Overview

With the Social Research Methods programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science you will benefit from the knowledge and expertise of staff whose disciplinary backgrounds include political science, statistics, sociology, social psychology, anthropology and criminology. There are a variety of advanced-level courses, seminars and workshops in research design, quantitative analysis and qualitative methods available for you to attend.

The Department of Methodology at LSE supports both standalone qualitative and quantitative research, as well as interesting ways of combining them. We encourage applications from candidates who demonstrate an interest in a substantive area of research and particular methodological approach, aiming at a methodological development. This could involve collecting innovative new data, new analytic techniques, method comparison, evaluation or validation, method critique, applying existing methodology in new contexts, or cost-benefit analysis of methodologies.

Careers

Students who successfully complete the programme often embark on an academic career.

Many leading organisations give careers presentations at the School during the year, and LSE Careers has a wide range of resources available to assist students in their job search.

Top 5 sectors our students work in:

Information, Digital Technology and Data
Education, Teaching and Research
Financial and Professional Services
Government, Public Sector and Policy
International Organisations

Programme Structure

Curriculum:

In the first year, students will typically spend a portion of their time taking some methodological and/or substantive courses. These are selected in discussion with the supervisors dependent on assessed needs. The courses will normally be some of the research courses taught by the Department of Methodology (any courses with course codes MY5**) but they may also include courses from other LSE departments.
The supervisors may require that a student be formally assessed for some such courses, and that the results of these assessments be included as part of the conditions for progression to the second year. Any such conditions will be communicated to the student in writing early in the Michaelmas term of Year 1.
Courses that are not formally required for progression can be either assessed (taken for credit) or audited. Students should agree with their supervisors which courses they will take for credit and which courses they will audit.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 36 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-29 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-04-25 00:00:00

Language

English

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

London, United Kingdom

Disciplines

Sociology View 117 other PhDs in Sociology in United Kingdom

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Academic requirements

GPA

Required

English requirements

We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.

Other requirements

General requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this programme is an upper second class honours (2:1) degree and a merit in an MSc broadly similar to the MSc Social Research Methods, or equivalent.
Competition for places at the School is high. This means that even if you meet our minimum entry requirement, this does not guarantee you an offer of admission.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

23500 GBP / year

≈ 23500 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

5006 GBP / year

≈ 5006 GBP / year

Living costs

London

United Kingdom

1137 - 2157 GBP / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

The School recognizes that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country, and we provide generous scholarships each year to home and overseas students.Find out more about financial support.

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Social Research Methods.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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