Oxford Internet Institute

DPhil in Information, Communication and the Social Sciences

Course Code | 003480 

The DPhil programme in Information, Communication and the Social Sciences provides an opportunity for cutting edge research into the societal implications of the Internet and related technologies in the context of a dynamic and supportive multi-disciplinary department over the course of three to four years.

The research undertaken by the OII's students ranges across the social sciences, with most projects falling into the following categories:

• Everyday life
• Governance and democracy
• Science and learning
• The Internet

MSc in Social Science of the Internet

Course Code | 002245 

The MSc in Social Science of the Internet enables students to take courses in Law, policy and the social sciences with a focus on the Internet and Web, delivered over a demanding ten-month programme.

The course will equip students with essential theoretical tools and methodological skills and introduce them 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.

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.

• Length of programme: Ten months
• Core and optional courses:

  Core Papers:

  • Social Dynamics of the Internet
  • Internet Technologies and Regulation
  • Research Methods I and II
    
  • Statistics
  • Advanced Qualitative or Advanced Quantitative Analysis
    
  • 10,000-word thesis
  
  Two further option papers to be chosen
• Programme specification

The OII was founded in 2001, as an academic centre for the study of the societal implications of the Internet. The department currently has twenty-five faculty members - including four professors - with research expertise spanning a wide range of interrelated social, economic, political, legal, industrial, technical and ethical issues of the Internet.

The OII is located in the centre of Oxford at 1 St Giles, and has additional open-plan workspace for students at 66 Banbury Road. A common room is provided for use by staff and students.

The OII’s rapidly growing library houses many volumes focused on the social aspects of information and communication technologies. The library also holds current subscriptions to several journals not found elsewhere in Oxford.

In addition to the OII’s library, students may find many relevant materials at the Bodleian Social Science Library on Manor Road.

Graduates from the OII typically go onto further research, into business and industry careers, and into the civil service, third sector and policy work. 

The MSc programme 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.

On completion, it is expected that graduates from the DPhil programme will have the qualities and transferable skills necessary to excel in teaching, research, policy-making, or business in their studied fields, including abilities to design new technologies and to predict and analyse their impacts.