This MRes will provide advanced theoretical and practical training in postgraduate research. You'll learn from internationally recognised Sociology experts in the sophisticated research environment of a long-established and influential Department.
Introduction
Whether economic or cultural inequalities, the dangers of our online lifestyles, the definitions and consequences of crime or the social dimensions associated with problems such as health, we aim to give our students an exciting study experience to understand better what it means to be social, where society might be heading and what we can do to contribute to all our social future.
Our teaching draws upon the expertise of the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, where the academic environment and approachable staff create an atmosphere of mutual knowledge exchange between staff and students.
We’ll introduce you to the politics and practice of social research. You’ll explore the following aspects of the research process: the context of the modern university; the role of the social scientist; power, critique and reflexivity in the social sciences; the constraints, benefits and limitations of social science.
You’ll conduct an extensive research project on a subject of your choice supported by regular supervision from a sociological expert. We will provide you with research training to equip you with transferable skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving and project management.
This MRes is an excellent research training opportunity, and you’ll gain valuable experience whether you’re preparing for a career or looking for continuous professional development.
Who is this course for?
This master’s is suitable for graduates from the Social Sciences or related areas who want advanced theoretical and practical training in postgraduate-level research.
What you'll learn
How to plan and conduct a large sociological research project
A critical understanding of epistemological, methodological and ethical approaches in social research
Training in general research skills
Skills in scholarly presentation, documentation, critical evaluation and the communication of ideas
How social, public and civil policy can be influenced by sociological knowledge
Project management and problem-solving skills
Course content
Discover what you'll learn, what you'll study, and how you'll be taught and assessed.
If you're able to study part-time, you'll
study the same modules as the full-time master's degree over a longer period, usually 24 months. You
can make studying work for you by arranging your personal schedule
around lectures and seminars which take place during the day. After you
complete all the taught modules, you will complete your final
dissertation or project and will celebrate your achievements
at graduation the following term.
Studying part-time means you can study alongside work or any
other life commitments. You will
study the same modules as the full-time master's degree over a longer period, usually 24 months. You
can make studying work for you by arranging your personal schedule
around lectures and seminars which take place during the day. After you
complete all the taught modules, you will complete your final
dissertation or project and will celebrate your achievements
at graduation the following term.
Semester one
The programme consists of 60 credits of taught modules and a 30,000 word dissertation worth 120 credits.
In Semester one, you are required to take two 15 credit modules.
The process of preparing the dissertation, including developing a research question and proposal, will take place throughout Semesters one and two. Your dissertation will usually be submitted in September.
Compulsory modules
THE POLITICS AND PRACTICES OF SOCIAL RESEARCH (SOCI501)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module provides students with an introduction to the politics and practice of social research. It does so by exploring the following aspects of the research process: the context of the modern university; the role of the social scientist; power, critique and reflexivity in the social sciences; the constraints, benefits and limitations of social science. Those are explored in relation to practical dillemas and cases studies in social science research.
PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE (SOCI504)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
SOCI504 is a module that introduces students to academic debates about knowledge production and method within sociology and the social sciences. The module is structured to provide an insight into the historical debates about the relationship between method and knowledge and how they inform the development and transformation of the social sciences.
Dissertation (SOCI525)
Credits: 120 /
Semester: whole session
In this module students formulate a research question and develop a research proposal, including a clear research strategy. Students will work independently to conduct library based or original empirical, social–scientific research aimed at answering a research question, applying methodological principles and research techniques. The dissertation requires students to creatively use theoretical insights and concepts relevant to the research question at hand, to generate new knowledge about the issue addressed in the thesis and report about the research and the results in a clear and systematic way
Optional modules
DOING ETHICAL RESEARCH (SOCI571)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 1
This module will provide you with a good understanding of ethical principles underpinning formal ethical review (process) and the complexity of considerations that arise in the field (practice). The module will be delivered through a workshop that will provide the opportunity for student-led discussions on specific ethical issues related to your research. It will be assessed through a short critical review of an ethical issue(s).
