core IV: Science and Public Policy, and the Summer Project will be submitted electronically via WebLearn onlytaken.

• 3. The examiners may award a merit for work of particularly high quality in the whole examination or a distinction for excellence in the whole examination. toCandidates candidateswho have initially failed any element of assessment shall not normally be eligible for the Degreeaward of merit or distinction.

• 4. In exceptional circumstances, a candidate wishing to take an examination later than the one to which he or she has been admitted may do so by application to the Chair of Examiners, via his or her College Senior Tutor or Tutor for Graduates.

• 5. If a candidate receives a failing mark for any of the summative assessments, they may resubmit or retake the assessment on one further occasion as set out in the course handbook.

Schedule

The following courses are required to be taken. Details can be found in the course handbook:Economics

• Evidence and Public Policy

  1. Major policy challenge introduction

• 2. Core I Foundations

• Law and Public Policy

  3.Policy CoreChallenge I

  Policy Challenge II Economics

• 4. Core III The Politics of Policymaking

• 5. Core IV Science and Public Policy

• 6. Core V Law and Public Policy

• 7. Core VI Policy Evaluation