Overview
- Degree awarded
- Master of Science (MSc)
- Duration
- 1 year
- Entry requirements
-
We require a UK bachelor's degree with a First or Upper Second classification or the overseas equivalent, inany discipline.
When assessing your academic record we consider your degree subject, grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.
- How to apply
- Apply online
Course options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Y | Y | N | N |
| PGDip | Y | Y | N | N |
Course overview
- Benefit from a thorough training in advanced quantitative methods taught within an applied social science framework.
- Learn methods of data analysis, including advanced statistics for complex data.
- Study a skills-based course with practical training that is highly regarded for future employment within government, the private and voluntary sectors and academia.
Open days
The University holds regular open days, where you will have the opportunity to find out more about our facilities and courses.
On this day, you will find out more about the School, our resources, and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have.
For more information, see open days and visits .
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MSc (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £15,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £31,000 -
MSc (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £7,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): £15,500 -
PGDip (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £10,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £20,667 -
PGDip (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £5,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £10,334
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
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
For information on available funding, please see fees and funding or search the University's postgraduate funding database .
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Social Sciences
- Contact name
- School of Social Sciences Admissions Office
- Telephone
- +44 (0) 161 306 5500
- pg-soss@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/social-statistics/
- School/Faculty
-
See: School Subjects
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
We require a UK bachelor's degree with a First or Upper Second classification or the overseas equivalent, inany discipline.
When assessing your academic record we consider your degree subject, grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.
English language
Applicants whose first language is not English should meet the following language requirements:
- IELTS Academic test score of 7 overall, including 7 in writing with no further component score below 6.5
- TOEFL IBT 100 with 25 in writing and no further score below 22 in each section. TOEFL code for Manchester is 0757
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 76 overall, with 76 in writing and no further score below 70
Pre-Sessional English Courses
We will consider applicants who do not meet these scores but you will be required to complete a pre-sessional English language course at the University of Manchester prior to the start of the course.
To be considered for a pre-sessional English language course for this programme we require the following minimum IELTS (Academic) scores:
6 Week Pre-Sessional Course : IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing and no more than one sub-skill of 6.0.
10 Week Pre-sessional Course : IELTS 6.0 overall with 6.0 or above in each sub-skill
If you have not yet completed your current academic study and are interested in studying a pre-sessional course, you must hold an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) test certificate to ensure that you are eligible for a separate visa for the English language course.
English language test validity
Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.
Applicants from Majority English-speaking countries
If you are a national of a majority English-speaking country (or have studied for a full bachelor's degree or higher from one of these countries) you may be exempt from submitting further evidence of English language proficiency.
Other international entry requirements
We accept a range of qualifications from across the globe. To help international students, the university provides specific information for many individual countries. Please see our country-specific information page for guidance on the academic and English language qualifications which may be accepted from your country.
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
As there is a high demand for our courses, we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places and high quality of applications that we receive, we give preference to students from high ranking institutions and with grades above our minimum entry requirements.
Please ensure you submit all supporting documentation with your application before the application deadline to avoid a delay in processing.
Applications for 2025 entry:
Stage 1: Application received by 7th December 2024 ; Application update by 21st February 2025
Stage 2: Application received by 2nd March 2025 ; Application update by 1st May 2025
Stage 3: Application received by 4th May 2025 ; Application update by 5th June 2025
Stage 4: Application received by 1st July 2025 ; Application update by 25th July 2025
Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date.
Applications received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.
Please note: All places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.
Tuition fee deposits
If you are successful in receiving an offer, you will be required to pay a tuition fee deposit of £1,000 by the deadline stated in your offer letter to confirm your place. We ask for the deposit as competition for places is high and there is limited availability. The deposit amount is then deducted from your tuition fees when you register on the course.
Course details
Course description
The MSc in Social Research Methods and Statistics is designed to be accessible to non-statisticians, yet is more focused than many other existing master's courses in social research methods.
The MSc includes training in:
- survey design;
- statistics;
- how to analyse data;
- how to use statistical analysis software such as R, SPSS and Stata.
The MSc modules are taught with an emphasis on hands-on training in the application of methods and software.
Modules include:
- Statistical Foundations;
- Introduction to Statistical Modelling;
- Survey Research;
- Demographic Forecasting;
- Social Network Analysis;
- Longitudinal Data Analysis.
You will need a base level of knowledge in undergraduate research methods, which you will build on throughout the course, to gain comprehensive statistical and analytical skills. A series of pre-sessional training materials are available prior to the MSc start date.
Research activities within the discipline area are both methodological and substantive. We focus on a range of subject areas including social inequalities, population dynamics and survey methodology.
The course is recognised by both the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the North West Doctoral Training Centre, where we receive a large number of Advanced Quantitative methods (AQM) and CASE awards each year.
We develop future social scientists who will have a thorough grounding in research and are equipped with the tools for collecting and analysing statistical data.
Special features
- Join one of the few social statistics groupings in the UK.
- We focus on effective collaboration, working closely with our colleagues in data science, sociology, health, geography and mathematics.
- Linked with The Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research .
You are provided with a personal tutor and job application support.
Course unit details
This course provides a thorough grounding in advanced quantitative methods, taught within an applied social science framework.
Whilst the training focuses on advanced quantitative methods, the course is designed to be accessible to students coming from a broad range of disciplinary backgrounds and with varying levels of prior statistical knowledge.
The course is available full-time over one year or part-time over two-years, and may be studied as either an MSc or a Postgraduate Diploma.
All students take course units totalling 120 credits (eight 15-credit course units) over the year (or two years) which may include:
- Methodology and Research Design;
- Introduction to Statistical Modelling;
- Statistical Foundations;
- Qualitative Research Methods;
- Survey Research Methods;
- Longitudinal Data Analysis;
- Complex Survey Design and Analysis;
- Statistical Models for Social Networks;
- Demographic Forecasting;
- Strucutral Equation and Latent Variable Modelling;
- Qualitative Evaluation of Policies, Interventions and Experiments;
- Topological Data Analysis (first time roll out 23/34).
All students proceeding to MSc must complete a research dissertation. Those on the Postgraduate Diploma may upgrade to the full MSc, subject to satisfactory course performance.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | SOCY60231 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Survey Research Methods | SOST60421 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Dissertation | SOST65000 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Introduction to Statistical Modelling | SOST70011 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Complex Survey Designs and Analysis | SOST70032 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Statistical Foundations | SOST70151 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Methodology and Research Design | SOST70520 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Topological Data Analysis | DATA70302 | 15 | Optional |
| Privacy, Confidentiality and Disclosure Control | DATA70402 | 15 | Optional |
| Longitudinal Data Analysis | SOST70022 | 15 | Optional |
| Displaying 10 of 13 course units | |||
| Display all course units | |||
Scholarships and bursaries
The School offers a number of awards for students applying for master's study.
To find our more, please visit our master's funding opportunity search page.
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
There is an increasing need for well-trained social scientists who are able to apply advanced methods of analysis to complex data.
You will gain relevant marketable skills that will put you in a good position to obtain jobs in:
- the academic sector;
- central and local government;
- commercial consultancy;
- voluntary research sector.
We have excellent links with ONS and government departments, local authorities and many commercial organisations and we are well placed to assist you in finding jobs.
A number of our students already hold research positions (typically in local government or overseas) taking the MSc as part of a career development programme. The course is ideal preparation if you wish to pursue doctoral study, and is a formal component of our 1+3 PhD training model. You are offered support to apply for PhD funding.