Understanding Society Using Quantitative Methods (SOCI508)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module looks into the rationale and practice of analysing numerical data, largely derived from survey research, and the use of such data to understand the social world. It covers a range of skills from basic univariate and multivariate analysis techniques, to a consideration of the potential insights offered by longitudinal datasets and their analysis.
An Introduction to Critical Discourse Analysis (SOCI517)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 1
This 5 credit module is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Students are introduced to a critical understanding of discourse, which in turn encourages the analysis of language use in relation to questions of power in society. The module seeks to enable students’ engagement in such analyses, introducing them to appropriate methods and techniques, and providing them the opportunity to put these into practice.
Visual Data, Visual Analysis (SOCI518)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 1
This module is organised around a review of the critical sociological literature on visual data and visual analysis. Drawing together existing research in this sub-field – which is growing rapidly in significance – the module focuses particularly on academic research that has sought to develop critical approaches to the production and deployment of visual data in specifically urban contexts.
Programme details and modules listed are illustrative only and subject to change.
Semester two
The programme consists of 60 credits of taught modules and a 30,000 word thesis worth 120 credits.
In Semester two, you can chose up to 30 credits of social research methods training modules taken from a portfolio of 5 credit modules.
The process of preparing the dissertation, including developing a research question and proposal, will take place throughout Semesters one and two. Your dissertation will usually be submitted in September.
Compulsory modules
Dissertation (SOCI525)
Credits: 120 /
Semester: whole session
In this module students formulate a research question and develop a research proposal, including a clear research strategy. Students will work independently to conduct library based or original empirical, social–scientific research aimed at answering a research question, applying methodological principles and research techniques. The dissertation requires students to creatively use theoretical insights and concepts relevant to the research question at hand, to generate new knowledge about the issue addressed in the thesis and report about the research and the results in a clear and systematic way
Optional modules
Using Foucault's Methods (SOCI515)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 2
Michel Foucault’s work has been influential in a wide range of disciplines. SOCI515 is a module that introduces students to the uses of Foucault’s theory and method within the social sciences. The module is structured to provide an insight into the ways Foucault’s technique and method have been taken up in sociology and applied to social research. Focusing on discourse as the cornerstone of Foucault’s methods our aim is to reconsider the status of ‘reality’ in the social sciences.
Focus Groups (SOCI516)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 2
This module will help students design, plan and carry out focus group discussions, and will cover both the theory, ethics and practice of focus group research. Particular attention will be paid to the analysis of verbal and non-verbal interaction.
Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis (SOCI519)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 2
Ethnomethodology and conversation analysis are radical approaches to social inquiry. While distinct, ethnomethodology – the study of practical methods of action and reasoning, i.e. ‘ethno-methods’ – and conversation analysis – the study of ‘talk-in-interaction’ – are grounded in detailed investigations of how people in all manner of ordinary and specialised sites and settings organise their activities from within. Although this module will chart the development of ethnomethodology and conversation analysis and situate them intellectually in wider fields of inquiry, its purpose is to provide an advanced, hands-on introduction to the unique way both approach the study of social practices via ‘tutorial problems’ centred on the analysis of interactional data collected as part of small-scale fieldwork exercises. Among others things, the module will look at how ethnographic research, observation and interviewing can be ‘repurposed’, that is, put to work in alternate ways when pursued ethnomethodologically.
Participatory Action Research (SOCI520)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 2
This module gives you the opportunity to plan a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project in preparation for your dissertation. Students will be given the opportunity to do this through Interchange, a charity that links students to 3rd sector organisations working in social welfare, social policy or criminal justice contexts. Students will not be encouraged to undertake a PAR dissertation unless they have completed this module.
RESEARCHING SENSITIVE SUBJECTS (SOCI522)
Credits: 5 /
Semester: semester 2
This module encourages students to consider strategies and approaches when conducting research on sensitive subjects in the field of social scientific investigation. Students will engage with empirical, theoretical and methodological literature in relation to researching sensitive subjects. Case studies of research projects will be identified to demonstrate how practical, ethical and methodological obstacles can be negotiated and overcome. Students will identify specific sensitive topics for research and suggest approaches on how those projects might be undertaken. Students will also be encouraged to identify specific aspects of topics not to be researched and reflect on how and why such decisions might be taken.
