Master of Science
MSc Environmental Governance
Due to high demand for this course, we operate a staged admissions process with multiple selection deadlines throughout the year, to maintain a fair and transparent approach.
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Fees and funding
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2027, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MSc (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £16,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £33,100
The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.
Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .
Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
International student CAS deposit
Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.
- Learn more about - student finance options for UK students .
- Learn more about - fees and finance for international students .
- Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.
Course unit details:
Methodology and Research Design
| Unit code | SOST70520 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 15 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Full year |
| Offered by | Social Statistics |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
This course is a core unit in the MSc in Social Research Methods and Statistics, and it is also available to several other postgraduate students. The unit aims to support students in the development of the skills needed to develop a good research proposal and to plan a research project successfully. The course is based on weekly sessions structured around three broad topics, always focused on social research methods and statistics (SRMS): (i) philosophy of social science; (ii) research methodology and practical research strategies; and (iii) research design, with an emphasis on comparative and longitudinal research.
A secondary aim of the course is to provide students with opportunities to develop their critical thinking and presentation skills. These skills are vital for researchers in order to communicate their ideas and research findings to a variety of audiences and in different settings. The sessions are therefore a mixture of formal lectures (with Q&A), group discussions, and group problem-based activities. Students will get opportunities to present the result of their discussions to a small group. At the end, students work in groups to provide a short, punchy presentation focused on SRMS to small audience. For better preparation for these activities students will also be given some key readings to study before selected sessions. Each week students are also encouraged to work together as a form of peer learning group.
The final session involves the students presenting their own research design. This is an opportunity to put your presentation skills into practice and receive feedback.
Aims
This course aims primarily to help students learn the skills needed to develop a good research proposal and to plan and deliver a research project successfully. This course is based on weekly lectures and seminars structured around three broad topics: (a) philosophy of social science; (b) research methodology and practical research strategies; and (c) research design, with an emphasis on comparative and longitudinal research.
A secondary aim of the course is to provide students with opportunities and guidance to develop their presentation skills. These skills are vital for researchers in order to communicate their ideas and research findings to a variety of audiences and in different settings. Most of the lectures will provide opportunities for students to present and discuss key articles to the group. The final lecture of the series has students presenting their ownresearch design. This final session is an excellent opportunity for students to put their presentation skills into practice and to receive feedback from the group.
The course can be understood as a gateway to other methods courses taught as part of the SRMS program and other Research Training (RT) programmes in the University of Manchester.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this module, students should be able to:
- Recognise the theoretical context of their research agenda
- Identify a worthwhile research question and operationalize its key components for analysis
- Understand how different research methods can provide different research conclusions
- Have a broad understanding of the different research methods available
- Present their research ideas to a group.Evaluate a research design
- Provide feedback on methodological issues and use the feedback received from others to improve your research designs
- Write a convincing research proposal.
Teaching and learning methods
A mixture of lectures, formative assessment work, seminars, and practical sessions involving group work and a presentation
Assessment methods
Formative assignment in Semester 1 (0%)
Essay assignment in Semester 2 (100%, 3000 words)
Feedback methods
Feedback available via Turnitin
Recommended reading
• Blaikie, N. (2009) Designing Social Research. 2d Edition, Cambridge: Polity.
• Bryman, A. (2016) Social Research Methods. Oxford University Press.
• De Vaus, D. A. (2001) Research Design in Social Research, London: Sage. (Other works by DeVaus are also useful)
• Winch, P. (1958) The Idea of A Social Science. London: Routledge
Online
• Methods@manchester - http://www.methods.manchester.ac.uk
• Sage Methods - http://methods.sagepub.com
• NCRM - http://www.ncrm.ac.uk
• UK Data Service - https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk
• Bryman OUP toolkit - http://global.oup. com/uk/orc/sociology/brymansrm4e/01student/toolkit/
Sign up to key journal alerts - for example
• http://mmr.sagepub.com
• http://qrj.sagepub.com/content/early/recent
• https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/environment-and-planning- a/journal202436#description
• http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-985X
• http://www.socresonline.org.uk
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 18 |
| Practical classes & workshops | 2 |
| Seminars | 7 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 123 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Maria Pampaka | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
Compulsory for SRMS
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The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website.
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