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 and Education MSc

This MSc was the first degree of its kind in the world when it was established and is still unique in its thorough-going anthropological perspective on what it is to be a child or to be young. Its key organising principle is that understanding children requires the study of how their relations with others - ...
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Anthropology of International Development and Humanitarian Assistance MSc

The course will appeal to graduates from a variety of backgrounds, including: anthropology, sociology, economics, politics, geography, law and development studies. It will provide the necessary training to enable students to seek employment with NGOs (such as Oxfam and Save the Children Fund), international agencies (such as the World Health Organisation and the World Food ...
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Medical Anthropology MSc

Why do some biomedical interventions seeking to control infectious and non-infectious diseases work, and others fail? How do ideas about ‘the body’ and ‘person’ influence the experience of health, illness and healing among different groups and societies? How and why is it appropriate to combine insights emerging from clinical and epidemiological research with ethnographic understandings ...
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Psychological and Psychiatric Anthropology MSc

Do our categories of behaviour – normal and abnormal – translate across cultures? Why do ethnic minorities have different experiences of mental health? Is there a ‘human nature’ underneath all the cultural differences? Anyone interested in psychological processes, feeling and expression, memory and trauma, culture and personality, will have asked themselves questions of this kind. However, they ...
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Social Anthropology MRes

This MRes is a taught postgraduate degree that provides high quality training in anthropology and anthropological research. The degree is of particular relevance for those who wish to use such training as a foundation for PhD study or who are keen to enhance their careers through the acquisition of advanced knowledge and research skills. Accordingly, ...
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Our Masters degree programmes at Brunel University prepare students for careers in banking, business, finance and accounting and we also provide a PhD research degree in economics.

You will experience an excellent learning environment, as our teaching is informed by our internationally acclaimed research in financial markets and institutions, macro- and microeconomics, development, financial accounting, corporate governance and econometrics. Many of our academics advise governmental and intergovernmental organisations on economic policy and bring this real-world experience to their teaching.

Postgraduate degree programmes:

Banking and Finance MSc

This innovative programme provides you with postgraduate training designed to develop your career in the banking and financial services sector. You will gain a thorough understanding of this field through practical and theoretical application, addressing financial economics, the economics of banking, quantitative methods as well as financial regulation both within the organisation and internationally. Graduates ...
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Business Finance MSc

This MSc programme focuses on the financial decision making and financial analysis appropriate for the understanding of financial markets and institutions, and is particularly attractive to those students whose career choices are likely to lie in the financial sector. The course also provides a sound foundation for those interested in continuing with research towards a ...
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Finance and Accounting MSc

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 and financial accounting....
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Finance and Investment MSc

This course is designed to be a specialised degree course focusing on security/portfolio investment decision making. It is structured around the syllabus of the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute. The emphasis of the course is on issues related to investment in capital markets, such as investment strategies, the evaluation of investment performance, and the use ...
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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. Find out more about this course here.

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

Taught postgraduate courses

Globalisation and Governance MA

The term ‘Globalisation’ embraces a range of deeply transformative political, economic and social processes. Understanding these - or the meaning, significance and implications of globalisation - presents major theoretical and practical challenges for those working or intending to work in the realms of government, business, civil society or academia. The Brunel MA not only equips ...
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Intelligence and Security Studies MA

Intelligence and security policy issues are now one of the fastest growing areas of academic and public concern, especially since '9/11' and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today more than ever before national governments, international agencies and most major international corporations have an identified need for staff with a strong grasp of intelligence ...
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International Relations MA

The ability to analyse the complex issues and dilemmas presented by international relations is increasingly important both for understanding many of the forces and events that shape our lives and in a wide range of careers. As an academic subject, this field has expanded beyond its original concern with relations between states and the study ...
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Modern Political Thought - Violence and Revolution MA

“Violence is the midwife of every old society, pregnant with a new one”. The concepts of violence and revolution stand at the centre of our understanding of political modernity. This MA programme introduces students to a range of theoretical perspectives on the concepts of violence and revolution in modern political thought, from the crisis of ...
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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. It examines the transnational influences, connections and conflicts that intersect in world history and seeks to foster a holistic approach to historical problems that have had cross-cultural ...
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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. The course conforms ...
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Public Affairs and Lobbying MSc

Public affairs, lobbying and political consultancy are attractive areas for many graduates. Careers in this field are either in dedicated departments within large companies or, more commonly, within specialist consultancy firms. This programme will provide both academic and practical training to assist you in pursuing a career in these exciting professions....
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War and Conflict in The 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. The course covers the period from the French Revolution to the present. It examines the impact of the French and Industrial Revolutions on ...
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PhD Degrees by Research

The Department of Politics and History supervises graduate research degrees (PhD's and MPhils) for students from around the world, and from all walks of life and careers. 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

Do people fall in love in the same way in every country? What makes a good leader in Chinese (and other, non-Western) societies? How might we help migrants best settle into their new culture? This course provides you with an understanding of how basic psychological processes may vary across cultures, and gives you the skills ...
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Evolutionary Psychology MSc

How can evolutionary theory help us understand human behaviour? Do humans have a species-typical psychological design? What learning mechanisms would have been favoured by natural selection in ancestral environments? This programme provides an exciting opportunity for advanced study in Evolutionary Psychology, ie psychological science informed by explicit consideration of the fact that the human mind, ...
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Functional Neuroimaging MSc

How does brain scanning equipment work? What can brain scanners tell us about brain function? How do differences in brain structure affect brain function? Recent years have been characterised by a rapid development of functional imaging technology, with increasing availability worldwide of high resolution scanners for research and clinical applications. Functional brain imaging requires an ...
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Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Society MA

How are our behaviours influenced by unconscious motives? Which conflicts lie at the heart of contemporary individual and social problems? What explains our cultural and ideological obsession with power and violence? This MA is designed to provide you with a training in classical and contemporary psychoanalytic theory. It maintains a constant attention to the ...
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Psychology, Health and Behaviour MSc

How can we change risky health behaviours (such as smoking, drinking)? Why don’t people take medicines as directed, even when the medicines are prescribed for serious illnesses? What psychological and social factors influence physical health? This course is aimed at a variety of graduates; people working in the health who wish to further their ...
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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

How do the media shape culture and society? What role does the media play in people's lives? Is the media creating a global culture? Are audiences now producers? Do social networking sites influence personal communication? Are young people disconnected from traditional politics? This well established course offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the study ...
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Medicine, Bioscience and Society MSc

The sociology of medicine and science is one of the most rapidly growing areas within the field of social science. This innovative MSc combines the inter-disciplinary approaches of Medical Sociology, Science and Technology Studies with Media and Communications to critically examine the cultures of medicine and bioscience and their interrelationships with society.    The ...
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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. The course examines technology and science as culture and in culture, addressing ...
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Social and Cultural Research MSc

What does it mean to become a ‘researcher’? How do we learn the "craft" of social research? In what ways might social and cultural research be evaluated? Recent years have been characterised by a significant expansion of opportunities to undertake social and cultural research. Such an expansion has contributed to the call for ...
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Sociology of Health and Illness MSc

This course is one of a few in the UK to combine the inter-disciplinary approaches of Medical Sociology with Media and Communications to critically examine the key themes in the sociology of health and illness. Health and illness are central to our lives and are major areas of work, policy and debate in society. This ...
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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