Sociological Research MSc

Year of entry: 2025

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

About the course

Study the MSc Sociological Research at The University of Manchester, a top 5 UK university for Sociology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025) and among the country’s top three for research environment, quality and power (REF 2021) within one of the UK’s largest Sociology departments, celebrated for expertise in race, inequality and social networks.

You will explore the philosophical foundations of sociology, engage with current theoretical debates and design your own projects. Through dedicated research labs and specialist course units, you will gain practical experience in quantitative and qualitative analysis while our optional units allow you to explore broader themes such as digital society, gender or globalisation.

You will graduate with the ability to frame significant social questions, collect and analyse complex data and present findings to academic, policy and public audiences. The course is an ESRC-recognised 1+3 pathway, letting you move directly into funded PhD study; and its analytical training is prized across government, charities and business. See the full course profile on our website >

Join one of the UK's Top 3 universities for Sociology research

(Research Excellence Framework 2021)

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

(QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025)

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

Compulsory Units

Social Theory: Structure, Relations and Interaction (SRI);
Research Strategy and Project Management;
Philosophical and Methodological Foundations of Social Research;
Qualitative Research Methods;
MSc Dissertation.

Optional Units

Critical Theory;
Social Network Analysis: Concepts and Measures;
Social Capital and Social Change;
Cultural Criticism: Sources for a Public Sociology;
Sociology of Consumption.

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 across government, business and the third sector need sociologists who can turn data into decisions right now. On our MSc Sociological Research you will gain advanced quantitative and qualitative techniques, critical thinking and clear communication, building the analytical confidence to impress prospective employers.

Graduate with the ability to map inequality in national think tanks, evaluate policy for NGOs, manage research in healthcare, shape user insight teams in tech and advise strategy for global consultancies. Our recent graduates have gone on to roles such as Research Fellow, Policy Analyst, Lecturer, Consultant and Project Manager, demonstrating the way we train you to frame questions, test evidence and turn findings into strategic advice.

If research is your goal, this course is an Economic and Social Research Council-recognised 1+3 pathway that lets you step directly into a funded PhD at Manchester or another leading university and build a career in high impact sociological research and teaching.

Hannah Wilson

Sociological Research MSc Graduate

“One of the best things about the course is the opportunity to carry out smaller research projects within the QRM (Research Methods) units. This means that I will graduate having already had experience of carrying out qualitative and quantitative research.“