2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Programme Catalogue

MA Social Research

Total credits: 180

Entry requirements:

Entry Requirements are available on the Course Search entry

School/Unit responsible for the parenting of students and programme:

School of Sociology and Social Policy

Examination board through which the programme will be considered:

Relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Groups:

ESRC Post Graduate training and development guidelines (https://www.ukri.org/publications/esrc-postgraduate-training-and-development-guidelines/)

Programme specification:

This programme will appeal to people who are looking for an advanced theoretical and practical training in social research methods and who would like to apply their training to real-world problems. Graduates go on to work in government agencies, quasi-governmental, national and international non-governmental organizations, not-for-profit and private-sector organizations where they design, implement and deliver social research. The course also offers a rigorous foundation for PhD studies in the Social Sciences. It has been designed to meet the guidelines for post graduate training for social research developed by the Economic and Social Research Council.

The MA Social Research will provide students with highly marketable skills in qualitative techniques (e.g. interviewing, focus groups), quantitative techniques (e.g. surveys and social statistics) and mixed-method research. The programme focuses upon real-world research and evaluation problems. Students will learn about the underlying philosophical and methodological foundations of social research as well as the practical application of social research methods. They will have the opportunity to specialize, drawing upon the extensive and internationally recognized research and methodological expertise of academic staff across the University of Leeds, and researchers and users of research from public, not-for-profit, and private sector organizations.

The programme will be taught by experts in realist research and evaluation methodologies, qualitative longitudinal research and techniques that are inclusive and empowering of marginalized groups. Staff teaching onto this programme are also methodological innovators, having interests in big data, data analytics, longitudinal qualitative data and its archiving, evaluation methodologies, visual methods and social media research. Our research and expertise will inform the content, opportunities and possible areas of study for students undertaking the MA Social Research.

This innovative programme of learning and teaching aims to provide students with a thorough and critical understanding of a wide range of social research strategies, and of information relevant to social research practice. This includes the significance of different theoretical and epistemological bases of social research, and the relation of the social research enterprise to key concerns and debates within an elective pathway in sociology, social policy, gender studies or disability studies amongst other areas of expertise within the School. It aims to familiarize students with issues in the relationships between research, practice and policy, and in the use and dissemination of social research.

Students will have the opportunity to develop specialist knowledge and mastery of a portfolio of 'hands on' methodological skills, knowledge and competencies, incorporating quantitative and qualitative methods, and to demonstrate an understanding of the evaluation and application of these methods.

Students will be required to demonstrate the ability to design and execute a piece of social research, making practical use of methodological knowledge and skills developed in the programme, and to formulate a rigorous and independent argument on the basis of that research and its methodology.

Year1 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules

Optional modules:

Candidates will be required to study 60 credits from the following Dissertation modules

Candidates will be required to study 30 credits from the following optional modules:

Last updated: 14/06/2024 12:12:08

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