Important information This course has not yet been assigned a course code for 2027 entry, so applications are not currently open. Please check this webpage regularly for updates, including confirmation of the course code and details of when applications will open.
Beyond the data. Understanding society.
From political change and economic transformation to social inequalities, data offers new ways to explain the forces shaping society. Grounded in social science theory, this course develops statistical and computational expertise alongside critical inquiry and causal reasoning. You鈥檒l progress from foundational techniques to advanced methods and independent research, with the option of a capstone project offering opportunities to collaborate with external organisations, generating meaningful insights into real-world challenges.
Modules
Develop the skills to investigate and explain complex social, political and economic phenomena through data.
Social science foundations: connect theory and research design to questions of inequality, economic change, and political behaviour.
Diverse social data: learn to analyse survey, administrative, spatial, network, text and image data.
Statistical and computational methods: build expertise in Python and R, statistical modelling, causal inference and machine learning.
Critical analysis: evaluate how data are produced, the assumptions behind methods and the reliability of research findings.
Research and communication: develop skills to produce reproducible research and communicate findings effectively to academic and non-academic audiences.
Progress from foundational techniques to advanced methods and independent research, with the option of a capstone project offering opportunities to collaborate with external organisations on real-world challenges.
Note that information found by following the links to the module catalogue is subject to change for future years of study, as we evolve our courses in response to the latest developments in academia and industry.
Students can complement their core modules with optional modules that align with their interests. Optional modules vary from year to year, and students choose combinations worth 60 CATs (credits). Some of the optional modules focus on methods, while others address theory, policy or substantive topics across the social sciences. The course director will support students in making their module choices. Example optional modules (20 CATs) may include:
Teaching and learning
Develop your skills through social science theory, critical inquiry, hands-on data analysis and independent research.
Theory-informed analysis: connect social science theories with empirical evidence to explain complex societal processes.
Research skills: formulate research questions and design robust approaches to investigating social, political and economic phenomena.
Data science skills: apply statistical and computational methods, including causal inference and machine learning, to analyse complex social data.
Critical thinking: evaluate evidence, assess methodological assumptions and interpret findings in their wider social context.
Independent research: investigate real-world challenges, with the option of a capstone project offering opportunities for external collaboration.
Transferable skills: communicate complex research findings clearly and effectively to academic and non-academic audiences.
Flexible study: develop your interests and expertise through a range of optional modules.
Class sizes can range from 6 to 30 students, depending on each module.
Each module consists of at least 18 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, whom you will meet regularly for guidance and advice
Taught modules are primarily assessed through written assignments, including essays, research reports and technical reports. Depending on the module, assessments may also include practical data analysis tasks, group work and presentations. You鈥檒l demonstrate your independent research skills through a dissertation, with the option to undertake a collaborative capstone project.
If you study part-time, you鈥檒l complete your taught modules over two years, with teaching taking place during academic terms. The order in which you study your modules will be agreed in consultation with your course convenor. You鈥檒l also begin planning your independent research project in your first year.
Entry requirements
2:2 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject.
IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.
Please adjust your country as required:
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications. For more information, please visit the international entry requirements page.
We typically ask for one academic reference for taught courses.
You will be asked to include an email address for your referee(s) when submitting your application and we will contact them for you.
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 assessment and some student amenities.
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.鈥�
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.
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 list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue, where module-related costs are detailed. 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 2026/27 year of study).
Information about module 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
Dissertations and Assignments are only submitted digitally. However, students may wish to print and bind their dissertation for their own purposes. Students on some courses will have a final poster presentation as part of their project and the printing of posters may be at the students鈥� expense.
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.鈥�
Most targeted university in the UK by the UK's top 100 graduate employers
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World-leading expertise on the way we live.
Why study with us?
With an international reputation for research excellence, we encourage you to question how societies are shaped by national, international, global and colonial social forces. Explore the complexities of human society - from personal relationships and identity to shared beliefs and structural forms of inequality and power.
Our curriculum provides you with the conceptual, methodological and theoretical tools to think critically about the contemporary world, and to imagine alternative social and political futures.
Based in the Social Sciences Building at the heart of campus, our department is located close to the Library, Warwick Arts Centre and major teaching spaces - creating a friendly, energised environment for discussion and shared learning. Our dedicated common room acts as a social and collaborative hub for students and staff.
Careers
Our degrees equip you with the skills and experiences needed to excel in your career. With access to exceptional career services, industry connections, and global opportunities, we鈥檒l inspire and help you to aim high and achieve your goals. Our guidance ensures you graduate as a well-rounded professional ready for lifelong success.
Previous graduates from the Department of Sociology have gone on to work for employers such as*:
Civil Service
Metropolitan Police
National Centre for Social Research
University of Oxford
Severn Trent Water
They have pursued occupations such as the following*:
*Derived from the Graduate Outcomes survey, 2021/22, carried out approximately 15 months after completion of studies.鈥�
Conducted annually, collects information on the activities and perspectives of graduates. Contains HESA data: Copyright Jisc 2024. Jisc cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data.
Your career path is unique to you. Our university careers team offer personalised support to help you develop your skills, plan your career path, and get experience at any point during your time at Warwick, and after graduation.
