We offer a wide range of  postgraduate courses in Economics and Finance; Politics and History; Social Anthropology; Psychology and Sociology and Communications. Whether it is the study of the politics of the European Union or cognitive psychology that makes you tick, we have the course for you.
Why study for a postgraduate qualification?

Postgraduate qualifications are not just a great way of satisfying your enquiring mind, they are also increasingly valued in the work place as they offer the opportunity to:

• Develop specialist expertise
• Enhance skills and develop new ones (independent study, research skills)
• Demonstrate to employers an ability to cope with heavy workload and a strong ability to cope under pressure
• Gain an internationally recognised qualification

Facilities

The Graduate School provides a range of facilities open to students from the essential coffee machine to a space to work and socialise. In addition the library offers excellent facilities and space. In addition computer rooms are available for student use throughout the campus.

In each subject group, the staff are also always on hand to assist students with their work. We offer personal development planning activities via the school and the Graduate School to assist students with developing the extra skills they need to complete the course or to prepare for professional life. Pastoral care is also provided via our support and welfare facilities (including counselling services, medical and dental care, chaplaincy, etc.)

Research/PhD Programmes

Social Sciences is a vibrant, multidisciplinary and research-intensive School. The disciplines within the School have been established since the early 1970s and cover an impressive breadth, including research in political science, political theory, international relations, history, economics, finance, sociology, media & communications, anthropology, cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology and social psychology

The School provides high quality research training in a stimulating, intellectually-intensive environment.  Academic colleagues offer expert supervision and take an active and ongoing interest in the research being conducted.  In addition to regular meetings with supervisors, research students participate in research seminars, and a variety of skills and methodology training sessions.  Students are actively encouraged to present at disciplinary research seminars, and are encouraged to participate in national and international academic conferences.

We have excellent facilities, including Brunel’s Graduate School, where postgraduate students can socialise and work, as well as departmental offices and a well-resourced library.

The School of Social Sciences offers two routes to a research degree: PhD, and New Route PhD. Supervision is offered for PhDs in subject areas comprising Economics & Finance, Politics & History, Psychology, Sociology & Communications, and Anthropology. In addition, we offer the taught New Route PhD in Human Sciences, embracing psychology, social anthropology, sociology and communications. All graduate degrees can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis.

Research students may apply to commence their study at the start of any term during the year (September, January or April); however, the usual time to start is at the beginning of the academic year in September.  For detailed information and advice on the application process and FAQ's click here.  Applications for all research degrees should be made as early as possible by submitting the relevant documentation:

UK/EU Applicants
Applications can now be made online
We also require copies of transcripts of previous studies; a Research Proposal and two satisfactory references (at least one of which must be academic) on institution headed paper in signed, sealed envelopes.

International applicants
Applications can now be made online
We also require copies of transcripts of previous studies; a Research Proposal; two satisfactory references (at least one of which must be academic) on institution headed paper in signed, sealed envelopes and certified proof of English language - further information available: English language requirements

We currently offer five Master's level courses in Anthropology:

Anthropology of Childhood, Youth & Education MSc

Learn why the perspectives of the young are vital in understanding their worlds; how childhood and youth differ cross-culturally; how people learn through formal and informal education; and how childhood and youth impact on the adult world and vice versa.

Anthropology of International Development and Humanitarian Assistance MSc

This MSc is for those interested in critically assessing the policies and practices of international development and humanitarian assistance to war-affected regions from an anthropological perspective. While its approach is anthropological, this degree offers genuine multi-disciplinary possibilities by drawing on modules from Politics, Health Sciences, Law and Business.

Medical Anthropology MSc

Learn how health and illness are understood and managed in different societies, how indigenous and informal healing systems work, why biomedical interventions sometimes fail, and how epidemiological perspectives can be enhanced by ethnographic knowledge.

Psychological and Psychiatric Anthropology MSc

Is there a human nature underlying cultural difference? How deep does culture go? How is mental illness diagnosed and treated in different societies? This degree provides a grounding in the anthropological understanding of consciousness, emotion, personhood and mental illness in Britain and around the world, giving students a critical and ethnographically-informed perspective on current debates.

Social Anthropology MRes

This degree provides research training and advanced modules in anthropology, either in preparation for a PhD or as a stand-alone Masters. For students without an anthropology background it serves as a conversion course.

At Brunel we offer four distinctive MSc programmes and a four-year PhD programme. We prepare students for career opportunities in banking, business, finance and accounting as well as providing rigorous training for those interested in pursuing further academic research in economics.

We are a large department with more than 25 full-time members of academic staff and an effective team of support staff. The teaching in our programmes is directly informed by our staff’s internationally acclaimed research in financial markets and institutions, macro- and microeconomics, development, financial accounting, corporate governance and econometrics. In addition, many of our staff advise governmental and intergovernmental organisations on economic policy and bring this real world experience to their teaching.

