Social Research Methods

Entry requirements

We typically require a 2:1 Bachelor (Honours) degree (or overseas equivalent), within a social sciences discipline desirable but not compulsory and we welcome students with degrees in arts, humanities and science subjects.

You should demonstrate clearly why you are interested in this programme in your personal statement.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The MA in Social Research Methods has been designed to provide a broad-based practical grounding in research methods training across the social sciences with a specific focus on the research practices of a chosen field. You can choose to focus on social policy, criminology or sociology.

The course is one of a suite of methods-based postgraduate degrees delivered across the University. Successful completion provides wide-ranging opportunities for interdisciplinary study which can help you transition into enhanced careers in academia, the public sector, non-governmental organisations, charitable organisations, the business sector and more. Alternatively, it can serve as a stepping-stone into social science research.

You will look at the conceptual and practical underpinnings and implications of research, exploring a range of research techniques and the rationale behind them. The MA Social Research Methods will enable you to develop essential skills in both quantitative and qualitative work and to apply those skills to social research in your chosen field. Some combinations of modules (subject to availability) offer recognised training as part of the Northern Ireland and North East Doctoral Training Partnership.

The Department of Sociology is home to the Centre for Social Justice and Community Action and the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse. As a student in the Department, your learning will be informed by the ongoing research carried out by experts from the research centres, many of whom are working at the forefront of their field.

Year 1 modules

Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Practices across Social Research

introduces contemporary social research from an interdisciplinary perspective. You will explore complex causation and how it is addressed methodologically across different disciplines. The module also introduces design strategies and different disciplinary practices, and ethical considerations including issues of power and equality.

Quantitative Methods and Analysis

develops your knowledge, critical understanding and skills in quantitative data analysis. You will learn how to use statistical techniques for exploration and description of data sets and to make appropriate statistical inferences about associations between social phenomena.

Computational Social Science

introduces the methodologies used in the rapidly changing landscape of computational social science, from machine learning and complex network analysis to simulation and visual and textual analysis. The module includes a working knowledge of several of the most widely used methods.

Qualitative Methods and Analysis

equips you with the advanced knowledge and skills to understand, conceptualise and critically appraise qualitative social sciences research, including different approaches to research and design, and analysis of qualitative data. This module helps prepare you to carry out your own qualitative research projects.

Dissertation

The 15,000-word Dissertation involves researching and writing about your chosen subject with support from workshops and a supervisor. It enables you to demonstrate your capacity for independent thought, critical thinking and analysis. You will develop understanding of processes and stages in research, and related ethical, political and organisational issues.

Students also take one thematic 30 credit module, which in recent years has included a choice between modules in:

• Social Policy and Society
• Public Sociology: Theory and Practice
• Criminology: Theory and Critical Issues

In addition, students take an optional module from a range of specialist research modules, such as:

• Participatory Action Research
• Advanced Ethnographic Research
• Multilevel Modelling
• Simulating Data in R
• Systematic Review
• Analysing Causal Relations in Social Science Research
• Health Informatics and Clinical Intelligence
• Interdisciplinarity Methods for Decision Making

Information for international students

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Fees and funding

For further information see the course listing.