Social Research

Entry requirements

Entry to our postgraduate programmes usually require a good Honours degree, or equivalent if you were educated outside the UK.

Months of entry

September, October

Course content

Our Masters in Social Research degree will provide you with a sound background in social research design and the most up-to-date training in methods of data collection and analysis.

The College of Social Sciences welcomes all postgraduates to the MA in Social Research programme which continues to enjoy full Research Training recognition by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The different pathways and the combination of core modules and advanced training courses on more advanced topics provide maximum flexibility and different levels of intensity for taught postgraduate students and doctoral researchers. You can customise your research training throughout the course of your study at Birmingham. The core elements of the programme are delivered by research active staff across the entire College, many of whom are engaged in cutting-edge research in their own fields. You will benefit by undertaking this training with students from different departments in the Schools of Social Policy, Business, Education and Government and Society. Above all, you will learn how to communicate research findings effectively and develop an understanding of the potential impact of your research within and beyond academia.

Core modules

• Philosophy of Social Research (20 credits)
• Research Design, Practice and Ethics (20 credits)
• Fundamentals in Quantitative Research Methods (20 credits)
• Foundations in Qualitative Research (20 credits)
• Dissertation

Optional Modules* (40 credits from the list below):

• Transforming Identities (20 credits)
• Transforming Societies (20 credits)
• The Third Sector and Social Policy (20 credits)
• Migration, Super diversity, Policy and Practice (20 credits)
• Policy Futures: Theories and Concepts in International Policymaking (20 credits)
• Globalisation, International Migration & Citizenship (20 credits)
• Crime and Social Harm (20 credits)
• Sociology of Race and Racism (20 credits)
• Applied Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis (20 credits)
• Global Policy Institutions and Networks (20 credits)
• Policy Evaluation (20 credits)
• Philosophies of Welfare: creating new societies? (20 credits)
• Poverty, Wealth and Inequality (20 credits)

• Multivariate Linear and Logistic Regression (10 credits)
• Factor Analysis (10 credits)
• Narrative Research (10 credits)
• Visual Research Methods (10 credits)
• Researching Disability (10 credits)
• Approaches to Research on Discourse (10 credits)
• Policy Evaluation (10 credits)
• Advanced Qualitative Data Analysis (10 credits)
• Secondary Data Analysis in Social Research (10 credits)
• Using and Producing Research (10 credits)
• Activity Theory and its Research Applications (10 credits)
• Ethnographic Methods: Ethics, Politics (10 credits)
• Practice (10 credits)
• Introduction to Time Series Regression (10 credits)
• Introduction to Econometric Software (10 credits)
• Analysing Hierarchical and Panel Data (10 credits)

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. On rare occasions, we may need to make unexpected changes to compulsory modules; in this event we will contact offer holders as soon as possible to inform or consult them as appropriate.

Information for international students

International applicants will be required to hold an IELTs of 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in each band or equivalent qualification.

Fees and funding