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Plus C’est La Même Chose

By Frederick A. Winter

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Not long ago, heading out to an academic conference where I was scheduled to take part in a panel examining “alternative” careers for humanities degree holders and looking for airplane reading, I grabbed from my bookshelf three aging publications: Outside Academe: New Ways of Working in the Humanities: A Report on the Conference ‘Independent Research Institutions and Scholarly Life in the 1980s’ (1981), Getting a Job Outside the Academy: A Special Publication of the American Anthropological Association (1982), and Humanities Ph.D.s and Nonacademic Careers: A Guide for Faculty Advisers (1983). After I got home, I retrieved an even earlier publication, Rita Jacobs’s The Useful Humanists: Alternative Careers for Ph.D.’s [sic] in the Humanities (1977). Each of these publications could benefit from some minor updating to make them fully relevant today, but the overall impression is that after roughly four decades, they have weathered surprising well.

Or perhaps it would be better phrased as “after roughly four decades, they have weathered depressingly well.” The academic job market collapse in the humanities and social sciences, which is often characterized as a feature of the academy in the 2000s, is clearly the result of a transformation that has been going on for more than a generation. Acknowledging that and treating the situation as an existing reality instead of an immediate crisis will go a long way toward allowing the academy to adjust to the current situation.

There are some critical differences between what these publications described and current perceptions. First, no one today needs to argue that noncampus careers are a viable option for humanities Ph.D. holders. Indeed, now these careers are often described as the only realistic options. The second difference is suggested by the subtitle of the 1983 publication, A Guide for Faculty Advisers . We now recognize that this is an unrealistic expectation. Faculty in the humanities have been trained, experientially if not formally, to replicate themselves. They are masters of their disciplines, not experts in pedagogy or career counseling, and they aren’t viewed as a source of employment advice, especially for jobs that go beyond the tenure track.

Indeed, current faculty are often viewed as hostile to students who consider nonfaculty careers, while higher education blogs, newspapers and newsletters abound with articles on when to tell your faculty adviser that you are considering noncampus jobs so that your announcement will not hamper success in the graduate programs that the current faculty members control. In place of the faculty advisers envisioned in 1983, a whole new mini-industry of career counselors has arisen to fill the noncampus employment niche.

Today’s academic job market suffers from the two key contributors to a market collapse. On the one hand, there is an overabundance of supply: universities continue to produce new Ph.D.s in numbers that far exceed the demand for new, tenured full-time faculty members. And on the other, we’ve seen a collapse in demand. As Frank Donoghue pointed out in his important analysis of academic finances, The Last Professors: The Corporate University and the Fate of the Humanities , the economics of higher education preclude universities from ever returning to the model of full-time tenure-track/tenured faculty that dominated campuses during the mid- to late 20th century. In today’s campus economy, and into the foreseeable future, contingent faculty positions in the humanities -- adjunct appointments and short-term contractual jobs -- will be the norm. While such positions might satisfy a degree holder’s desire to teach and provide welcome access to a research library, they will almost never provide the compensation and benefits package that offer hope for a reasonable life in contemporary society.

To address the possible careers that follow from the completion of a doctoral degree, the academy and its fellow travelers must get away from the current view that noncampus jobs are fully desirable. To be sure, the recipients of advanced degrees in the humanities generally enjoy rewarding careers, whether on campus or off. But that’s just a reflection of the fact that they are smart, adaptable and productive. To argue, as some higher education leaders have, that Ph.D. recipients in the humanities have always followed various career paths and therefore the noncampus jobs are OK, ignores the obvious reality: no one in the humanities pursues a doctoral degree, with years of coursework and more years of dissertation writing, in hopes of finding an off-campus career that doesn’t involve advanced work in their chosen field.

The model may be different in the sciences, where employment in industry, and in some of the social sciences such as psychology, where careers as independent practitioners are common. But in the humanities, no! Did you really think you completed your Ph.D. in classical archaeology with a specialization in Hellenistic ceramics (that was me, by the way) with anything in mind except a traditional faculty appointment? It’s time to put away the notion that a humanities Ph.D. is malleable and therefore serviceable regardless of the employment outcomes, in the sense that the degree serves as desirable preparation for a career outside the academy. Fostering this perspective is clearly in the interest of graduate departments, which need to keep enrollments up in order to justify their existence. But it is not helpful for the students enrolled in their programs. Get a humanities degree because you love your field: absolutely. Get a humanities degree because it prepares you for jobs other than higher education teaching: no way!

When looking at the sorts of jobs, or more precisely job trajectories, available to humanities Ph.D. holders, it is best to move beyond a simple dichotomy between academic and nonacademic positions. In recent career talks, I’ve been focusing on four major career tracks, with subcategories in two of them:

Traditional academic positions. This category includes the familiar tenured and tenure-track jobs, as well as two less desirable subcategories:

The precariate: precariously employed contingent faculty, term-contract instructors and adjuncts, whose jobs involve the teaching duties of regular faculty members but who do not have any promise of continuing employment or, in most cases, the health and retirement benefits that are usually associated with full-time faculty positions.
Permadocs: The sorts of nonfaculty postdoctoral research appointments that are most commonly seen in the sciences. These positions may include benefits, but they are often grant- or project-funded and without the possibility or promise of long-term employment that tenured and tenure-track jobs provide.

