PhD Social Statistics

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Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.

Application Deadlines

For consideration in internal funding competitions, you must submit your completed application by 1 December 2024.

If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self-funding, you must submit your application before the below deadlines to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these dates have passed.

• For September 2025 entry: 30 June 2025
• For January 2026 entry: 30 September 2025

Before you start your application, you should:

1. Develop your own research proposal and project title.
2. Find a supervisor by browsing our academics' profiles, and reach out directly to discuss if they are interested in supporting your research.
3. Consider how you plan on funding your research and discuss this with your supervisor.

When you submit your application, you must include each of the below required documents:

• A 1,500 word PhD research proposal ; Please state the word count on page 1 of the document.
• A copy of your Bachelor's academic transcript and certificate.
• A copy of your Master's academic transcript and certificate. If your Master's degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript.
• If you have completed more than one Bachelor's or Master's degree, please provide evidence for each. If your transcripts are in a language other than English, you must provide an official English translation. If your weighted average mark or GPA is not included on these documents, please also include an official document from your university verifying this information.
• An up-to-date academic CV summarising your academic record, employment history, publications and highlighting experience demonstrating your research potential.
• You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your most recent institution). Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following submission of your application form. You may wish to contact your referees to request they submit your reference in a reasonable timeframe as this forms part of the review process;
• A certificate or evidence demonstrating your English language ability and proficiency. Applications can be considered without this evidence but any offer would be conditional on meeting minimum requirements.

The PhD programme in Social Statistics at The University of Manchester has a thriving and diverse research community.  

Our research themes include:

• census and survey methodology;
• statistical methods in the analysis of social data;
• social network analysis;
• latent variable modelling;
• population studies and demographic methods;
• global inequalities and international comparisons;
• employment;
• the labour market.

For example, recent PhD titles include:

• `The Role of Privacy and Confidentiality in the Collection and Dissemination of Census and Survey Data'.
• `Race and Population - a Statistical Demographic Approach'.

You will be supervised by two members of staff who are experts in their areas of research. Social statistics staff can support applications for funding.

You also have an array of potential training options available, including places on postgraduate course units and continuing professional development short courses including, for example, in publishing and public speaking. Students may also have the opportunity to undertake paid teaching work.

PhD students are encouraged and supported to present their research at seminars and conferences.

Read more about our research groups .

The Social Statistics department hosts two Economic and Social Research Council Centres for Doctoral Training on Biosocial Research and on Data Analytics and Society.

You will join a diverse and vibrant community of doctoral students from nearly 100 different countries, all studying within the Faculty of Humanities.  

You'll be assigned to a specific research grouping that complements your research interests and have access to a variety of interdisciplinary research institutes. 

Our working environments are spacious and open-plan, giving you plenty of opportunities to communicate with colleagues and staff within the School, and you will have your own desk space as well as access to our fantastic range of libraries on campus.

All of our academic supervisors are research active and will support you to work on challenging research problems and develop rigorous, creative and original research. 

You can expect to meet with your supervisor at least once a month to discuss progress on your project. 

You will have access to a large and diverse community of internationally recognised academic experts offering an environment that will stimulate intellectual debate and development. 

We provide additional financial support for a number of activities related to your PhD, including:  

• presenting at international conferences;
• attending workshops that provide relevant professional opportunities;
• conducting fieldwork in the UK and overseas.

You can also get hands-on, paid teaching experience as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.  

Graduate Teaching Assistants are valued members of the teaching team. As such, we take pride in the opportunities provided for your professional development.  

Our training includes preparation for application to the Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. This brings a range of benefits: 

• consolidates your personal development and emphasises your professional practice in HE
• entitlement to use post-nominal letters - AFHEA;
• provides a valuable measure of success and is increasingly sought by employers across the education sector as a condition of appointment and promotion;
• recognised and valued by a growing number of international institutions.

The University of Manchester Library

Manchester is home to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries - one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries.Find out more about libraries and study spaces for postgraduate research students at Manchester.

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a PGR and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help support you with your goals for the future.  

Typical first destinations at the end of the PhD in Social Statistics programme include: 

• lectureships; 
• research posts; 
• senior administrative positions in local government;
• NHS;
• Consultancy. 

There is a need for well-trained social scientists who are able to apply advanced methods of analysis to complex data. These skills are in short supply and our graduates leave in a good position to obtain jobs in:

• the academic sector;
• central government;
• the Office for National Statistics;
• local government;
• the commercial research sector.

Our researcher development programme will enable you to become more aware of your developing researcher identity, equipping you with the skills you need during your PhD and preparing you to integrate into the researcher community.  

We offer training sessions to build your skills and confidence in writing and presenting, with specific sessions on viva preparation, thesis submission and preparing for your Review Panel.  

You'll also have access to a range of workshops, covering areas such as:

• increasing research impact through blog posts;
• making the most of social media;
• publishing in journals;
• applying for fellowships;
• designing academic posters;
• improving time and self-management.

In addition, our Humanities training hub gives you additional training opportunities in public engagement, wellbeing, language training and teaching, alongside specialist courses in tools and software such as Python, R and NVivo.  

methods@manchester is an initiative that gives you the chance to learn from the very best in research methods expertise at Manchester and beyond. Regular talks, workshops and other methods-related events are organised throughout the academic year.  

Finally, taking a placement provides a great opportunity to engage in knowledge exchange and to develop professional networking opportunities for your future career development. 

We have established Postgraduate Researcher Exchange programmes with a number of institutions around the world, offering you the opportunity to visit another institution, access research resources and experience another academic culture as well as build professional networks. 

Successful applicants will receive some funding towards travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence, education materials and/or other education-related costs.  

For more information, visit our Research training and professional development page.

Career stories from former PhD students include:

“I completed my PhD in Social Statistics, which pursued a quantitative analysis of Home Office crime data. I am now a Senior Lecturer in Criminology.”

“I completed a PhD in Social Statistics researching ethnic inequalities and collaborated with the Alan Turing Institute. I am now a Research Associate working on a study of life expectancy.”

Find out more .