We invite you to get a flavour of the postgraduate programme here: meet your potential teachers and past students and take a look at the campus and special events.

 

Business Finance MSc

This MSc provides a rigorous treatment of the theories of corporate finance, financial decision-making, financial analysis and financial markets and institutions together with related econometric and mathematical techniques. It allows students whose career choices lie in the financial sector to develop their analytical skills and acquire a body of knowledge which is relevant to a financial services career, and be exposed to the frontiers of the subject.

Finance and Accounting MSc

This course produces graduates with a sound knowledge of both accounting standards and corporate governance, as well as their role in the operation of financial markets. The programme includes topics such as the theory of finance, company valuation, the assessment of corporate risk, international accounting standards, corporate governance and financial statement analysis. Subsequently, it provides a solid platform for a successful career in the financial sector.

Finance and Investment MSc

The course specialises in security/portfolio investment and is structured around the syllabus of the Institute of Investment Management Research. The emphasis is on issues related to investment in capital markets such as investment strategies, the evaluation of investment performance and the use of financial statement information in evaluating company performance.

International Money, Finance and Investment MSc

The course provides a rigorous treatment of the theory of international finance and investment, and training in the techniques and practice relevant to the international financial setting. The course allows students whose career choices lie with financial institutions or in financial management with an international flavour to identify and apply the appropriate analytical techniques for financial decision-making in an international setting, and develop an understanding of the effects of market activity on the implementation of international financial strategies.

New Route PhD Economics and Finance

This programme aims to educate graduates not only to the high academic standards expected from PhD research but also in generic personal, business and communication skills. Because it extends the usual PhD from three to four years, it develops an integrated range of skills and knowledge that both broaden and deepen the individual’s subject expertise beyond the bounds of the usual research degree. 

The Department of Politics and History offers both taught and research modes of postgraduate study.

Taught postgraduate courses

Globalisation and Governance MA

This MA not only equips students to understand globalisation, but also to think in an informed manner about questions of its ‘governance’: that is, how globalisation might be steered or developed in a politically and ethically satisfactory manner.

Intelligence and Security Studies MA

The MA in Intelligence and Security Studies offers a unique opportunity for practical, policy-oriented graduate study of intelligence issues applicable across the private and public sectors around the world.

International Relations MA

The MA in International Relations aims to develop students’ knowledge of topics such as globalisation, security, international theory, human rights, the politics of the natural environment and the politics of specific geographical regions.

Modern Political Thought: Violence and Revolution MA

This MA provides students with the research skills, methodologies and historical understanding required for analysing and assessing key texts. The programme focuses in particular on the importance of historical context for understanding the transformation and reformulation of classic themes in modern political thought.

Modern World History MA

The MA in Modern World History is the only one of its kind in the UK to be endorsed and promoted by the internationally recognised World History Association. Courses are designed and taught by world renowned experts in politics, international relations, public policy and contemporary history.

Public Affairs and Lobbying MSc

The MSc offers a unique combination of advanced academic knowledge and practical experience that will provide graduates with the opportunity to develop a career in public affairs. The programme includes an integrated internship with a Public Affairs consultancy in either London or Brussels.

Politics MSc

The MSc in Politics is designed to deliver a set of core competencies or sub-disciplines within political studies, and to provide students with a balance between strong training in fundamental skills and a carefully selected range of choices on modules that will provide intensive training in the specialist branches of political studies.

War and Conflict in Modern World MA

The MA in War and Conflict in the Modern World combines the disciplines of History and International Relations to provide students with multi-disciplinary, advanced study from both humanities and social science perspectives.

PhD Degrees by Research

The Department of Politics and History welcomes graduate supervises graduate research degrees (PhD's and MPhils) for students from around the world, and from all walks of life and careeers. We work on a process of twinned supervision, where each graduate student has two supervisors from the faculty to ensure that they progress successfully. In post-graduate or higher research degrees, one's supervisors are the most important characters other than yourself when it comes to success – this is someone you will have to work with intimately over at least three years, so it makes sense that you'll need to have a good working relationship. So, if you wish to come to Brunel to undertake a PhD, try to get in touch with the member of staff that seems most aligned with your intended field of study. From there, and with their help, you can develop an appropriate research proposal to submit for consideration.

The first year of study for full-time research students on our PhD Programmes is a research training year, in which the development of the thesis is combined with undertaking and completing a range of research relevant modules. The entire research study programme requires a minimum of three years full-time study or longer (4-8 years) for part-time study.

Please click here to apply

Taught Postgraduate Courses

The Psychology department offers a number of Master's level courses, please follow the links below for more information.

Cross-Cultural Psychology MSc

This MSc provides you with an understanding of how basic psychological processes may vary across cultures, and gives you the skills necessary to conduct your own research with different ethnic groups.