Programme details and modules listed are illustrative only and subject to change.
Final project
Your dissertation will be submitted in Semester three and carries 120 of the total 180 credits.
Compulsory modules
Dissertation (SOCI525)
Credits: 120 /
Semester: whole session
In this module students formulate a research question and develop a research proposal, including a clear research strategy. Students will work independently to conduct library based or original empirical, social–scientific research aimed at answering a research question, applying methodological principles and research techniques. The dissertation requires students to creatively use theoretical insights and concepts relevant to the research question at hand, to generate new knowledge about the issue addressed in the thesis and report about the research and the results in a clear and systematic way
Programme details and modules listed are illustrative only and subject to change.
How you'll learn
Teaching is delivered in an interactive, participatory and inclusive way, with extensive support of small group teaching and online learning platforms. You’ll have a mix of lectures, large group seminars/tutorials, small group workshops; one to one tutorials and research supervision meetings.
How you're assessed
You will study 60 credits of taught modules and complete a dissertation worth 120 credits.
Each of the taught modules are formally assessed by coursework on a semester basis. Depending on the learning objective of the module, this may include project work, fieldwork analysis, research strategy document, report of research observation, book review or the completion and analysis of interviews.
Your advanced social research project will be assessed coursework through a 30,000 word dissertation.
Liverpool Hallmarks
We have a distinctive approach to education, the Liverpool Curriculum Framework, which focuses on research-connected teaching, active learning, and authentic assessment to ensure our students graduate as digitally fluent and confident global citizens.
Students have access to the state-of-the-art facilities of the School of Law and Social Justice Building and excellent library and IT facilities just one minute’s walk away.
Support for students with differing needs from the Disability advice and guidance team. They can identify and recommend appropriate support provisions for you.
You will develop a range of social scientific, analytic and communication skills and a variety of transferable skills valued by many employers in a range of industries (e.g. media organisations, charitable organisations, and commercial and financial service sectors).
An MRes in Social Research offers a broad spectrum of career opportunities and will provide you with a solid basis for pursuing a researcher-related career in various sociological-related fields and sectors, including policy development and research in the public and third sectors.
Career support from day one to graduation and beyond
Our graduates have gone onto successful careers in both the public and private sectors:
Criminal justice agencies
Police
Social welfare
Local government
Non-governmental organisations (e.g. working with organisations supporting homeless people and refugees)
Many students pursue an academic career or a university research career in the Social Sciences (Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology) or in a related discipline.
Fees and funding
Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.
Tuition fees
UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland)
Full-time place, per year
£4,712
Part-time place, per year
£2,356
International fees
Full-time place, per year
£21,850
Part-time place, per year
£10,925
Fees stated are for the 2023-24 academic year.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching and assessment, operating facilities such as libraries, IT equipment, and access to academic and personal support.
Applicants for the MRes Social Research programme should hold a minimum of a 2:1 class Honours Degree in a social science, or in a field relevant to the programme, from a UK university.
All applicants are required to supply: a completed application form, proof of qualifications, research proposal, personal statement and two references (one of which, as a minimum, must be academic). Applicants are considered on the basis of academic ability and potential and other relevant considerations are also taken into account. Applicants who have marginally missed the benchmark indicated above, are considered on a discretionary basis.
International qualifications
If you hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, but don’t meet our entry requirements, a Pre-Master’s can help you gain a place. This specialist preparation course for postgraduate study is offered on campus at the University of Liverpool International College, in partnership with Kaplan International Pathways. Although there’s no direct Pre-Master’s route to this MRes, completing a Pre-Master’s pathway can guarantee you a place on many other postgraduate courses at The University of Liverpool.
Liverpool bursts with diversity and creativity which makes it ideal for you to undertake your postgraduate studies and access various opportunities for you and your family.
To fully immerse yourself in the university experience living in halls will keep you close to campus where you can always meet new people. Find your home away from home.
Discover what expenses are covered by the cost of your tuition fees and other finance-related information you may need regarding your studies at Liverpool.
Contact us
Do you have a question about this course? Call or email the student experience team.
