Social Research Methods

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This programme is designed as training for doctoral research or pre-professional training careers in social research. Specialis2 in one of the following options: Sociology, Social Psychology, Statistics, Social Policy, Philosophy, Government, Management, Decision and Policy Sciences, Development Studies and Population.

This programme is based in LSE's Methodology Institute and offers the following benefits:

* An advanced training in quantitative and qualitative social research methods, in the context of a disciplinary specialisation.
* A syllabus that goes some way beyond the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) requirements for the first year of a 1+3 PhD programme. The MSc is designed as a training for doctoral research and as a pre-professional training for careers in social research in the public and private sectors.
* Almost 50 per cent of the graduates of this programme have entered PhD programmes, or are working in social research in universities or national and local government.
* Study within LSE's Methodology Institute, which is a base for cross-disciplinary research and teaching in the broad area of social science methodology.
* The Institute has links with both governmental and private sector research groups.
* The programme is taught jointly with other departments in the School.

You take core courses in research design, quantitative analysis and qualitative research methods, and a unit in a specialist field. You also submit a research report of 10,000 words on a topic related to your specialist field of study, and you have the chance to take short courses on computer packages for qualitative analysis and interviewing skills during the year.

Core courses
(* half unit)

* Quantitative Analysis from basic to advanced (two half units)
* Qualitative Social Research: Interview, Text and Image*
* Fundamentals of Research Design*
* Dissertation

Options

Choose to the value of one unit from the range of optional courses in your chosen specialist field:

Sociology

* Politics and Society
* Crime and Society: Concepts and Method
* Sociology of Employment I: Social Relations at Work*
* Sociology of Employment II: Contemporary Management and Globalisation*
* Gender and Societies*
* Non-traditional Data: New Dimensions in Qualitative Research*

Social Psychology

* Any graduate level course(s) in Social Psychology, subject to timetabling constraints, and as approved by the course manager, to the value of one course unit.

Philosophy

* Philosophy of Science
* Philosophy of the Social Sciences
* Philosophy of Economics

Social Policy

* Social Policy Research

Statistics

* Special Topics in Quantitative Analysis*
* Research Design for Experimental and Observational Studies*
* Multilevel and Longitudinal Modelling*
* Statistical Inference: Principles, Methods and Computation*

Decision and Policy Sciences

* Any course from MSc Decision Sciences, subject to timetabling constraints, and as approved by the course tutor.

Government

* Any graduate level course(s) in Government, subject to timetabling constraints, and as approved by the course tutor, to the value of one course unit.

Development Studies

* Any graduate level course(s) in Development Studies, subject to timetabling constraints, and as approved by the course tutor, to the value of one course unit.

Management

* Any graduate level course(s) in Management, subject to timetabling constraints, and as approved by the course tutor, to the value of one course unit.

Population

* Population Analysis: Methods and Models*

Plus choose one half unit from the following:

* Population and Development: An Analytical Approach*
* Planning for Population and Development*
* Reproductive Health Programmes: Design, Implementation and Evaluation*
* Demography of the Developing World*
* Gender and European Welfare States*
* Health and Population in Contemporary Developed Societies*
* Health and Population in Developing and Transitional Societies*

Please note that not all options will be available every year and the choice of options may be constrained by timetable limitations.

Minimum entry requirement: * 2:1 in social science. Relevant professional experience can also be consideredEnglish requirement: * TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with a minimum score of 603 in the paper test or 100 in the internet based test. For full information on TOEFL and testing centres worldwide, please see * IELTS (International English Language Testing System) with a minimum score of 6.5. For full details about the British Council's English tests, please see English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 CAE score: (read more) Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is part of the Cambridge English suite and is targeted at a high level (IETLS 6.5-8.0). It is an international English language exam set at the right level for academic and professional success. Developed by Cambridge English Language Assessment - part of the University of Cambridge - it helps you stand out from the crowd as a high achiever. 80 (Grade A) TOEFL paper-based test score : 603 TOEFL iBT® test: 100 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.

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Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

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Fee reductions and rewards
LSE undergraduates starting taught postgraduate study at the School are eligible for a fee reduction in the region of ten per cent of the fee. These reductions are available for UK, EU and non-EU students. The School offers a range of rewards for early payment of fees for all self-financed students.

Scholarships for study at LSE

LSE makes available over £12 million annually in financial support for its students via a range of scholarships, bursaries and award schemes, details of which can be found on these pages. LSE's world class programmes attract a consistently high calibre of applicants, many of whom seek financial support from the School, so there is always much competition for our awards. Securing the necessary funds to attend LSE can be a difficult and time consuming process so you should start to think about it as early as possible. Please be aware that the School will be unable to offer you any financial assistance if you knowingly register under funded. The relevant link on the left will take you to the awards available for your chosen level of study.

The School would like to thank the many donors who have contributed to the New Futures Fund, which provides funds for a number of discretionary scholarships.

Diploma, LLM, MA, MSc and MSc (Research) programmes

There are a range of awards available for study at this level. Approximately 19% of taught masters offer holders are successful in obtaining some form of financial support from the School. The value of support ranges in value from 10% of the tuition fee to a full fees and maintenance award.

Graduate Support Scheme

LSE's major financial support scheme for study at taught masters level is the Graduate Support Scheme (GSS). This scheme is open to all applicants, with the exception of those undertaking specific modular or executive programmes such as the MSc in Finance (Part time) or the MSc in Health Economics, Policy and Management. Around £2 million is available annually in the form of awards from the Graduate Support Scheme. The Scheme is designed to help students who do not have sufficient funds to meet all their costs of study. GSS awards range in value from £3,000 to a maximum of £10,000, and have an average value of £6,000. Application to the Graduate Support Scheme is via the LSE Graduate Financial Support Application form. This form will be made available to you once you have submitted an application for admission to the School. The form will then be available until 27 April 2011.

Awards

If you complete the LSE Graduate Financial Support Application form, and are made an offer of admission by 27 April 2011, you will also be automatically considered for any other awards being offered by LSE, for which you are eligible, with the exception of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding where there are separate, department led processes in place. AHRC and ESRC funding is relevant to Home UK and Home EU applicants only, and there are also subject restrictions in place. We offer a range of awards based on different criteria such as a specific programme of study, nationality, or country of permanent domicile. In addition, a number of external organisations offer funding to support postgraduate study. We recommend that applicants follow up as many avenues as possible to find funding. Please be aware that if you accept funding from an external source, it is your responsibility to check the terms of the award. Some awards are accompanied by specific terms and conditions which you should be sure you able to meet before accepting the award. Information about other Awards offered by LSE or external organisations. Please take some time to look at all the other awards available to support your study at LSE. The details of these awards are updated each October, but new LSE awards may become available during the course of the admissions cycle. We will only write to successful applicants for these awards. Selection for these awards will take place between May and July 2011 and all successful applicants will be notified by 31 July 2011.