Testimonials

Margaret M. Tabler (2006-07)

Oxford was the ultimate place to study and experience higher education, as one of the oldest and most well-respected institutions of higher education in the world.  The experience was enhanced by the fascinating blend of international students in my group, as well as the high quality of the teaching.  I continue to use the skills and knowledge I acquired during my MSc studies in my international teaching and educational consulting practice.  For instance, the learning theory I learned at Oxford shaped my assistance as I worked to improve legal education for judges in Kosovo.  I am currently teaching French exchange students in Budapest, so I benefit from the knowledge of European Union higher education and mobility structures that I acquired through my MSc work. And soon I will be on the way to Zambia, where I will help initiate a continuing legal education programme using the assessment tools and academic development methodologies that formed the basis of my dissertation.  I am sure that my Oxford degree will continue to hold its value and support my efforts in the years to come.

Hua Guo (2005/06)

The course invited me into an insightful and intelligent debate upon issues that I used to take for granted. It revealed the path to truth, and triggered the excitement of thinking. The course was carefully, logically structured, and all the teaching, through tutorials, seminars, and lectures, enabled me to find a problem and also a possible solution to it.
The learning experience in the course, at Oxford, has built up an internal force for me to seek the answer to my questions. It helped to define my PhD research, and set up the foundation for it. After the course in Oxford, I won a Centenary Scholarship to do my PhD at the Institute of Education, University of London.

Kai Yu(2005/06)

My name is Kai Yu and I come from Jiangxi Province of China. I came to Oxford after completing my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Queen's University of Belfast.

The MSc course at the Department is much more than I expected, and I truly appreciate the range of experiences it offered me. Many people asked me whether I was going to be a teacher or not. In fact, although this MSc course offers knowledge that would form a solid foundation for teaching and curriculum design, it differs from teacher training. The course study is diverse and interdisciplinary: students are exposed to a series of sociological, philosophical, political and psychological theories and practices, all from an international perspective. Students are also encouraged to critically reflect on educational concepts and views. Therefore, this MSc Higher Education degree study can be applied to your field whether you aspire to be a policy analyst, philosopher, teacher, sociologist, social servant or business or political leader in higher education.

The size of the class was small and I felt that I was part of a family, but strong support from many faculty was readily available. Classmates were likeable and everybody had something unique to contribute to the understanding of higher education. The amount of resources was endless and the overall environment for study was very encouraging.

I enjoyed the study in this course so much that without a second thought I made the decision to devote the next three years (and very probably my life!) to higher education, as I am currently carrying out doctoral study in higher education at the Department of Education in Oxford. Therefore I seriously encourage all prospective students interested in higher education to consider this supportive and enjoyable Master’s course.

Mona Jebril (2005/06)

Hello!

I studied for my MSc in Higher Education in 2005-2006 and I think this was one of the best choices I ever made.  The course was well-structured, the topic was very interesting, the dissertation period was very challenging, and the study environment at the department as well as the course supervisor were really supportive.

The M. Sc. course in higher education touches on some of the most important aspects of our learning and teaching starting from the personal level further up to the most general scope, issues and international challenges. We so often enjoyed the many interesting discussions, seminars, and hot arguments we had on the topic.  Our course group was multi-cultural and this definitely helped in  advising our thoughts and enriching our experiences.

I am happy that my graduation from this course was crowned by many successes.  I was the best achieving student in that year cohort of Higher Education, I won the Karim Rida Said Foundation Annual Prize for academic and personal achievements and furthermore back to my country I got a good job opportunity.  I work now as a lecturer as well as a manager of the English Language Proficiency Center at the University of Palestine.

So, take my word this is certainly a lucky course!

(Prof.) Hubertus R. Drobner (2006/07)

The greatest asset of the one-year MSc course in educational studies were for me the teachers and the whole friendly and helpful atmosphere of the institute. Whatever a course looks like on paper, in the end it all depends on people. The one-year timeframe was just right for me, intensive and succinct. The quality of the course was excellent as was the variety of further study offers, and the small numbers of classes (some thirteen students) helped immensely. I simply enjoyed every single day of it.

Having been a university teacher for more than twenty years, I took the course during a sabbatical in order to help me understand and cope with the rapid changes all European educational systems are presently undergoing. Now I do feel competent to deal with them expertly and confidently.

