Social Science Research Methods

Social Science Research Methods - MRes

Social research helps us understand human behaviour, providing insights into social issues, personal experiences, public opinion, patterns of collective behaviour and what causes them. The MRes Social Science Research Methods offers a thorough grounding in a range of research skills and methodologies. You’ll gain practical experience of qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method analysis techniques and develop valuable transferable skills in critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving. Excellent preparation for further research or doctoral study, you’ll also be well placed for roles in business or government, marketing, policy-making, charitable organisations, education and training, or law.

Month of entry

September

Mode of study

Full time, Part time

Location

Keele University campus

Subject area

Social Science

Fees for 2023/24 academic year

UK - Full time £8,900 per year. Part time £4,900 per year.
International - £17,700 per year.

Duration of study

Full time 1 year, Part time 2 years, Modular up to 5 years

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Please note: this course is no longer accepting applications from international students for September 2023 entry

This course is open for January 2024 entry for UK and International students

Why study Social Science Research Methods at Keele University?

Flexible in its delivery, this course can be studied as either full-time over one year, part-time over two years, or on a modular basis up to five years, accumulating degree credits as you go

The MRes is recognised by and meets the requirements of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) postgraduate social science research training and development guidelines

Excellent student support, supervision and flexibility, allowing you to pursue a topic of interest - your choice - as part of the final dissertation

Keele is a member of the ESRC’s North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP), which opens up opportunities for PhD research funding

High staff-to-student ratio enhanced by small-group tutorials and a strong, inclusive research community

Course summary

Generating knowledge that can ultimately ease suffering and improve individual, community and even international relations, the impact of social science research cannot be underestimated. It helps policy makers recognise and understand social issues, informing decisions about the design and implementation of appropriate responses to anything from economic aid and education, to health and immigration.

Constantly evolving, social phenomena – the individual, social and external influences that affect our behaviour and opinions about life and our relationships with others – can have a profound effect on people’s lives and development when it comes to, for example, civil rights and racism, marriage and equal rights.

Blending theory, methodology and practice, this course provides systematic introductory and interdisciplinary research and researcher training. It is mapped against the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF), which articulates the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of successful world-class researchers.

You will learn how to plan, conduct and manage social research projects, developing theoretical models and recommendations to inform responses to real-world social issues as diverse as multiculturalism, political discourse and right-wing populism or extremism, volunteering, transitions to adulthood and employment.

The School of Social, Political and Global Studies benefits from internationally respected expertise within the disciplines of criminology, education, international relations, philosophy, politics and sociology.

From the outset, you will be paired with an experienced supervisor, receiving the guidance expected of a taught master’s, while having the freedom to research and write a dissertation on a topic of your choice. Recent topics covered by our students have included re-democratising education, parent participation and new school governance regimes, the 'quarter-life crisis', and the relationship between social media usage and wellbeing.

The MRes will be of particular interest if you are considering doctoral (PhD) study in a social science discipline or are seeking to work in the public, private or third sector – for example, in social or market research, social and health care, for local and national government or charitable and community organisations. If you already work in these areas, it provides practical, career-focused training to better develop your social research skills.

Alternatively, if you are a recent graduate and have not yet decided on a firm career, this master’s will support your personal and professional development. Among the many skills you’ll develop are critical thinking and reasoning, communication, mental flexibility, teamwork ability and self-leadership, some of the most in-demand essential transferable ‘soft’ skills according to global consultants McKinsey.

In addition to having the dedicated Keele Postgraduate Association, the University is a member of the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP). This MRes programme complies with the ESRC's research training requirements for PhD scholarships (commonly termed +3), and is also suitable as the master's year as part of an ESRC scholarship award that covers both the master's and PhD (commonly termed a 1+3 award).

Other courses you might be interested in:

PhD/MPhil Philosophy

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"The MRes was an excellent opportunity to prepare for my career as a qualitative research associate. The varied and hands-on modules challenged my thinking and gave me the opportunity to trial different research methods, analysis techniques and analysis software to discover my strengths, but importantly gave me the confidence to develop my weak spots! The small teaching groups allowed me to create a great support network with my peers and get to know the staff. The support that I received from staff was excellent and there was always someone available to answer questions or provide feedback on work. "

Tamsin, MRes Social Science Research Methods

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Course structure

Given the nature of an MRes programme, particular emphasis is put on research: with a high component of dedicated research support and training modules.

