Social Policy

Entry requirements

You will need a good honours degree, or equivalent, in a related discipline. A well-developed research proposal is also essential.

Months of entry

October

Course content

Our MSD in Social Policy offers you a unique opportunity to undertake research in a variety of social contexts. You may be interested in the questions around the development and implementation of social policy, in asking questions about why some policies work (and others do not) or in studying the relationships between different groups of people in the policy process, but whatever your specific research interests we are likely to have a supervisor with the experience to support you in this process. You will be offered opportunities to access our Masters level research methods modules to provide a sound foundation of specific research knowledge and skills. In addition, you will have access to the University’s Proficio research training scheme which allows you to choose training programmes that meet the requirements of your own research topics and methodologies.

This MSD is offered on a 1 year full-time or 2 year part-time basis, plus up to one year of completion. Some people choose to do an MSD before applying to undertake a PhD in order to develop their research skills and knowledge and to demonstrate their self-discipline and time management skills to potential supervisors or funders.

Information for international students

Entry requirements

You can find international entry requirements for most countries on our webpage www.essex.ac.uk/international. If your country is not listed, please contact Postgraduate Admissions at pgadmit@essex.ac.uk.

Pre-sessional English Language courses
If you need to improve your English language skills before joining your main degree course, we offer pre-sessional English courses on our campuses in partnership with Kaplan International Pathways. To learn more, please visit www.essex.ac.uk/international/pre-sessional

Funding
You can explore scholarship opportunities for your country at www.essex.ac.uk/international or view our university-wide scholarships at www.essex.ac.uk/scholarships.

Fees and funding

There are a wide range of funding options for postgraduate study, including scholarships, bursaries and alumni discounts. You can check your eligibility at https://www.essex.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/fees-and-funding.