Sociology  PhD / MPhil

Overview

The Department of Sociology has a vibrant research culture and welcomes strong applicants with original research topics for its PhD Programme. We are particularly interested in applications from students who wish to carry out research in the areas of:

  • communications
  • new media and the information society
  • crime, criminological research, criminal justice and crime prevention
  • gender and social change
  • migration, race and ethnicity
  • news-media
  • policing and security
  • research methods
  • social theory
  • urban studies
  • victimology and youth studies.
  • School of Arts and Social Sciences,
  • Department of Sociology

    • Start Date:

    Admissions take place in late September each year.

    Entry Requirements

    Applicants should have a track record of high academic achievement, demonstrated by a good undergraduate degree with at least a second class (upper division) pass or equivalent; plus a good Masters level degree with at least a pass with merit (or equivalent).

    English Language Requirements

    For students whose first language is not English, the following qualifications will meet the English language requirement for entry to a postgraduate course of study:

    • A first degree from a UK university or from the CNAA.
    • A first degree from an overseas institution recognised by the University as providing adequate evidence of proficiency in the English language, for example, from institutions in Australia, Canada or the USA.
    • GCE O-level/GCSE English language or English literature, grade C minimum.
    • Cambridge ESOL CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English) at grade C or above.
    • An overall score of 6.5 in the English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum of 6.0 for each subtest.
    • A score of 600 minimum (computer score 250, internet-based score 100) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
    • Satisfactory standard in the verbal section of the Princeton Test (GMAT).
    • US SAT with 500 in verbal performance.
    • Warwick English Language Test (WELT) with pass grades of BBC minimum.
    • Other evidence of proficiency in the English language which satisfies the Board of Studies concerned.

    Visa Requirements

    City University London retains Highly Trusted Status from UKBA, enabling us to sponsor international students to study in the UK.

    The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course at City, there are different rules for:

    • Students on courses of more than 6 months
    • Students on courses of less than 6 months
    • Students on a pre-sessional English Language course

    For more information see our main Visa page.

    Start Dates / Duration of Studies

    Start Date

    Admissions take place in late September each year.

    Duration of Studies

    The minimum period of registration is two years for full-time students and four years for part-time students. The maximum period of registration is four years for full-time students and seven years for part-time students.

    Students on graduate research programmes are initially registered for an MPhil award. Promotion to registration to PhD is not automatic, but contingent on the satisfactory outcome of a review process. This normally takes place towards the end of the first year of registration for full-time candidates and towards the end of the second year for part-time candidates. Students submit a report to an academic panel and present at the annual research colloquium. If the outcome is satisfactory, the student will be upgraded to PhD.

    The programme will conclude with submission of your research in the form of a PhD thesis and attendance at a viva voce examination in front of at least two examiners, at least one of whom will be external to the University.

    For full details about the City PhD programme structure, please see the Guide for Research Students.

    Research Areas

    The current research interests of our staff can be found on our staff profile pages.

    Fees

    • Full-time EU: £4,200 per year (2013 entry)
    • Part-time EU: £2,100 per year (2013 entry)
    • Full-time Non EU: £10,000 per year (2013 entry)
    • Part-time Non EU: £5,300 per year (2013 entry)

    Fees for doctoral candidates are charged annually and cover registration, supervision and examination. Fees are subject to review each year and may vary during your period of registration.

    Funding

    Details are available at: http://www.city.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/fees/research-council-funding and at the ESRC website - http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/index.aspx.

    University Funding

    The University offers a number of doctoral studentships on a competitive basis each year. For further information please visit http://www.city.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/fees/university-doctoral-studentships.

    The deadline for University Doctoral Studentship applications is Friday 9 March 2012.
    Applicants will be informed of the outcome before the end of April 2012.

    Preliminary Enquiries

    When considering potential applicants, we attach great importance both to the applicant's academic profile and record of achievement, and to the fit between the proposed research and the interests of the supervisor. It is therefore essential that potential applicants identify staff with relevant research expertise, and then contact an individual member of staff to discuss their willingness to offer supervision for their particular topic before submitting a formal application to undertake a research degree. Please consult individual staff webpages for our specialist research profiles and interests.

    Please note that we will not consider applications unless the applicant has initially discussed their proposal with a member of staff.

    How to Apply

    We accept applications for full-time study on an ongoing basis for entry in September. To apply, you should submit the following documents:

    • one copy of the Research Degree Application Form
    • your research proposal
    • testimonials from at least two academic referees sent by email from an official work (not private) email account
    • copies of your degree transcripts and certificates (originals or certified copies). If your application is successful we will need to verify the original hard copies before a final offer is made
    • proof of your English language proficiency (if English is not your first language)
    • a non-technical summary of the proposed research of no more than 400 words.

    Completed applications should be submitted to Mary Wright by email: Mary.Wright.3@city.ac.uk

    Please note that we will not consider incomplete applications.

    Writing Your Research Proposal

    Your research proposal should be no more than three sides of A4. It should specify (a) your research question, (b) an indication of the research literature you have consulted, (c) the research methods you intend to use, (d) an outline work plan and (e) any research ethics implications.

    Supervision

    Research students are appointed a supervisory team consisting of at least two supervisors. One of these will be designated as the first point of contact with personal responsibility for ensuring that effective supervision is provided so that students can develop the skill and knowledge to contribute to research as professionals in a supportive research training environment.

    Training Provision

    Postgraduate training in the Department is facilitated by the availability of Masters Programmes in Social Research Methods. All research students take part in relevant Masters courses and are encouraged to develop their research skills by following specialist short courses if necessary. Details of our Social Research Methods modules can be found at http://www.city.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/social-research-methods.

    For further details about research degree training provision please visit http://www.city.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/development.

    Research Environment

    At present we have 35 full- and part-time research students in the Department. In addition to our course offering and teaching excellence, we have a vibrant research culture and a growing group of scholars who are committed to building an excellent reputation in the discipline of sociology and related fields. They are housed in shared rooms on the sixth floor of the Social Sciences Building, and have access to state of the art research facilities. Our students constitute an important part of an innovative empirical and theoretical research culture.  We provide students with a range of academic and training support as well as regular research seminars and symposia in order to facilitate their research and develop their careers and our research environment.

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