MSc Social Research Methods
The MSc is clearly the UK market leading social research methods degree. This is true both in terms of the quality of the teaching but also in terms of the quality of the students choosing to read for it. Methodology Department students know how to do empirical research and this puts them in a different league from students graduating from other programmes in the UK.
From the 2013 Report of the External Examiner: Professor Colin Mills, Professor of Sociology, Nuffield College, Oxford.
Information for prospective students
MSc Social Research Methods is open for 2025/26 applications.
Visit the MSc Social Research Methods online prospectus page for full details.
This programme will equip you with theoretical understanding and practical skills in all stages of research in the social sciences – from design to data collection, analysis and interpretation, and critical appreciation as a "consumer" of research. You'll learn both quantitative and qualitative research methods, but you'll have the opportunity to specialise in one of these if you prefer. You can choose to complement your methods training with one or two substantively focused courses from another department. You'll design and carry out an empirical social science research project for your dissertation, with the support of an academic supervisor.
Our interdisciplinary approach will give you confidence to apply your expertise in a broad range of settings. Our graduates go on to successful careers in sectors including academia, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and public and private sectors.
Our syllabus goes beyond the ESRC’s requirements for the first year of a 1+3 PhD programme, making it excellent training for doctoral research.
The MSc is eligible for ESRC funding as the "1" (first year) of the following "1+3" PhD programmes:
- MSc Social Research Methods (Gender) is part of the MPhil/PhD Gender
- MSc Social Research Methods (Population) is part of the MPhil/PhD Demography (Social/Formal)
- MSc Social Research Methods is part of the MPhil/PhD Social Research Methods
If you wish to apply for either of these streams, you need to submit a dual application for the MSc and corresponding MPhil/PhD.
The MSc may be taken full-time over a calendar year, or part-time over two years. Please see the LSE Calendar for further information on the programme structure.
Current students
Please refer to the MSc Social Research Methods Handbook and MSc Social Research Methods Moodle for programme information.