A central feature of Keele's MRes Social Science Research Methods is its flexible structure. This course can be studied as either a one-year full-time or two-year part-time course, with a September start date. It is also possible to study more flexibly part-time on a modular basis, accumulating degree credits by taking individual modules over a period of maximum of five years.

The taught component of the course includes seven compulsory core modules and one optional module. Much of this content is designed to equip you with additional skills in research, ensuring that ESRC guidelines on postgraduate training and development are met and that benchmark criteria set out within the Vitae framework are attained.

This purposefully seeks to develop your ability to think independently and address problem-solving in a systematic and disciplined way, equipping you with key transferable skills in project management, communication, analysis and reasoning. You’ll develop your ability to analyse complex information and present your arguments clearly and coherently.

Throughout, you will be preparing for the Dissertation (60 credits) which you will conduct and then write up in the later stages of the course.

Core Modules

The schedule below is indicative of one year of full-time study. If you study over two years part-time, course content will be the same, but the taught elements will be split over the two years.

GRT-40023 Approaches to Research Design and Process (15 credits, Semester 1)
Further preparing you to conduct a major piece of research, you'll be introduced to the main issues surrounding research questions, research design and evidence gathering across a range of social science disciplines. You will explore the differences between various types of research design - for example, experimental, cross-sectional and longitudinal research - and the consequences of these designs for the development of different methodologies, including interviews and focus groups, questionnaires and ethnography.

GRT-40028: Researcher Skills (15 credits, Semester 1)
You will gain a solid introduction to the knowledge, behaviour and attributes of successful researchers, according to the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF). This internationally-respected guidance covers the wide-ranging knowledge, intellectual abilities, techniques and professional standards, including ethics, expected to do research, as well as the personal qualities, knowledge and skills to work with others and ensure the wider impact of research.

SOC-40014 Philosophy of the Social Sciences (15 credits, Semester 1)
You will study the philosophy of the social sciences, together with philosophical debates around different methodological approaches to social science research. This module features the work of a range of key thinkers, including Durkheim, Popper, Kuhn, Weber, Adorno, and Foucault, who have informed the ways in which researchers consider knowledge in the social sciences. We start with the enlightenment idea of the search for science and the nineteenth century beginnings of social science. Topics covered include: naturalism, the relationship between the individual and society, falsificationism, paradigm shifts, the interpretive tradition, critical theory, structuralism and post-structuralism. The overall intention is for students to be able to apply different philosophical positions to their own research interests.

ETH-40051 Ethics in Research (15 credits, Semester 1)
You'll develop a critical understanding of key ethical issues in research, across academic and professional disciplines in social science, humanities and health. The focus of the module is on ethical analysis of such issues from a multidisciplinary perspective, rather than on specific regulatory and governance processes.

GRT-40026: Using Theory in Social Science Research (15 credits, Semester 2
This module offers advanced instruction in a range of theoretical perspectives - for example, symbolic interactionism, phenomenology and post-humanism - within social science research. Providing you with the tools to confidently apply theory to your research, it critically unpacks the relationship between methodology and theory. You will consider the differences between grand theory and general theory and learn to select the most suitable for our research in order to build a critical account of the field of study.

GRT-40020 Quantitative Research and Data Analysis (15 credits, Semester 2)
The module provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practices of quantitative social science research. You’ll become familiar with the different ways in which statistical, mathematical, or numerical data is collected and evaluated, through polls, questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques. You’ll also learn to evaluate and appraise these methods to assess their suitability in relation to the question of causality, for example, or in addressing problems of operationalisation and theories of sampling. Practical work will include questionnaire design, data analysis and the writing of a quantitative research design. You’ll also gain hands-on experience of SPSS software, which is widely used in the analysis of quantitative data sets.

GRT-40021 Qualitative Research Methods (15 credits, Semester 2)
Through discussion of the principles and practices of qualitative social research, this module provides a solid overview of the wide range of qualitative methods used in social science research. You will examine how qualitative methodologies inform research design and learn to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different forms of investigation, such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, participant observation, or visual (artistic) research. You’ll be introduced to associated methods of data capture, including field notes, audio and/or video recordings, and transcripts, gaining practical experience of the same NVivo software used by qualitative researchers in the management and analysis of qualitative data.

