Department of Sociology | Masters by Research (MPhil) Sociology 12 months Postgraduate Program By Durham University |Top Universities
Subject Ranking

# 101-150QS Subject Rankings

Program Duration

12 monthsProgram duration

Scholarship

YesScholarships

Main Subject Area

SociologyMain Subject Area

Program overview

Main Subject

Sociology

Degree

MPhil

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

On Campus

Masters by Research (MPhil) Sociology at Durham University

[email protected]


The Department of Sociology encompass a breadth of activities, with our main focus on the application of social science methods and concepts to social and policy issues.


Cutting across the Department and the wider Faculty and institution, colleagues in the Department are actively involved in Interdisciplinary Research Centres, notably Violence & Abuse, Social Justice & Community Action, and in Institutes including the Institute of Hazard, Risk & Resilience and the Institute of Advanced Study and the Wolfson Research Institute for Health & Wellbeing.


Our Postgraduate Researchers are an integral part of the Department and participate in, and often organise, our research seminars, away days, training sessions and social events. Our research training is delivered as part of the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) recognised NINE Doctoral Training Partnership.


Sociology at Durham is grounded in the Department's five core research themes. We welcome candidates for our research degrees who are interested in developing their own thesis in an area that intersects with these and where we have staff available to supervise.


The following research degrees are offered:


  • MA by Research
  • MPhil by Research
  • PhD


The Department’s research activity focuses on five main research themes, around which we organise research groups of staff and postgraduate researchers to share and develop research ideas and practices. These groups are currently:


  • Communities & Social Justice
  • Higher Education & Social Inequality
  • Violence & Abuse
  • Health & Social Theory
  • Criminal Justice, Social Harm and Inequalities


Department Expertise


The Department also has expertise in the following disciplinary areas:


  • Criminology - Criminology and deviance, hate crime, crime reduction and prevention, forensic investigation, criminal justice systems, prisons;
  • Sociology - Globalisation, science and technology, identity, culture, social capital, entrepreneurialism, social inequality, health and illness, complexity theory, methodologies;
  • Social Policy - Health inequality, social exclusion, regeneration, housing, education, local and regional government, professional ethics, cultural strategies;
  • Social Work - Child well-being, children’s rights and child mistreatment; adoption, fostering, and residential child care; disability, mental health and older age; green social work, post-disaster social work, professional ethics, service user involvement, community development and social change, globalisation and international social work;
  • Community & Youth Work - Community development, community-based research, participatory action research, faith-based community and youth work, cross-community interaction, community-based responses to debt, ethics and politics of community development.


Since 2019 the Department has annually held a Sociology in Action week. Linked to our research and our taught curriculum, the aim of this week is to take our work out of the classroom and explore Sociology and Criminology from a different perspective.


Sociology graduates work in a wide range of settings all over the world, including health and welfare, local and central government and the Civil Service, education, the police, social research, the media and non-profit organisations. Many recent graduates from the Department have progressed to careers with high-profile employers including M&S, Mencap, Accenture and Unilever. Others have moved on to postgraduate study and academic research.


In Criminology, as well as building detailed subject-specific knowledge of criminological issues, our courses are designed to develop transferable skills that are valuable for both personal and professional development including, how to assemble and evaluate evidence, how to turn evidence into an effective argument, how to design a research project and analyse data.


Our graduates work in a wide range of employment settings worldwide, including the criminal justice system, the Civil Service, local and national government, banking, academic research and law (through graduate conversion programmes).


Durham University: Inspiring the Extraordinary

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world.

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other!

Program overview

Main Subject

Sociology

Degree

MPhil

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

On Campus

Masters by Research (MPhil) Sociology at Durham University

[email protected]


The Department of Sociology encompass a breadth of activities, with our main focus on the application of social science methods and concepts to social and policy issues.


Cutting across the Department and the wider Faculty and institution, colleagues in the Department are actively involved in Interdisciplinary Research Centres, notably Violence & Abuse, Social Justice & Community Action, and in Institutes including the Institute of Hazard, Risk & Resilience and the Institute of Advanced Study and the Wolfson Research Institute for Health & Wellbeing.


Our Postgraduate Researchers are an integral part of the Department and participate in, and often organise, our research seminars, away days, training sessions and social events. Our research training is delivered as part of the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) recognised NINE Doctoral Training Partnership.


Sociology at Durham is grounded in the Department's five core research themes. We welcome candidates for our research degrees who are interested in developing their own thesis in an area that intersects with these and where we have staff available to supervise.


