GRADUATE ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR

MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY

FOR ENTRY IN 2013-14

Within equal opportunities principles and legislation, applications will be assessed in the light of a candidates ability to meet the following criteria:

1. Academic ability
Appropriate indicators will include:

Proven and potential academic excellence.

Acceptance on to the course is very competitive and so applicants should provide evidence of ability to perform at the highest academic level. This may be evidenced by a GPA of 3.7 minimum or distinction at Masters level and/or via a GRE test result. Most successful applicants are normally expected to be or predicted to have achieved a first class or a good upper second class undergraduate degree (or equivalent international qualifications) in any disciplinary field. If you hold non-British qualifications, you are advised to check with the UK National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK-NARIC)) on how your qualifications match these requirements. Applications are welcomed from all academic disciplines, not just from Social Sciences.

University academic transcript

An original transcript must be supplied. These should be a detailed record of your higher education and include the awarding body, the subjects studied, the grades obtained and the result of your final degree. If you are in the process of completing your degree, you should provide an official interim transcript from your current institution with a detailed record of your marks to date. Where an applicant with a completed qualification is unable to provide a transcript on reasonable grounds, the applicant should email the Blavatnik School of Government Programmes Team with an explanation for the grounds of the waiver.

Academic references/letters of recommendation

Three academic references, which support an informed view of academic ability and suitability for the Master of Public Policy programme, are required. Please note that at least one academic reference should be from your current or most recent institute of study. It is your responsibility to ask your referees to write a reference for you. Make sure that you give them plenty of notice and that you make them aware of the deadline. They can submit their references online or by email, please see the Application Guide for details.

Written work by the student

You are required to submit one 2,000 word essay on a pressing policy issue of your interest, which must be entirely your own work and written by you in English. The purpose of which is to demonstrate your ability to write clearly and concisely, to forge an argument, marshal evidence, exercise critical thought and draw conclusions. Ultimately, the written work you submit should demonstrate your academic ability and suitability for the programme. If your written work is an excerpt from a longer piece of your own work, please explain what body of work this has been drawn from and briefly explain its original purpose. The word count should be adhered to and listed at the end of your body of written work. This should exclude any footnotes, annotations or bibliography used. There is no prescribed title for the work as you may choose to write about any pressing policy issue of your interest.

A note on use of original work Plagiarism and collusion are serious offences and in order to protect the credibility of our application process students are required to submit an electronic copy of their work. This may then be put through plagiarism software to identify students submitting an application that is not their own original work. More importantly it protects the majority of students who work with integrity to achieve their qualifications.

Entry Criteria Version 6. September 2012 Entry criteria may be subject to amendment.

We recommend that prospective applicants check the Schools website at the time of application to ensure they have the most up-to-date information.

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GRADUATE ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR

MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY

FOR ENTRY IN 2013-14
Statement of purpose

The statement of purpose should outline your interest in public policy and public service, why you have chosen Oxford, and what your previous experience and future career development plans are. This should be no more than 800 words in length and written in English.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Your CV should include the following information: all employment held - including titles of jobs, start/ end dates, responsibilities; volunteer, public service, political work you have done; academic degrees, achievements and honours; extracurricular activities and interests. Please also explain any gaps in your recorded employment, for example, volunteer work or time to raise a family. The recommended length for a CV is two pages.

Performance at interview(s)
Occasionally applicants may be invited to interview. Interviews may be held online, via the Skype application (with or without video). A minimum of two interviewers will conduct the interviews.

2. Other qualifications and experience

Preferred relevant professional experience
Students will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to public service. In some cases, this may be through an outstanding record of achievement in working in the public, private or NGO sector. Although prior work experience will not be a requirement, relevant experience will be an asset to your application.

