Taught by leading researchers working across the world, the course introduces you to core migration and mobility-related concepts, methods, and theories drawn from across the social sciences and humanities. It offers a strong foundation for careers in research and practice.

The course leverages a wide range of scholarly expertise to bear upon contemporary forms of human mobility. Its comparative and conceptual approach explores how movements within and across borders shape – and are shaped by – social, economic, and political structures and processes. These include inequality; security and border control; integration and community; urbanisation; race; and human rights.

Through the year, students review major debates and literatures on contemporary migration within the academy and public spheres. Esteemed and cutting-edge scholars offer training in critical analysis and inquiry, enabling students to contribute novel perspectives to scholarly and policy debates.

Students are asked to confront dilemmas facing policymakers, advocates, and officials in ways that surface ethical and empirical tensions. The course outlines the parameters of these debates and prepares students to question their conceptual foundations while collecting and leveraging empirical data and analysis to inform them.

Applicants interested in progressing onto migration-related doctoral study are eligible to apply for an ESRC 1+3 Studentship which can provide four years of full funding. These studentships, previously only available for UK and EU students, are now also available to non-EU students. Visit the Fees and Funding page for more information.

The course is driven by four core faculty members and researchers from across Oxford’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, and the Oxford Department of International Development. The degree’s varied pedagogy prepares students for pursuits in the academy and the world of practice and activism. 

Teaching includes a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, student-led presentations, essays, and library work. The MSc course is intensive, with mandatory readings drawn from multi-fields and all the world’s regions. Students should come ready to discuss and debate these texts and their implications for historical and contemporary debates. Class sizes vary between small groups to medium size lectures (generally between 5 and 30). All teaching is led by experienced researchers who facilitate active participation, provide constructive feedback, and foster peer-to-peer engagement.

The Course Director for 2024-25 is Professor Loren Landau