Xuhong Wang (2007/08)

The current wave of globalization has created an unprecedented integration of markets world-wide and brought about astonishing changes which, in turn, have had a significant impact on higher education worldwide. The MSc Education (Higher Education) offered me a great opportunity to understand and analyse the issues in higher education from an international perspective. The various backgrounds of the students made the course very international. I shared experiences and opinions with my classmates from different countries, which not only benefited my learning experience but also enriched my life. I felt that I was in an extremely friendly and encouraging environment.

This course offered me the chance to obtain broad understanding on the issues regarding higher education, including the historical and philosophical dimensions of higher education, the comparison of higher education systems in different countries, teacher education, and learning theories, etc. I also became aware of important contemporary debates in higher education, such as the globalization of higher education, widening participation of higher education and lifelong learning. By attending the lectures and seminars, I gained much wider and deeper understanding of higher education, which enabled me to select the topic of the MSc dissertation from a wide range. My supervisor was very supportive and I learnt a lot from him. Overall it was a year very well spent at the Department of Education, University of Oxford.

Being a student at Oxford and studying the MSc course in Higher Education is an exciting and memorable experience for me. One year is short, but since the course is highly condensed, I believe that you will learn a lot. Meanwhile, I also believe that you will enjoy the time here.

Ashish Jaiswal (2005/06)

“A few would disagree about the significance of education - its seminal role in shaping ideologies of individuals and in turn determining respective endeavour of nations. While it is the primary and secondary education which underpins aims and values of a growing child, it is the experience of higher education that eventually determines which course the ‘critical youth’ eventually takes.”

Coming from India, a nation where more than 150 million youth are expected to enter higher education in the forthcoming decade, a challenging period in which I intend to play a crucial role, I was looking for a program that not only exposed me to international higher education landscape but also prepared me for higher education policy formation and leadership roles.
The Higher Education Master’s Program at Oxford University proved beyond my expectations. Drawing on the strengths of Oxford’s legacy, the program’s tutorial based teaching enabled me to be a critical thinker. As I had intentions to migrate to DPhil to do research on curriculum innovation in business schools, the program provided comprehensive research training.
 The program also introduced me to the teaching and learning theories and philosophical underpinnings of higher education, both helping me a great deal while I am working on learning strategies that can take affordable  business education to the millions of underprivileged Indians.
 Finally, the thesis which I generated as part of the program where I looked at pedagogical innovations and interviewed professors at prominent business schools like Harvard Business School and London Business School, proved to be a solid foundation for my doctorate thesis in which I am getting the opportunity to research world-class business schools like Kellogg Business School and Yale School of Management.

Samson Ovichegan (2006/07)

As an overseas student from India I found it very interesting to learn about Higher Education in the UK and Europe. It was especially useful to have the chance through written assignments to compare the issues to those in my own country. I found the Higher Education course intensive but enlightening. During my studies at Oxford I was inspired by the brilliant ideas and innovative teaching. I learned a lot from the detailed class lectures, group projects, and specified supervision that I benefited from the strong support of the whole teaching team. This course enabled me to understand education at a higher level, and offered me tools to further my doctoral research interest in educational policies within the higher education system in India. As a graduate I would highly recommend Higher Education programme to international students from various cultural backgrounds, as you will experience the wider picture of higher education teaching, learning, and management from different perspectives that this course offers.

Sabeen Baig (2006/07)

I came to Oxford University looking for transition into a career in the Public Sector. For me, MSc (Higher Education) was a meeting of idealism and hard-headed analysis. The curriculum taught technical skills, but fellow students, professors and outside speakers were equally important in providing inspiration through their own work and their depth of knowledge.

The MSc (Higher Education) Program gave me an opportunity to learn from some of the most eminent and approachable faculty in the most stimulating learning environment. I was particularly fortunate to have studied under professors who were researching education policy, professional development and management trends in higher education. Reading the reference materials, case studies presentation sharpened my thinking and gave me insights into the latest theories and concepts in higher education.

This experience has given me the confidence that I have the best possible training, and the humility to know that education and development practitioners are, at best, partners that facilitate people and communities in realizing their true inherent potential."

Currently working at Citigroup, Corporate and Investment Banking, London, I am applying many of the tools learned at Oxford: working in multicultural groups, applying rigorous analytical tools and most importantly -- being creative. I believe this training has also adequately prepared me to undertake doctoral studies at Harvard later this year.