UK Sociology

[cyclingsociology]

Hello all,

I am very interested in applying for the PhD programs in Sociology at the University of Edinburgh and Goldsmiths College. However, I am from the US and aside from the fact that funding opportunities look rather dismal, I am uncertain of the nuances between the standards of US and UK institutions. What I am wondering about specifically, and would love any advice you can offer, is in regard to the taught/research MAs and PhDs: Are you expected to have a concrete proposal before admittance into UK schools? Is a research degree obtained entirely outside of the classroom? Etc...

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Sam

[a fragrant plant]

Hello all,

I am very interested in applying for the PhD programs in Sociology at the University of Edinburgh and Goldsmiths College. However, I am from the US and aside from the fact that funding opportunities look rather dismal, I am uncertain of the nuances between the standards of US and UK institutions. What I am wondering about specifically, and would love any advice you can offer, is in regard to the taught/research MAs and PhDs: Are you expected to have a concrete proposal before admittance into UK schools? Is a research degree obtained entirely outside of the classroom? Etc...

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Sam

Hi Sam,

I did my research master at one of the schools you're considering. As i said elsewhere on this forum, it's pretty easy to get into a taught master program in the UK. Generally speaking, only MSc by Research applicants need to have a proposal in hand. The proposal needs not to be "concrete", as you'll spend your whole year writing a proposal for your PhD research. And you're right, a research degree involves very few courseworks. The mandatory courseworks at my institution are run by the School instead of the department. Nobody likes them. If you want to know more PM me.

[green_tea09]

Hello all,

I am very interested in applying for the PhD programs in Sociology at the University of Edinburgh and Goldsmiths College. However, I am from the US and aside from the fact that funding opportunities look rather dismal, I am uncertain of the nuances between the standards of US and UK institutions. What I am wondering about specifically, and would love any advice you can offer, is in regard to the taught/research MAs and PhDs: Are you expected to have a concrete proposal before admittance into UK schools? Is a research degree obtained entirely outside of the classroom? Etc...

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Sam

I am doing a PhD at a school in the UK and echo peanut's comments -- in my program, you have about a year of research methods courses and spend the remaining two years writing your dissertation. You can take courses in or outside of your department if you want and can also attend lectures. If you want to get into a phd program in the UK, its really helpful to make contact with a professor who has similar research interests -- usually you have to have a professor who will agree to be your supervisor. If your research interests don't match up with any of the faculty, it would probably be hard to gain entry. In my proposal, I just mentioned two areas of interest and also noted profs I was interested in studying with.

As for funding..you could look into the Rotary scholarship. I know the deadline passed for the coming school year...but something to keep in mind for next year.