GRT-40017: Dissertation (60 credits, Semester 1,2 & 3)
Representing the culmination of your studies, the dissertation is the final piece of assessment on the programme. This is your chance to apply the skills and knowledge gained throughout the course and show your enthusiasm for the specific social and cultural questions that interest you. It provides an exciting opportunity to work under the supervision of an expert in your chosen field of interest, demonstrating a level of knowledge and understanding far beyond what you have learned in class. You will design and conduct an independent social science research project, including some form of primary social research. You will then produce a 15,000-word dissertation to report your findings. One previous dissertation for example, Wild Ospreys: grit, grace and one's own headspace, considered how reflections on non-human wild animals can support mental wellbeing and reveal new understandings of psychological resilience.

Elective Modules

In Semester 2, you will choose one 15-credit optional module. In 2021/22, this included the following modules, by way of example.

GRT-40018 Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (15 credits)
Building on your existing knowledge, this module delivers comprehensive advanced level training in the principles and practices of qualitative social science research, investigation and data analysis. You will learn how to develop a qualitative research design, plan your methods of investigation, and analyse the data with the aid of qualitative data analysis software, receiving advanced IT training in NVivo, a leading tool for qualitative and mixed-methods data analysis.

GRT-40019 Ethnographic Research (15 credits)
Ethnography is an approach to researching social life and culture that is traditionally found in the fields of anthropology and symbolic interactionism. Today, ethnographic methods are used in a broader spectrum of social science fields in order to unpack the nuance of everyday interactions. A combination of participation and observation in particular cultural settings makes ethnographic research distinct from other qualitative methods of inquiry, when seeking to understand cultural processes and individuals' roles as participants. This module has been designed to offer greater understanding of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of ethnographic research, as well as providing the opportunity to gain practical experience in conducting observational work.

GRT-40016: Independent Subject-Specific Research (15 credits) Full-time students only
If you choose to study full-time and wish to pursue advanced quantitative research and data analysis, this module will help you think through the different statistical approaches to data analysis. Supported by a subject specialist, you will develop a tailored learning plan to investigate research traditions, current theories, methods and research questions within your own subject of interest within the social sciences.

HLT-40002: Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis (15 credits) Part-time/modular students only
For those studying part-time or on a modular route basis, this module provides advanced training in quantitative methods and covers analytic methods such as extensions of the regression model and analysis of variance. It also provides an introduction to multivariate data reduction techniques such as factor analysis, and some specialist techniques (e.g., structural equation modelling). The material is predominately taught using SPSS, and although the module encourages a sound understanding of statistical principles, the primary emphasis is on practical data analysis.

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Internationally respected research

The School of Social, Political and Global Studies brings together multidisciplinary academics in Criminology, Education, International Relations, Philosophy, Politics and Sociology, whose research is internationally respected for its theoretical innovations and relevance to applications in the real world.

Teaching usually takes place in the Chancellor's building on the main campus, giving you easy access to lecture and seminar rooms, library facilities and computer laboratories as appropriate.

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Funding

LIVING COSTS

Keele University is located on a beautiful campus and has all the facilities of a small town. Student accommodation, shops, restaurants and cafes are all within walking distance of the teaching buildings. This is a very cost effective way to live and to reduce your living costs.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FUNDING

We are committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Please visit our Scholarships and Bursaries webpage for more information.

The MRes Social Science Research Methods is a recognised route on the 1+3 awards made by the ESRC North West Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP). Candidates may apply for funding towards master’s and doctoral (1+3/2+2) study, or doctoral study only (+3/+2). The NWSSDTP does not fund standalone master’s programmes.

Applications should be made via one of the following pathways:

Criminology, Social Policy and Social Work
Social Studies of Science, Technology and Medicine
Socio-legal Studies

Those interested in applying for 1+3 funding via the NWSSDTP, should contact the ESRC DTP Institutional Lead, Professor Yossi Nehushtan, to discuss their subject pathway and supervision requirements.

Please note, if your course offers a January start date, the January 2023 start date falls in the 2022/23 academic year. Please see the 2022/23 academic year fees for the relevant fees for starting this course in January 2023.

Planning your funding

It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses and not all students are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in some cases, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our Financial Support Team.

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"This course gave me the opportunity to develop my knowledge and understanding of research design and social theory as well as an opportunity to practically apply this understanding through supported pilot projects, assignments and my dissertation. The flexibility and support of the staff was invaluable in building my skills as a researcher. Based on my Master’s research I presented my first paper at the BELMAS / CCEAM Conference, July 2022 and published my first article in Management in Education."

