Sociology

Entry requirements

Please contact the School for details.

Months of entry

January, September, April

Course content

We have a range of interests that cut across themes in the philosophy of science and social science; culture, science and technology; anthropology; and cultural sociology. Each of these intellectual domains has flexible and porous boundaries, with ideas and activities originating primarily from one flowing into the others. All our staff routinely operate in interdisciplinary ways, from how their teaching is structured and presented, through to which topics, methods and conceptualizations are deployed in their research.

At the core of all activities is a unifying commitment to using and extending advanced social theory. This commitment in turn animates all the forms of empirical inquiry undertaken in our research. The theoretical, methodological and empirical aspects of social science are thoroughly intertwined in all we do.

Our environment is unique in that the fusion of subjects allows for both highly philosophically-literate social analysis on the one hand, and methodologically rigorous applied and empirical social philosophy on the other. Our sociologists draw upon sophisticated philosophical paradigms, while our philosophers operate in a sociological register. Likewise, there is a productive fusion of anthropology with both sociology and philosophy, leading to the construction of cross-over research domains such as the field of music, aesthetics and cognition, which researchers with diverse disciplinary trainings pursue together.

The three main research clusters are:

• Science and Technology Studies (STS)
• Cultural Sociology
• Social Philosophy

Department specialisms

Current areas of research focus include; Philosophy of science; Genetics and biological science; Science policy; Health and health technologies; Disabilities; Cultures of warfare; Security and insecurity; Cognition, embodiment and consciousness; The sociology of art, aesthetics and music; The sociology and anthropology of sound; Human-animal relations; Social critique;

Information for international students

We warmly welcome international students to all three of our beautiful campuses. At present 4,000 students from over 130 countries contribute to a thriving international community.

Visit our website for details of our academic and English language requirements, along with details of English language support.

Fees and funding

The University of Exeter invests significantly in a range of funding opportunities for talented prospective postgraduates. Please visit our website for further details. Here you can search our database for funding opportunities suitable for your area of interest.

Qualification and course duration

PhD

MPhil

Course contact details