Preferred GRE / GMAT score

Submitted GRE test results are strongly recommended and will be taken into account. Candidates who have taken the GRE test are expected to add their results to their application. When submitting a GRE test score it should be from the last three years. GRE test scores obtained prior to September 2009 will not be considered. The GMAT may be accepted in lieu of the GRE; however, the GRE is recommended and preferred. We do not seek a minimum GRE / GMAT score. Please note that the GRE is not a compulsory requirement for admission but is strongly recommended. If you are taking the GRE test, the institution code is: 0713

3. English language requirement

Applicants whose first language is not English are required to provide evidence of proficiency in English at the higher level required by the University. Unless a waiver has been granted, an original language certificate which meets the relevant English language requirements must be supplied. The test certificate should not be more than 2 years old at the time the application is submitted. Certificates obtained prior to September 2010 will not be considered. Below are the mandatory University of Oxford English language requirements for taught courses (referred to elsewhere in University pages as the higher level). We recommend that you also read the Universitys page on Guidance for international students:

a. Requirements
IELTS TOEFL paper TOEFL Internet based (iBT) Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) 7.5 630 110 B Minimum 7.0 per component Minimum test of Written English score -5 Minimum per component: Listening 22; Reading 24; Speaking 25; Writing 24

Please note: If you are taking one of the English language tests, the institution code for the University of Oxford is 0490. If you also require the Division code, the Blavatnik School of Government is within the Social Sciences Division (code 94). Entry Criteria Version 6. September 2012 Entry criteria may be subject to amendment.
We recommend that prospective applicants check the Schools website at the time of application to ensure they have the most up-to-date information.

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GRADUATE ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR

MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY

FOR ENTRY IN 2013-14
b. Waivers

The requirement to provide an English language test score may be waived, in cases where an applicant is a national of a majority English-speaking country* and their first language is English or has completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree taught in a majority English-speaking country*, including those taught in the UK. At the discretion of the School, the English test requirement may be waived in the following circumstance: an applicant has obtained and studied full time at degree level for a continuous period of 3 years at a recognised institute in an English speaking country*(as defined by the UKBA) where the medium of instruction is English. If you wish to apply for a waiver to the normal English test requirement, please submit the request as part of your application (rather than at any time in the admissions process, as in the past). There is no form for such requests. To apply please upload a letter with your online form stating the reasons why you believe you should be exempted from submitting a language test score. Please do not use the English Language Test results section to apply for the waiver. Please note: The Department is unable to assess your English waiver request without your complete application for admission. Please refer to the Application Guide for further details.
*The list of the majority English-speaking countries used by the UKBA to define whether a student is exempt from the English language requirement is: Australia; Canada; New Zealand; United States of America; South America: Belize, Guyana; Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago.

c. Visa requirements
To comply with UKBA regulations, a candidate may still be required to sit a TOEFL/IELTS test to secure a visa even if a waiver has been granted by the School.

4. Availability of supervision, teaching, facilities and places

The following factors will govern whether applicants can be offered places: There are minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted onto the MPP programme.

5. Deadlines and required full set of application materials

Admissions open on 1 September 2012. The School has one application deadline: 18 January 2013 (we will make our decisions on these applications by late March 2013) In order for applications to be guaranteed for consideration you must provide the full set of supporting materials required by the deadline. Please also refer to the Application Guide on the Graduate Admissions website for further information. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

6. Funding
Whether you have yet secured funding is not taken into consideration in the decision to make an initial offer of a place. However please note that the initial offer of a place will not be confirmed until the accepting college is satisfied that sufficient funding is provided to cover fees and living costs for the standard period of fee liability for the duration of the course.

Entry Criteria Version 6. September 2012 Entry criteria may be subject to amendment.

We recommend that prospective applicants check the Schools website at the time of application to ensure they have the most up-to-date information.

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GRADUATE ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR

MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY

FOR ENTRY IN 2013-14
7. Assessment

All applications will be assessed by more than one member of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise. In addition to the supporting materials required, the assessors will look for evidence that: You have a proven capacity for hard work and the ability to engage in a very demanding programme of study. You have the maturity to cope with a professional learning environment. Although prior work experience will not be a requirement, relevant experience will be an additional asset to your application. You will be able to make the most of your time here, that you will contribute to the School and your cohort of students.

Other notes
Disability, health conditions and specific learning difficulties.
Students are selected for admission without regard to gender, marital or civil partnership status, disability, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age or social background. Decisions on admission are based solely on the individual academic merits of each applicant and the application of the selection criteria appropriate to the programme of study. Further information on how these matters are supported during the admissions process is available here. In the case of students who require specific help to adjust to an academic programme or to a new range of skills, the supervisor will work with them to ensure that they have additional support.

Course webpage
www.bsg.ox.ac.uk

Entry Criteria Version 6. September 2012 Entry criteria may be subject to amendment.

We recommend that prospective applicants check the Schools website at the time of application to ensure they have the most up-to-date information.

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