Our department also has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant. They offer impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
Make Your Mark 鈥� Careers with a degree in Sociology
Working for More than Profit
Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
Your Sociology future: Sociology 天美传媒 Evening
My Sociological Future 鈥� What next? Career planning for undecided Sociology finalists
While this course does not offer a formal work placement, postgraduate taught students at Warwick can self-source internships and work experience to complete alongside their studies, subject to visa conditions and the 20鈥慼our weekly limit for full鈥憈ime students.
Opportunities can vary in length and location, including in the UK, online and internationally. Postgraduate students find that shorter, remote and/or flexible opportunities work best around their studies, often seeking opportunities over the summer when teaching decreases and the focus moves to final dissertations and projects - although this can vary depending on the nature of the course and personal preference.
Support available:
The Internships, Placements and Work Experience team鈥痯rovide鈥痺orkshops to help you to source鈥痑nd prepare for work opportunities,鈥痑nd organise peer-to-peer support so you can hear鈥痑bout other students鈥� placement experiences.
罢丑别鈥�WorkReady Toolkit鈥痝uides you through the鈥痺hole鈥痯rocess,鈥痜rom鈥痵ourcing to completing work placements.
Our Work Experience Bursary can help you cover costs if undertaking unpaid work experience.
Part-time work allows you to gain experience and additional financial support, with opportunities advertised on Warwick鈥檚 careers portal, myAdvantage and Unitemps.
Warwick students worked 286,295 paid hours via Unitemps in 25/26.
Access short-term international study, work or volunteering abroad experiences, without extending the length of your studies (duration is typically between 3 days and 12 weeks), with opportunity to apply for funding.
Students can apply to TeamWork, a four-week part-time online international experience programme, helping them to gain work experience and improve their employability skills.
Volunteer for projects which support the local community through the award-winning Warwick Volunteers.
Getting involved in societies and sports teams, especially on exec teams.
In 25/26 our jobs portal advertised 1577 12-month placements, work experience opportunities, vacation employment and volunteering from 564 employers.
Whilst there is lots of support available at the University to help, students themselves are responsible for finding and securing a suitable internship or work experience. You will also be responsible for ensuring opportunities meet visa requirements, do not exceed the universities advised 20 hours per week for full-time students and for balancing extra-curricular activity with your studies.
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Life at Warwick
This is where your journey begins. Our campus is the heart of it all. It鈥檚 more than just a campus - it's the places you visit, the people you meet, the fun that you have; the experiences you have here will be transformative.
Within a close-knit community of staff and students from all over the world, discover a campus alive with possibilities.
Our campus is where all the elements of your student experience come together in one place. You won't be short of ways to spend your time on campus - whether it's visiting Warwick Arts Centre, using our incredible sports facilities, socialising in our bars, nightclub and caf茅s, or enjoying an open-air event. Or if you need some peace and quiet, you can explore lakes, woodland and green spaces just a few minutes鈥� walk from central campus.
Follow our students around campus on our social channels to see their experiences first-hand.
Teaching facilities
Our campus is designed to cater for all of your learning needs. You will benefit from a variety of flexible, well-equipped study spaces and teaching facilities across the University.
Oculus, our outstanding learning hub, houses state-of-the-art lecture theatres and innovative social learning and network areas
顿颈蹿蹿别谤别苍迟鈥�study spaces offering you flexible individual and group study spaces, computers, printing and scanning facilities, multimedia resources and more
Supporting you
Our continuous support network is here to help you adjust to student life and to ensure you can easily access advice on many different issues. These may include managing your finances and workload, and settling into shared accommodation. We also have specialist disability and mental health support teams.
Whether you live on campus or off campus, in private accommodation in the well-serviced local area, you鈥檒l be part of a community to get the most from your experience at Warwick.
Societies and sports play a huge part in community life at Warwick. With over 300 to choose from, getting involved is one of the easiest ways to make friends and share in experiences. Whether you鈥檙e into films, martial arts, astronomy, gaming or musical theatre, you can instantly connect with people with similar interests.
Why Warwick
Your university experience is defined by far more than your course or the career path you follow. At Warwick, it鈥檚 where you discover who you could become.
68th
Warwick is ranked 68th in the world and top 10 in all major UK league tables
standard teaching; the highest possible rating across all three categories (student experience, student outcomes, and overall)
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6th
Coventry is ranked as the 6th Best Student City in the UK, and 43rd in the world.
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Our alumni community still call Warwick home. From a few hundred in 1965 to more than 310,000 alumni, and it's ever-growing.
As Warwick graduates, our students have access to employability support for two years after graduation, including access to careers appointments, job vacancies and professional networks.
Applications for courses starting in September and October 2027 are now open.
The on-time deadline for taught postgraduate courses starting in September/October 2027 is 2 August 2027.
We will still accept late applications, however cannot guarantee that the application will be processed in time to complete the admissions process if received in September or there are a number of conditions to meet.
If applying late please include your degree certificates and transcripts, English proficiency evidence (if needed) and ensure referees can submit references promptly to allow time for CAS and visa processing (if applicable).
This information is applicable for 2027 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our web page 'Important information to consider before making an application' in advance of applying to Warwick.
Next steps
Explore your future university further at an upcoming event, online or in-person. Can't join? Receive regular email updates or ask current students and staff questions about life at Warwick.