Evolutionary Psychology MSc

This MSc provides an exciting opportunity for advanced study in Evolutionary Psychology, i.e. psychological science informed by explicit consideration of the fact that the human mind, like the human body, is a product of evolutionary processes.

Functional Neuroimaging MSc

This MSc, the first of its kind in the UK, provides a strong theoretical and practical introduction to the world of neuroimaging research. The course is a good preparation for a PhD in functional brain imaging, or for working as part of a neuroimaging team with fMRI and/or other imaging modalities.

Psychology, Health and Behaviour MSc

The MSc teaches an understanding the psychological aspects of health, illness beliefs, and behaviours, and provides knowledge and research skills to undertake health research. The course is aimed at a variety of graduates and allows for a broad understanding of health.

Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Society MA

This MA is designed to provide you with training in classical and contemporary psychoanalytic theory. It maintains a constant attention to the relation between theory and practice and provides a clinical grounding through its emphasis on the clinical writings of Freud, Klein and Lacan.

For further information, please contact:

Helen Stevenson
Postgraduate Admissions & Marketing Administrator
Email socscipgenq@brunel.ac.uk
Tel +44 (0)1895 265952

Veronica Johnson
Tel: +44 (0)1895 265951
veronica.johnson@brunel.ac.uk

PhD Degrees by Research

The first year of study for full-time research students on our PhD Programme is a research training year, in which the development of the thesis is combined with undertaking and completing a appropriate research and skill relevant modules, as required. The entire research study programme requires a minimum of three years’ full-time study or four years’ part-time study.

Research

For further information, please contact:

The Research Office
Tel: +44 (0)1895 266310
Email: sss-resadmin@brunel.ac.uk

Brunel Sociology and Communications is proud of its international reputation as a centre for teaching and research excellence, and is keen to develop this reputation further through new projects and innovative thinking. Postgraduate students play a vital role in Sociology and Communications at Brunel. Whether you are studying for one of our Master’s degrees or are a research student working in one of our areas of special expertise, you will find Brunel a lively and productive environment in which to work.

Our Masters degrees programme attract students from all over the world. We currently offer degrees in:

Media and Communications MSc

This MSc offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the study of new media and communications practices. It focuses on a critical understanding of the rapid changes in media and communications and their social and cultural consequences within an international context.

Social and Cultural Research MSc

The aim of this MSc is to provide a strong theoretical and practical introduction to the world of sociological, social and cultural research. You will be exposed to the range of general academic research skills and expertise expected of the professional researcher in the social sciences.

Medicine, Bioscience and Society MSc

This innovative MSc combines the inter-disciplinary approaches of Medical Sociology, Science and Technology Studies with Media and Communications. The sociology of medicine and science is one of the most rapidly growing areas within the field of social science. Linking Medical Sociology with Science and Technology Studies provides an analytical prism through which to address many of the problems and concerns of modern societies.

Science, Technology and Contemporary Society MSc

This exciting new MSc course will enable you to employ inter-disciplinary approaches of Science and Technology Studies in combination with elements from cutting-edge Media and Communications studies. You will critically examine the cultures of technology and science and their relationships with contemporary society.

Sociology of Health and Illness MSc

Health and illness are central to our lives and are major areas of work, policy and debate in society. This MSc explores key topics including: the experiences of health and illness; the nature of the health professions; health inequalities; the rise of new health technologies; and the ways in which social class, gender, age and ethnicity shape private troubles and public issues in relation to health.

For further information, please contact:

Veronica Johnson
Tel: +44 (0)1895 265951
Email: veronica.johnson@brunel.ac.uk

PhD Degrees by Research

Brunel Sociology and Communication’s supervises graduate research degrees (PhD's and MPhils) for students from around the world. We aim to fully support your work, where each graduate student has two supervisors and annual reviews to ensure that you progress successfully.

Our aim is to provide you not only with careful supervision but also with a rigorous and appropriate training. The PhD programmes have an initial training year which you will need to take unless you have followed an equivalent programme elsewhere. This involves following the taught components of the MSc in Social and Cultural Research, which include methods training and seminars as well as workshops in which you will meet both Master’s and researchstudents from other disciplines in the School.

Funding

The School of Social Sciences may fund a number of School Research Studentships each year.

These are designed to support excellent research projects and offer a level of fees and maintenance support equivalent to a basic research council studentship for a home-based student.

Application

We welcome enquiries from potential PhD candidates in any of the areas in which we specialise. Initially you should write either to the Research Office or to an individual member of staff, outlining your research proposal and giving an indication of your qualifications.

See our listing of current doctoral students and their research topics in sociology and communications.

Research

For further information, please contact:

The Research Office
Tel: +44 (0)1895 266310
Email: sss-resadmin@brunel.ac.uk