General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Sociology or a related subject; a strong research proposal.

Before submitting an application, applicants should have approached and gained explicit support from at least one potential supervisor in Sociology.

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 overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

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

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Our research

Research within our department covers a broad span of the discipline and is organised into five clusters:

• Race, Ethnicity & Migration
• Violence & Social Justice
• Feminism, Gender & Sexuality
• Just Eco-Geo-Political Futures
• Technology, Economy & Society

The Department hosts the Social Theory Centre and the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender.

We have considerable expertise in areas such as:

• Gender and sexuality studies
• Social and cultural theory
• Race and racism
• Migration
• Ethnicity
• (Post-)Colonialism
• Violence and conflict studies
• Critical criminology
• Work and employment
• Political sociology
• Bioscience
• Markets and capitalism
• Media
• Health
• Emotion
• Education
• Religion
• Family
• Methodologies

Full details of our research interests are listed on the Sociology web pagesLink opens in a new window.

You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.

Find a supervisor

Find your supervisor using the link below and discuss with them the area you'd like to research.

Explore our Sociology Staff Directory.

You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.

Research proposals

The research proposal is the most important element of your PhD application. You need to submit a fully specified research proposal when you apply. This is your statement about why your project is interesting, how you will carry it out, and what academic debates and social problems your work addresses. It's your chance to show us how you think and what kind of sociologist you are.

We look for a robust research proposal of around 2,000-3,000 words, although this is only a guideline. It has to convince us that your topic is feasible and that we have the right expertise to supervise it. The emphasis will be on the quality of the proposal and whether or not it fits with a particular supervisor’s research interests, not on the word count.

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 research 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

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)

How to apply

Applications are now open for courses that start in September and October 2025.

For research courses that start in September and October 2025 the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2025. This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK.

How to apply for a postgraduate research course