MSc Social Science Research Methods
- MSc
Overview
How do we know what we know about society and the world at large? How do we understand and explain a complex uncertain social world? How can we ensure that research is rigorous and trustworthy?
Social scientists navigate these questions across different disciplines to shed new light on our social relations and political processes. Through philosophically grounded, social scientific methods, they create knowledge to respond to the pressing sociopolitical challenges that we face today.
In this MSc, you will develop advanced social research skills to interrogate the most important social and political issues today. You will:
- Learn core methodological skills and philosophical groundings to produce rigorous and trustworthy research.
- Develop advanced skills in qualitative and quantitative methods and approaches.
- Become an active researcher, exploring different methods including interviews, focus groups, and creative approaches.
- Recognise appropriate data sources, apply statistical methods, and answer specific social scientific questions using quantitative data, state of the art software and, where appropriate, generative AI.
- Critically evaluate methodological approaches to understand what makes for convincing and reliable research.
- Produce an in-depth piece of independent research on a social scientific area of your choosing, supervised by an expert social scientist.
- Develop your skills in writing, critical thinking, analysis, project management, oral presentation, communication of complex ideas, independent research and teamwork.
- Be inspired and learn from leading experts in the field and engage with researchers in the school through open seminars, workshops, lectures, and dissertation supervision.
You will choose one of three disciplinary pathways:
Politics
This pathway engages with research on national, global, and transnational dynamics shaping global governance. You will interrogate these themes through areas including the economy, the UK, the EU, global powers, climate crisis, international orders, and authoritarianism among others.
Sociology
This pathway explores the social world through a sociological lens. You will interrogate power and stratification systems through focussing on sub-topics such as class, family, gender, sexuality, and migration.
Global Challenges and Transformations
This pathway is offered solely in conjunction with a SWDTP/ESRC 1+3 Grant and emphasises a global interdisciplinary approach to international politics. Find further information here.
Note, if you take this MSc as part of a 1+3 ESRC/SWDTP funded programme, your programme structure changes as per the programme catalogue.
Programme structure
You will take a combination of mandatory (40 credits) and optional taught units (80 credits). The mandatory units firmly ground you in research methods training whilst the optional units allow to you explore a pathway of your choice.
Each unit is delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars. Unit assessments are diverse and range from traditional essays and presentations to research diaries, policy reports and secondary data analyses. Our assessment diversity aims to develop different skill amongst our students to prepare them for a variety of future careers.
The culmination of our MSc programmes is a dissertation unit (60 credits), where you will produce a piece of original research on a subject of your choice. We offer two dissertation routes. In both cases, you will be researching for your dissertation under the supervision of an expert member of academic staff from the school.
The first option is a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research dissertation, whereby a student develops and completes a project on a subject of their choosing with expert supervisory support.
The second dissertation option (subject to availability) is an applied dissertation, working with external organisations to deliver a research project that supports the organisation's work. We offer support in accessing an external organisation and the process offers practical UK-based research experience.
Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MSc in Social Science Research Methods.
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or international equivalent in Criminology, International Relations, Politics, Psychology or Sociology.
If your degree subject is not listed above, you will also need at least one quantitative module and one qualitative module at 60% or international equivalent.
Examples of acceptable Quantitative units include: Data Analysis; Data Mining; Programming; Quantitative Research Methods; Research Design and Practice; Statistics; other relevant modules where quantitative research training or skills can be demonstrated.
Examples of acceptable Qualitative units include: Behavioural Studies/Research; Comparative Politics/Research; Qualitative Research; Social Research; Survey; other relevant modules where qualitative research training or skills can be demonstrated.
We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree. Specific module requirements would still apply.
We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirement.
If your achieved grade is lower than our entry requirements, your application may be more likely to receive an offer if you have additional qualifications. If you have the following, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing:
- a relevant postgraduate qualification.
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level C.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
Fees and funding
- Home: full-time
- £15,200 per year
- Home: part-time (two years)
- £7,600 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £30,400 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding and scholarships
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
This course will develop your knowledge and understanding of conducting effective and rigorous research. The course prepares students for a diverse range of careers in which research is applied. Recent graduates have begun their careers in:
- project research
- policy analysis
- academic research (PhD and beyond)
- university teaching
- school teaching
- data analysis
- UK civil service (fast stream).
Our school also has a close relationship with the University Careers Service, which provides bespoke support to MSc students. This includes one-to-one appointments, job talks, mock assessment centres, employer-led events, funded internship schemes, entrepreneurial support and advice, and panels to learn more about different industries.
The Careers Service provides extensive support for international students, with dedicated resources on labour markets in China, Hong Kong, India, Southeast Asia and Africa. There are regular training sessions on finding work opportunities in the UK as well as overseas. International students also receive free access to Student Circus platform - a leading job readiness platform for international students, with pre-filtered visa-sponsored jobs as well as careers advice. All students can use the full resources of the Careers Service, including one-to-one appointments, for 3 years after their graduation.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk