Sociology and Social Policy (MSc) drafted

Program Overview

---

Explore how society works and discover the causes of social inequality on this MSc Sociology and Social Policy master's course. Here at the University of Southampton, you'll learn about issues such as globalisation, gender and class, and understand how they relate to social policy concepts. These include health, social risk and the welfare state. We offer 3 different pathways on this course, allowing you to fit your studies to your interests or career plans.

On this UK master’s course you’ll gain in-depth knowledge of:

the main themes and debates in sociology and how to use them to analyse social issues

the main issues in the philosophy of social science

conceptual debates in social policy

qualitative and quantitative research methods, and data analysis techniques

designing and conducting independent research in sociology or social policy

When you apply for this course, we’ll ask you to choose one of the 3 following pathways to reflect your personal interests or career plans. There is some module variation between pathways, but you’ll gain the same overview of key topics whichever pathway you choose.

Substantive pathway: This focuses on the key concepts of sociology and social policy, and how these relate to contemporary policy issues.

International social policy pathway: This focuses on understanding global social inequality, policy responses, and governance.

Research methods pathway: This focuses on quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Flexible study

If you prefer, you can apply to study this course as:

a part-time master's - study the same course content over 2 or more years

Your modules and fees may vary if you choose a different study option.

---

---

---

---

Course lead

Your course leader is Traute Meyer, Professor of Social Policy. Her research contributes to comparative welfare state research in Europe, with a particular focus on the role of private agents as social policy players in European pension regimes. Read

Professor Meyer’s staff profile

to find out more about her work.

Program Outline

Your studies on the full-time course will last 12 months, from September to the following September.

For the first 8 months (semesters 1 and 2) you'll focus on the taught part of the course.

The modules you study will depend on your choice of pathway. Some modules will be compulsory, other we’ll ask you to choose from a list of options.

For the rest of the course, you’ll work independently on your dissertation. You’ll have one-to-one meetings with your supervisor during this time to discuss your progress.

Want more detail?

See all the modules in the course.