Karen, MRes Social Science Research Methods

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Teaching, learning and assessment

How you'll be taught

This course includes a combination of taught classes, lectures, seminars, large and small group work and guided independent study. With smaller-sized classes, our ethos is very much about learning co-operatively and supportively in a friendly, nurturing environment, sharing your ideas with tutors and peers and vice versa.

The main focus of the programme is the research you'll participate in via your dissertation. You'll receive regular support and feedback from your research mentors and supervisors, which may take place online or face-to-face.

You will be taught by experienced, well-qualified staff who are research-active within the discipline, accomplished at working on research-funded projects nationally and internationally, and eager to share their teaching, research and professional experience to help you achieve success in your studies.

Though there are taught components to the course, we place a strong emphasis on student-led learning and research to help develop your independent research skills.

As a postgraduate student, you are also able to attend the School’s annual research seminar series, which will enable you to become involved in the School and University's research culture.

How you'll be assessed

The programme is assessed by a range of methods, including: portfolios, essays, a research proposal, reports, and exams. These enable assessment of your analytical abilities, and of your ability to evaluate particular debates, material, and evidence.

You must pass all taught modules before you can proceed to the dissertation. This is the final assessment on the programme and brings together your modular learning in the development and implementation of a significant piece of original research guided by your supervisor.

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Keele Postgraduate Association

Keele University is one of a handful of universities in the UK to have a dedicated students' union for postgraduate students. A fully registered charity, Keele Postgraduate Association serves as a focal point for the social life and welfare needs of all postgraduate students during their time at Keele.

KPA interior

Hugely popular, the KPA Clubhouse (near Horwood Hall) provides a dedicated postgraduate social space and bar on campus, where you can grab a bite to eat and drink, sit quietly and read a book, or switch off from academic life at one of the many regular events organised throughout the year. The KPA also helps to host a variety of conferences, as well as other academic and career sessions, to give you and your fellow postgraduates the opportunities to come together to discuss your research, and develop your skills and networks.

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Our expertise

The MRes in Social Science Research Methods is taught by an international faculty with a wide range of expertise in social science research theories and methodologies. We offer academic expertise in a variety of social science disciplines including sociology, criminology, education, and human geography.

Teaching team includes:

Dr Ranji Devadason (Programme Director), Lecturer – Ranji joined Keele in January 2019, having previously worked at Bath Spa University and the University of Bristol. Her research addresses questions about work identities and organisations, transnational mobility, place attachment and belonging, young adulthood and the life course.

Dr Emma Head, Lecturer – Emma's research interests are in the fields of sociology of the family, motherhood, the home, care, paid and unpaid work, poverty and social exclusion. Her work has been concerned with developing a sociological approach to the study of the lives of lone mothers to complement the policy focus which has dominated research in this area.

Dr Siobhan Holohan, Senior Lecturer – Siobhan worked in various private sector jobs before completing undergraduate and postgraduate studies, including a PhD thesis on the media representation of law and order discourses. Prior to her appointment at Keele in 2004, she held lectureships at Loughborough University and Staffordshire University and has spent time teaching and researching in Canada and Japan. Her research lies broadly in the area of media representation and discourses of social exclusion, and focuses specifically on theories of identity, multiculturalism and confession.

Dr Rebecca Leach, Senior Lecturer – Rebecca's research interests lie in the area of consumption and material culture, with specific focus on the home and the role of taste in constructing identities and relationships. Her first book, The Search for Justice in a Media Age, 2005, examined two high profile cases: the US trial of British au pair Louise Woodward and the murder of Stephen Lawrence, in order to reveal how the organisation of public discourse around a sacrificial figure intensifies patterns of social inclusion/exclusion.

Dr Jane Parish, Senior Lecturer – Jane is an anthropologist whose research looks at the West African diaspora in Europe and the United States. Conducting fieldwork among Ghanaian immigrants in London, Liverpool, Paris, New York and Detroit, she looks at how conflicts about wealth, accumulation and identity, are negotiated through witchcraft discourses at Akan spirit shrines. Publishing extensively on these topics in peer reviewed journals, her most recent work is with Akan shrine priests in Brooklyn, Harlem and The Bronx and shows how shrines seek to reconcile the lavish consumption and extravagant lifestyles found in Manhattan with the failing American dream of their Black African and African American clients living in America’s rust belt.

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