General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject

English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:

• Band B
• IELTS score of 7.0 with no more than two components at 6.5 or 6.0, or other accepted language test.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.

Additional requirements

Read our department advice on applying to ensure your application has the best chance for success.

Core modules

Researching Inequality: Race, Class, and Gender in Global Perspective

What is the role of social research in understanding social inequalities? How can social research contribute to reducing social inequalities? This is a foundation module in the study of social inequality, providing an in-depth understanding of contemporary research into global social inequality, and drawing out the relationships between individual, local and global patterning of inequality. It foregrounds race, class and gender, whilst also asking you to think about the causes, intersections and effects of other inequalities that interest them (for example, intergenerational, urban/rural, sexuality, disability, health, education, citizenship status, wealth).

Qualitative Methods in Social Research

It is the aim of this module to provide postgraduate social science training in the area of qualitative research methods and methodologies. The module is concerned with the ways in which social scientists conduct qualitative research and analyse their data. Particular attention is paid to the importance of data analysis, as well as data gathering techniques.

Quantitative Methods in Social Research

This module aims to develop practical quantitative research methods skills, and a critical appreciation of such methods. It covers the secondary analysis of data from large-scale surveys, the collection or generation of survey data, and the use of non-survey sources for quantitative analysis. It also includes considerations of the evaluation and interpretation of existing data sources/published data (including official statistics) and the development of research instruments.

The conceptual and contextual factors determining the meaning and value of survey data are also discussed. The module includes a number of ‘hands-on’ computing sessions (in which statistical software# is used to manipulate and analyse data). The statistical techniques considered (and applied using statistical software) within the module range from basic descriptive and inferential statistics (such as cross-tabulations and chi-square) to multivariate techniques (such as logistic regression). The components of the module assessment relate to quantitative data sources and questionnaire design, sampling and the production of primary data, descriptive and inferential statistics, multivariate analysis, and the interpretation of published statistical analyses.

Dissertation

The dissertation module gives you the opportunity to complete an independent piece of research on a topic of your own choice with the support of your dissertation supervisor, plenary teaching, and other online resources. The aim is for you to creatively use the substantive and methodological training acquired in the earlier part of your course to critically analyse a research topic of sociological relevance.

Optional modules

Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:

• Politics & Social Theory
• Capitalism, States & Markets
• Postcolonial Theory & Politics
• Feminist Theories and Epistemologies: Debates and Dilemmas
• Indigenous and Global South Feminisms
• Decolonising Ecology: Race, Coloniality and the Climate Crisis
• Key Problems in Criminal Justice
• Feminist & Queer Thinking: Contemporary Challenges
• Gender, Imperialism and International Development
• Gender Analysis and Development Practice
• Market Life: Wealth and Poverty in Global Capitalism
• Social Research for Social Change
• State of the Art of Sociology
• Understanding Social Science
• Feminist & Queer Thinking: Contemporary Challenges
• Queering Sociology
• Sexualities
• Reproductive Justice
• Archival Encounters
• Ethnography and the Anthropological Tradition
• Social Data Science
• Creative Research Methods
• Advanced Quantitative Research
• Fundamentals in Quantitative Research
• Big Data: Hype or Revolution
• Critical Readings in Social Theory
• Transnational Media Ecologies
• Religion and the Planetary Crises
• Sociology of End Times

Teaching

This MSc course has three core modules which will be studied alongside a range of optional modules. You will be required to choose three optional modules.

All our MA courses follow a consistent structure meaning that you will follow a programme of taught modules, followed by a 15,000-word dissertation. Part time students will take three modules in Year One, and three modules plus dissertation in Year Two.

Class sizes

Class sizes can range from 6 to 30 students, depending on each module.

Typical contact hours

Each module consists of at least 20 hours of teaching. Many modules follow a 1-hour lecture/1-hour seminar format, while other modules are taught in 2-hour workshops.

You will have a supervisor for your dissertation research project, who you will meet regularly for guidance and advice.

Assessment

Taught modules are assessed through written assignments. You will focus on completion of your MSc dissertation following the end of Spring Term.

Reading lists

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platform. 

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue.  

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department. 

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

Your career

Graduates from these courses have gone on to work for employers including various national and international Universities, NGOs and the charity sector, or the civil service. They have pursued roles such as: business and financial project management professionals; higher education teaching professionals; IT project and programme managers; legal professionals and research and development managers.

Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:

• Make Your Mark - Careers with a degree in Sociology
• Working for More than Profit
• Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
• Your Sociological future: Sociology Alumni Evening
• My Sociological Future- What next? Career planning for undecided Sociology finalists

Sociology at Warwick

We have an international reputation for research excellence, a global and cosmopolitan perspective, and high-quality teaching. Our curriculum offers a comprehensive and up-to-date foundation with a diverse range of specialist options.

What does it mean to understand the world in which you live? What will your contribution be to this changing world? How do your own experiences and life chances compare to those of others?

Sociology – the study of humans in society – attempts to capture the rich variety and complexity of human social life. Indeed, it is difficult to think of any area of social existence that a sociologist wouldn’t be interested in examining, from the most intimate of personal relationships to the worldwide circulation of ideas, beliefs, products and people.

Find out more about us on our website.Link opens in a new window

Our Postgraduate courses

• Gender and International Development (MA)
• Gender and Sexuality (MA)
• Social and Political Thought (MA)
• Social Inequalities and Research Methods (MSc)
• Sociology (MA)
• Sociology (PhD)
• Women's and Gender Studies (PhD)

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Find your taught course fees  

Fee Status Guidance

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

Additional course costs

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and bursaries

How to apply

The application process for courses that start in September and October 2025 opens on 2 October 2024.

Applications will close on 2 August 2025 for students who require a visa to study in the UK, to allow time to receive a CAS and complete the visa application process.

How to apply for a postgraduate taught course