Social Network Analysis MSc

Year of entry: 2025

Course length: 12 months Full-time | 24 months Part-time

About the course

Become part of the world’s first MSc Social Network Analysis, taught by the team behind the Mitchell Centre for Social Network Analysis in a UK top-ten Sociology department (Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2025).

Develop the skills current employers are demanding in sectors such as market research, crime intelligence, public health and beyond.

You will master every stage of network research as we show you how to design rigorous studies, gather data from surveys, archives and online platforms, and turn raw connections into insight with advanced statistics, visualisation and mixed-method techniques. Our lecturers draw on mathematics, social statistics, sociology and criminology to give you an interdisciplinary perspective setting you apart from the job market.

From day one you will work with real-world datasets and professional software like R and Python, building a portfolio that proves your expertise. Guided by active researchers whose discoveries shape the field, you will finish the course ready to lead network analysis projects, advise organisations and push the discipline forward through PhD study if you choose.

Join us and transform the way the world understands relationships, communities and influence. See the full course profile on our website >

Be part of a Sociology department ranked Top 5 in the UK and Top 20 worldwide

(Times Higher Education Rankings 2025)

Benefit from research-led teaching at one of the UK's Top 3 universities for Sociology research

(Research Excellence Framework 2021)

Graduate from one of the UK’s most targeted universities by top employers (High Fliers, The Graduate Market Report 2024)

Compulsory Units

Theories of social relations, networks, and social structure;
Social Network Analysis: Concepts and Measures;
Doing Research with Social Network Data and Visualisations;
Statistical Models for Social Networks;
Data Analysis with R and RStudio;
MSc Dissertation.

Optional Units

Crime and Networks;
Social capital and Social Change;
Qualitative Research Methods;
Urban Sociology;
Philosophical and Methodological Foundations of Social Research
Sociology of Consumption;
Theories of Gender and Sexuality.

These are examples of units offered in 2024/25 and are subject to change.

See the full list of units and find out more on the full course profile >

Where will your degree take you?

Organisations are racing to understand the relational data that shapes decisions and behaviour. Our MSc Social Network Analysis equips you with in demand skills in coding with R and Python, statistical modelling, data visualisation, mixed methods research, critical thinking and clear communication.

You will graduate with the ability to turn the most complex networks into clear, actionable insight, to have a real world impact.

Graduates use this expertise as Social Network Analysts or Data Scientists at employers such as Meta, TikTok and the BBC, as Crime Intelligence Analysts with Greater Manchester Police or the Home Office, as Market Insight Consultants at Ipsos or Kantar, and as Public Health Analysts at NHS Digital or the World Health Organization. Many also progress to PhD study at Manchester or other leading universities and build careers in research and academia.

Dr Elisa Bellotti

Senior Lecturer in Sociology

“We designed this master's programme thinking of all the topics, skills and information we would have liked to receive when we were students but there were no programmes offering them.

You will gain a unique set of theoretical, methodological, technical and practical skills that will provide you with confidence and expertise in data analysis and problem-solving. The training we offer will be a valuable asset for jobs within and outside academia, and you will join a thriving and inclusive scientific community you will always feel part of.“