The following research degrees are offered:


  • MA by Research
  • MPhil by Research
  • PhD


The Department’s research activity focuses on five main research themes, around which we organise research groups of staff and postgraduate researchers to share and develop research ideas and practices. These groups are currently:


  • Communities & Social Justice
  • Higher Education & Social Inequality
  • Violence & Abuse
  • Health & Social Theory
  • Criminal Justice, Social Harm and Inequalities


Department Expertise


The Department also has expertise in the following disciplinary areas:


  • Criminology - Criminology and deviance, hate crime, crime reduction and prevention, forensic investigation, criminal justice systems, prisons;
  • Sociology - Globalisation, science and technology, identity, culture, social capital, entrepreneurialism, social inequality, health and illness, complexity theory, methodologies;
  • Social Policy - Health inequality, social exclusion, regeneration, housing, education, local and regional government, professional ethics, cultural strategies;
  • Social Work - Child well-being, children’s rights and child mistreatment; adoption, fostering, and residential child care; disability, mental health and older age; green social work, post-disaster social work, professional ethics, service user involvement, community development and social change, globalisation and international social work;
  • Community & Youth Work - Community development, community-based research, participatory action research, faith-based community and youth work, cross-community interaction, community-based responses to debt, ethics and politics of community development.


Since 2019 the Department has annually held a Sociology in Action week. Linked to our research and our taught curriculum, the aim of this week is to take our work out of the classroom and explore Sociology and Criminology from a different perspective.


Sociology graduates work in a wide range of settings all over the world, including health and welfare, local and central government and the Civil Service, education, the police, social research, the media and non-profit organisations. Many recent graduates from the Department have progressed to careers with high-profile employers including M&S, Mencap, Accenture and Unilever. Others have moved on to postgraduate study and academic research.


In Criminology, as well as building detailed subject-specific knowledge of criminological issues, our courses are designed to develop transferable skills that are valuable for both personal and professional development including, how to assemble and evaluate evidence, how to turn evidence into an effective argument, how to design a research project and analyse data.


Our graduates work in a wide range of employment settings worldwide, including the criminal justice system, the Civil Service, local and national government, banking, academic research and law (through graduate conversion programmes).


Durham University: Inspiring the Extraordinary

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world.

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other!

Admission requirements

1 Year
Sep-2024

Tuition fee and scholarships

One of the important factors when considering a master's degree is the cost of study. Luckily, there are many options available to help students fund their master's programme. Download your copy of the Scholarship Guide to find out which scholarships from around the world could be available to you, and how to apply for them.

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More programs from the university

Durham University is a globally outstanding centre of teaching, learning and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, in a unique and historic setting. Durham is a university like no other!

We conduct innovative and impactful research to transform lives and make a difference globally and locally: research to empower and inspire.

We offer a broad range of courses. Our degree programmes are informed by research undertaken by our high-calibre staff in partnership with policymakers, industry, the public sector and communities globally.
 
Alongside the outstanding education we offer to students, we believe that participating in every aspect of university life is fundamental. The deep affinities created by each of our 17 Colleges ensure that we always have a sense of community at the heart of all we do.

Durham's four Faculties offer a host of Undergraduate courses covering a variety of subject disciplines:

  • Durham University Business School
  • Faculty of Arts & Humanities
  • Faculty of Science
  • Faculty of Social Sciences & Health

Opportunities for multidisciplinary studies are also available through the Department of Natural Sciences, Department of Liberal Arts or the Department of Combined Honours in Social Sciences.

Please visit the Durham University website (www.durham.ac.uk) for the full available suite of Undergraduate programmes.

Durham University: Inspiring the Extraordinary

Durham University is a globally outstanding centre of teaching, learning and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, in a unique and historic setting. Durham is a university like no other!

We conduct innovative and impactful research to transform lives and make a difference globally and locally: research to empower and inspire.

We offer a broad range of courses. Our degree programmes are informed by research undertaken by our high-calibre staff in partnership with policymakers, industry, the public sector and communities globally.
 
Alongside the outstanding education we offer to students, we believe that participating in every aspect of university life is fundamental. The deep affinities created by each of our 17 Colleges ensure that we always have a sense of community at the heart of all we do.

Durham's four Faculties offer a host of Masters/Postgraduate Taught courses covering a variety of subject disciplines:

  • Durham University Business School
  • Faculty of Arts & Humanities
  • Faculty of Science
  • Faculty of Social Sciences & Health

Please visit the Durham University website (www.durham.ac.uk) for the full available suite of Masters/Postgraduate Taught programmes.

Durham University: Inspiring the Extraordinary

Postgrad programs 170