Public Policy 1+1
About the programme
The Public Policy 1+1 is a two-year graduate experience linking two taught degree courses that will help you become a more effective leader, changemaker and develop your research skills for working in public policy organisations.
Through the Public Policy 1+1 programme, you will complete an intensive taught Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree course that offers a distinctive approach to learning about public policy. The MPP is a one-year graduate degree that will help you develop your understanding of public policy challenges. You will learn about how policy is made, implemented, and evaluated in governments at local, regional and global levels. The MPP is a transformative opportunity for current and future leaders with a commitment to public service. The MPP derives lessons for better governance from countries all around the world. You will discover, share, and build on successes achieved by policymakers in other countries – from the smallest to the most powerful.
In the second year, the MSc in Public Policy Research will teach you how to conduct robust, applied and impactful research, and give you a keen understanding of the relationship between research evidence and other major influences on the public policy process such as ideologies and institutions. You will learn to design and undertake a range of policy-relevant research methods to the highest standards and you will effectively communicate research findings to a wide range of audiences, including policymakers and the general public.
At the end of the Public Policy 1+1 programme, you will be able to design and undertake a range of policy-relevant research methods and effectively communicate your research findings to policymakers and the general public.
In order to be considered for the Public Policy 1+1 you must submit separate applications for the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and the MSc in Public Policy Research in the same admission cycle. You should follow the instructions in the How to apply section of each course page, paying particular attention to the personal statement and written work requirements for each course. You should state clearly that you wish to be considered for the Public Policy 1+1 programme in your personal statement.
Applicants accepted to the 2024-26 Public Policy 1+1 programme, will undertake the Master of Public Policy (MPP) during the 2024-25 academic year and (subject to satisfactory progress on the MPP and meetings any conditions for progression that have been set) will go on to study for the MSc in Public Policy Research during the 2025-26 academic year.
Benefits of the Public Policy 1+1 programme include:
- teaching by outstanding academics, as well as expert practitioners, you will be uniquely positioned to develop academic knowledge and professional skills to address some of this century's most complex public policy challenges; and
- upon completion you will be well equipped for research and related jobs in government, quasi-governmental agencies, state and local governments, international organisations, not-for-profit organisations, charities and pressure groups.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Blavatnik School of Government and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found in another department within the University of Oxford.
You will meet with your academic supervisor to discuss the progress of your studies, and in your second year they will help you to identify your research topic, devise an important and researchable question, formulate, and execute an appropriate research design, and produce a methodologically sound and impactful thesis. The Blavatnik School of Government will assign supervisors at the start of each year based on the intellectual and policy interests expressed by students. For the MSc, in addition to the academic supervisor, you will also be assigned a policy advisor from a public policy organisation to provide advice and feedback on the research from a practitioner perspective.
Assessment
Candidates receive individual awards for each of the two programmes. Progression from the Master of Public Policy (MPP) to the MSc in Public Policy Research is subject to satisfactory progress being made on the MPP and meeting any conditions for progression that have been set. Your learning will be assessed for each programme in a variety of ways. Examples of assessment from previous years include: open-book assessments, essays, policy memo, short research proposal, presentation, thesis and in-class testing of a more practical nature.
Please see both the Master of Public Policy (MPP) course page and the MSc in Public Policy Research course page for details of how each course is assessed.
Changes to this course and your supervision
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25
To be considered, interested candidates must:
- submit separate applications for the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and the MSc in Public Policy Research in the same admission cycle before the deadline(s) shown on the course pages;
- follow the instructions in the How to apply section of each course page, paying particular attention to the personal statement* and written work requirements for each course;
- meet the entry requirements for the MPP that are shown on its course page; and
- meet the entry requirements for the MSc that are shown on its course page.
*You should state clearly that you wish to be considered for the Public Policy 1+1 programme in your personal statements.
Resources
There are study spaces available in the Blavatnik School building, some of which can be pre-booked.
Students also have access to the student common room, in addition to the communal facilities such as the café and the Inamori Forum. The school runs an extensive range of events and brings public policy leaders to the school to inspire and mentor students.
