Location: Colchester Campus
Duration: Full-time: 1 year, Part-time: 2 years
Fees: Home/EU: £9,200 (FT), International: £19,740 (FT)
Teaching Staff: Taught by Understanding Society team

The course explores topics such as sampling, questionnaire design, analysis of survey data and survey management processes.

The course is based within the Sociology Department at the University of Essex. Our Department of Sociology was rated top 10 in the UK for research quality (REF 2014), and ranked 9th in the UK for Sociology in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021. This course has ESRC Doctoral Training Centre accreditation, meaning it can form part of a 1+3 funding opportunity worth up to £18,000 for talented postgraduates. Our University is one of only 21 ESRC-accredited Doctoral Training Centres in the UK.

This MSc course explores the methods used to discover how people behave, what they believe and what opinions they hold. You will learn about the different sampling techniques needed to access different population groups and the best ways to design questionnaires. The course prepares students for a professional career in social, academic or market research. Central to the course is an emphasis on practical learning and experiences, so students undertake a short work placement in one of number of professional research organisations as part of the MSc programme. 

A real highlight for me was being offered a 1+3 studentship which enabled me to do a Masters in Sociology in my first year and follow all of the quantitative methods modules that I could (i.e. intro to quantitative methods; advanced quantitative methods / panel data; and sampling/non-response) – this was a fantastic way to ease myself back into study after many years working ~ Larissa Pople, ISER PhD student. 

Requirements

To be considered for the MSc programme you will need a degree with an overall 2:1 or international equivalent in a Social Science, Humanities, Statistics or Maths. Your degree must also have included at least two quantitative or research methods modules.

Please apply via the University of Essex website.