MSc Social Statistics and Social Research

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Earn a Masters degree in social research and social statistics, and open up a wide range of career opportunities. Study full or part-time to suit your schedule.

Social Statistics and Social Research

Key facts

  • Award Masters / MSc, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma
  • Start date September 2025, January 2026
  • Application notes Only part-time study is available for students starting in January. We are now closed to new applications for January 25 entry for all applicants who require a visa to study in the UK.
  • Duration MSc full-time: 12 months; MSc part-time: 24 months
  • Mode of study full time, part time
  • Delivery on campus

Overview

Social statistics and social research provide policymakers, academics and others with valuable insights into the behaviour of people. This Masters will give you an understanding of social research, with a particular focus on quantitative methods and social statistics.

You’ll learn about social research methods and the theories behind them, while undertaking detailed training on a wide range of statistical methods. You’ll also gain knowledge of statistical software and learn highly sought-after technical skills, including accessing, preparing, analysing and summarising complex quantitative datasets.

Modules cover core and advanced issues of social research design and techniques of statistical analysis. There are specialist modules that address important emerging areas in social statistics, covering data management,big data, and social network analysis. Students also choose one option module in another area of social research, for instance on qualitative data analysis or policy research.

This course is designed to provide you with an in-depth understanding of social research, with a particular focus on social statistics and quantitative methods. It includes orientation material on social research methods as a whole, and detailed training on a wide range of statistical methods, with advanced modules on data management and emerging priority research areas, such as big data and social network analysis. Teaching covers the theories behind the methods and training in using datasets and analysing them with statistical software. You’ll gain a variety of highly marketable skills in the areas of social research and social statistics.

This Masters is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as meeting the research training guidelines for undertaking a PhD in Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work or Socio-legal Studies (so long as the optional module on ‘qualitative data analysis’ is selected). Its provision is also appropriate for ESRC-recognised interdisciplinary PhD projects or pathways.

Students can study full time or part time and all modules feature live classes such as scheduled lecture and seminar sessions. Flexible learning arrangements can usually be supported in most situations, subject to agreement.

If you’re interested in studying a module from this course, the Postgraduate Certificate or the Postgraduate Diploma then please email Graduate Admissions to discuss your course of study.

Students taking this course are affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences. Scheduled classes use University teaching spaces such as lecture, seminar and lab venues when relevant.

When you study Social Statistics and Social Research at the University of Stirling, you’ll be introduced to pioneering empirical and theoretical research in a vibrant, multi-disciplinary environment.

Underpinning the expertise of our staff, the University of Stirling scored highly in the most recent Research Excellent Framework (REF 2021) – a UK-wide assessment of universities’ research output. In the Social Work and Social Policy unit of assessment, we 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.

What our students said

Jade Hooper
Scotland
MSc Applied Social Research (Social Statistics and Social Research)
The lecturers are wonderful; passionate about both their own work and your success. I would recommend this course to anyone thinking of a career using quantitative methods in Social Science.
Read Jade's story
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