The Blavatnik School does not have its own library because most reading material is made available electronically. However, students can choose to study in a number of the University’s many excellent libraries as well as at their college library.
The Blavatnik School benefits from its own ICT team, which provides support and advice to students. Students are expected to bring their own laptop.
Blavatnik School of Government
The Blavatnik School of Government is a global school committed to excellence in leadership and public policy education and to pursuing a vision of a world better led, better served and better governed.
Founded in 2010, the Blavatnik School is one of the newest and most vibrant departments of the University of Oxford and it has already developed an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching and research.
It fosters a dynamic programme of policy-relevant and academically excellent research that has the potential for positive, real-world impact. Through innovative graduate courses, it brings the latest research and practice right into the classroom so that you can be a part of discovering and advancing knowledge on the cutting edge of public policy challenges.
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is an intensive one-year graduate degree, taking a broad view of how public policy is made, implemented and evaluated at local, regional and global levels. The Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Public Policy offers an opportunity to pursue academically rigorous research on a policy-relevant topic and can be taken full time over three years or part time over six to eight years. The MSc in Public Policy Research is a one-year graduate degree, offering training in the applied research skills needed to produce impactful research and inform public policy decisions. The Public Policy 1+1 programme combines, first the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and second, the MSc in Public Policy Research. Candidates will receive individual awards for each of the two programmes.
Funding
The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships, if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.
For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.
Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:
Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.
Costs
Annual fees for entry in 2024-25
Annual Master of Public Policy (first year) fees for the 2024-25 academic year
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £49,990 |
| Overseas | £49,990 |
Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.
In the second year of the Public Policy 1+1 programme, you will be charged course fees at the relevant MSc in Public Policy Research fee rate for that year of study. For an indication of costs, the table below shows the annual MSc course fees for the 2024-25 academic year.
Annual MSc in Public Policy Research fees for study in the 2024-25 academic year
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £40,150 |
| Overseas | £40,150 |
Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.
Information about course fees
Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges.
Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.
Deposits
If your application is successful, you will be asked to pay a deposit against your course fees at the application stage as a condition of your offer. The deposit amount and date by which payment must be made are shown below.
Amount of deposit |
Date by which deposit must be paid |
| £7,500 | 31 May 2024 |
The department's website provides further information about deposits for this course.
Where can I find further information about fees?
The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees, including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability.
Additional information
Master of Public Policy (MPP) component
There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, as part of your course requirements, there may be costs associated with the summer project, depending on the type and location of the placement, such as travel and accommodation expenses. You can find out more about the summer project on the Blavatnik School of Government website. You will need to meet any additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from the school or your college to help you cover some of these expenses.
MSc in Public Policy Research component (indicative costs, based on study in the 2022-23 academic year)
There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, as part of your course requirements, you may need to choose a dissertation, a project or a thesis topic. Please note that, depending on your choice of topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel and vaccination expenses, conference attendance, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.
Living costs
In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.
For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.
College preference
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference. For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.
The following colleges accept students for study on the Public Policy 1+1 programme:
To be considered, interested candidates must submit applications for both the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and the MSc in Public Policy Research in the same application cycle and meet the conditions shown under the entry requirements. Students admitted to the Public Policy 1+1 programme will also need to meet any conditions set to progress to the MSc in Public Policy Research.
Applying to the Master of Public Policy (MPP)
Please refer to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) course page for full details about the course, its requirements, deadline(s) and how to apply.
Applying to the MSc in Public Policy Research
Please refer to the MSc in Public Policy Research course page for full details about the course, its requirements, deadline(s) and how to apply.
Supporting documents common to both courses
Personal statement
If you would like to be considered for the Public Policy 1+1 programme you should state this clearly in your personal statement (in addition to making a separate application for both courses). You will need to upload a separate personal statement specific to each application when you apply. Details on what should be included in each personal statement can be found in the How to apply section of each course page.
Written work
If you are applying as part of the Public Policy 1+1 programme, please note that the documents required to apply for each of these two programmes are different. Please make sure you refer to the ‘How to apply’ instructions on both course pages for further information on the application requirements.