Which course would you like to apply for?

Apply for PhD
Apply for MPhil

PhD Sociology and Social Policy

Enquire now

As a PhD researcher in Sociology and Social Policy, you’ll benefit from our desire to engage with communities at a local, national or international level and our aspiration to produce research that makes a positive difference to society.

Key facts

Award
MPhil, PhD
Start date
1st day of any month
Duration
3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
Mode of study
full time, part time

PhD projects in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Stirling explore themes such as social inequalities and identities, substance use, welfare systems, social networks, cooperation, and social research methodology. Many of our doctoral projects take an applied research focus, meaning that they explore how policy and practice can impact directly upon stakeholders’ lives or upon organisational or institutional arrangements. The faculty also has a strong tradition of supporting theoretical and methodological doctoral research, and PhD projects that take advantage of new, sometimes large-scale, data resources.

We often host students funded by SGSSS ESRC scholarships comprising ‘Student-led’ or ‘Supervisor-led’ awards. Our Faculty also hosts and collaborates with renowned centres and networks such as the Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, the Centre for Environment, Dementia and Ageing Research, the Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research, and many more. Our staff profiles and research group summaries show more extended details on areas of research and expertise within the Faculty. 

As a PhD researcher in Sociology and Social Policy, you’ll benefit from our desire to engage with communities at a local, national or international level and our aspiration to produce research that makes a positive difference to society. We foster a supportive, encouraging environment where you will have many chances to interact with other members of the Faculty as well as your supervisory team, and ample opportunities to participate in career-enhancing activities such as generic skills training, gaining small volumes of teaching experience, and building advanced skills in your particular methodological field.

The University also offers a Doctor of Applied Social Research course as another route for Doctoral-level study in this field.

We're ranked 3rd in Scotland and top 25 in the UK for Social Work and Social Policy – with 100% of our research environment and 88% of our research deemed world leading or internationally excellent. (REF 2021)

Entry requirements

An upper second class honours Bachelors degree or higher qualification. For some studentships and programmes of study a suitable masters degree may be specified.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:

  • IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each sub-skill.
  • Pearson Test of English (Academic) 62 overall with 60 in each sub-skill.
  • IBT TOEFL 80 overall with 18 in reading, 23 in writing, 19 in listening and 21 in speaking.

Propose your own PhD topic

To propose your own PhD topic in Sociology and Social Policy, follow the application guidelines below.

How to apply

Follow these steps to apply for a research degree at the University of Stirling.

Step 1: Develop your research proposal

Before applying for a research degree, it’s important that you have a clear idea of what you would like to research, what you hope to achieve, and how you plan to achieve it. Your research proposal is your chance to lay out all of these details as part of the application process.

A research proposal should include a background, rationale and context as to why you want to undertake your research, as well as detailing clear aims and objectives. The proposal should also include more detail about your expertise, methodology and how you will approach your study.

For guidance on how to produce a good research proposal, you can take a look at our guidance on writing a research proposal.

You’ll submit your research proposal as part of the online PhD application form.

Step 2: Choosing a subject area and finding a supervisor

Once you’re confident you have a good core idea for the research you’d like to carry out, you should identify the subject area your research will fall under.

Our PhD subject areas page shows all of the broad topics we offer supervision in, but we appreciate that every PhD is an original idea and may not sit neatly under a single subject area. You should apply for the area that seems most relevant to your research proposal, and we can always reallocate applications to the most suitable subject area after you apply.  

Supervision

Before starting the application process, we recommend that you try to identify a supervisor who you would like to guide and mentor you during your studies. By using our Find a Supervisor tool, you can search for members of staff operating in your chosen field and make contact with them to check their availability and discuss your research proposal.

You can still apply for a research degree without naming a supervisor in your application form, but making initial contact with one of our experts can be a helpful way to ensure your application is as strong as possible.

Step 3: Apply

Use the apply link on any subject area page to start your PhD application.

The application form will ask you for a range of information and documentation, including your research proposal, how you plan to fund your studies, proof of qualifications, an academic reference and a CV.

If you’re applying for a PhD in English Studies, Publishing Studies, French, Linguistics, Religion, Spanish, Translation Studies, Global Cinema or Creative Writing, you’ll also be asked to upload a writing sample – see our supporting documents guidance for more information.

You can save your application form progress at any time, so even if you don’t have everything you need to hand right away, you can come back and fill in the blanks later.

If you meet the initial entry requirements, the Admissions Office will pass your application to Faculty for academic review. You will also receive an email with details of how to access the applicant portal and track the progress of your application. We look forward to hearing from you.

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fee rates 2024/25
UK studentsOverseas students
Full-time£4,786£18,200
Part-time£2,393£9,100
Registration-only fee£480£480
Annual tuition fee rates 2025/26
UK studentsOverseas students
Full-time£5,006£19,500
Part-time£2,503£9,750
Registration-only fee£490£490

Important information about fees

If you're studying a PhD full time, fees will be payable for your first three years. For subsequent years you'll only pay an annual 'registration-only' fee. Part-time PhD fees are payable over six years, followed by the annual 'registration-only' fee.

If you're studying an MPhil full-time, fees are payable for your first two years, followed by an annual 'registration-only' fee. Part-time MPhil fees are payable over four years, followed by the annual 'registration-only fee.

Fees are charged each year. Overseas PhD fees are fixed at the point of entry, so you will be charged the same fee each year, based on when you started your programme. For UK students, fees are subject to change each year.

Funding opportunities and scholarships

Explore options for funding your PhD and associated living costs while you study

What our students said

Jennifer Ferguson
Jennifer Ferguson
United Kingdom
PhD Sociology
Studying at Stirling not only taught me a lot about sociology and research design, but it also gave me opportunities elsewhere. It’s hard work, but if you put the effort in, opportunities will present themselves - even if they are not the opportunities you expected!
Read Jennifer's story

Supporting your studies

The Institute for Advanced Studies supports our thriving PhD research community with resources and networking opportunities. The Institute connects you with a global community of scholars, industry experts, leading academics and employers from a diverse range of interdisciplinary research areas.

See how the Institute for Advanced Studies can support you.

Get in touch

If you have any questions about studying a PhD at the University of Stirling, please contact us.

ias@stir.ac.uk