Alt-ac positions. Jason Rhody, a former colleague of mine at the National Endowment for the Humanities who now works for the Social Science Research Council, coined this term. In recent years, people have used it to characterize any nonfaculty or noncampus job. But in the strict sense that Rhody defined it, alt-ac refers to campus but nonteaching positions: directors of campus service offices and learning centers, grants and development offices, and various campus liaison offices. The restriction of these jobs to advanced degree holders generally reflects the conceit of the academy, which insists that only holders of Ph.D.s can understand the functionings of a college or university.

Sometimes characterized as living next door to your former fiancé, these alt-ac positions still provide advantages that are appealing to Ph.D. holders, such as access to research libraries and interlibrary loan services, the possibility of long-term employment, and health and related benefits. Among the downsides: the lack of promotional ladders for alt-ac employees and the concomitant salary compression that marks these positions. Faculty have clearly defined promotional steps -- from assistant professor to, eventually, professor. But an alt-ac director of student services has nowhere to go when looking to move up because all the usual campus administrative jobs, from department chairs to deans to provosts, are drawn from the faculty ranks.

Moreover, salary steps are aligned with those increases in title, so the alt-ac “director” often has no possibility of increased compensation. Indeed, the longer one is locked in one of the alt-ac positions, the more likely it becomes that a newer hire will jump the salary queue because the university recognizes that enticing a new employee to come on board requires more reward than having a more experienced, locked-in employee stay.

Peri-ac positions. These positions relate to the academy but are not directly part of it. In this category I would place program officerships at federal funding agencies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Department of Education as well as the similar program officerships in the various grant-making nonprofits that support the academy. It also includes positions in higher education associations -- whether discipline-focused like the Modern Language Association or institutionally defined, such as the alphabet soup of national and regional higher education associations -- along with jobs with other organizations that flitter about the periphery of the academy.

Again, for many of the positions in this category, a Ph.D. is not a functional necessity. But it is welcomed by hiring organizations that recognize that the status conceits of the academy with which they interact make advanced degree holding a desideratum.

Nonacademic positions. In this category, I cluster all of the jobs fully outside the academy. The term I have used to describe this category is inelegant, but I haven’t yet come up with an appealing alternative. I see two subcategories here:

Discipline-related positions, such as, for a historian, working in the history program at a company like Wells Fargo, which maintains a history office to support its corporate agenda.
Nondiscipline-related positions, such as working as a banker at Wells Fargo.

Each of these alternatives offers possibilities for potentially rewarding careers, but campus career services and students should approach each with different strategies in mind. We are well past the time when campus career offices and association placement services should be thinking in terms of faculty positions and a combined cluster of everything else. Multiple alternatives require multiple tracks.

The academy also needs to rethink graduate school enrollment strategies. Today’s hiring patterns suggest that the top-tier universities hire candidates from their fellow, top-tier institutions only. Second-tier institutions also hire from the top tier or, when there aren’t enough top-tier graduates available, from their own cluster. Third-tier institutions still hope for top-tier graduates, and so on down the line. At the least, graduate programs need to offer recruits an honest assessment of outcomes of their advanced education.

But that’s the minimum. With the reality of the employment situation in mind, back in 2013, when speaking in a careers panel at the meetings of the Society for Classical Studies, I suggested that it should be deemed unethical for an academic department, especially one that is not in the absolute topmost tier of the academy, to enroll more graduate students than it has faculty members who are at least in their 50s -- in other words who are likely to retire and open job slots by the time the students they have enrolled will have completed their coursework and dissertations.

Finally, with a mind toward those publications from the early 1980s that filled my in-air time en route to my recent conference, we need to stop thinking of the academic job crisis as a phenomenon of the moment or even of recent decades. We are not participating in a crisis -- something that has an element of immediacy even if it is potentially transformative. Instead, we are living in a different reality from what the academy experienced in the mid-20th century.

And we should recognize that fact, even if it leads to uncomfortable changes in the structure of graduate education in the humanities and related fields.

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The Value of a Graduate Degree in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Career Advice & Advancement Industry Advice Science & Mathematics

The value of an advanced degree in the social sciences and humanities is often under a lot of scrutiny .

The reality, however, is that advanced education in these areas is applicable to diverse career options that give you the skills needed to address the world’s biggest challenges. For example, while climate change requires various types of scientists, it also requires urban planners, environmental economists, and public policy analysts—all of which have a background in the social sciences.

If you’re considering advancing your education, here’s an overview of the value of a graduate degree in the social sciences and humanities, what you can do with it, and what makes a humanities or social science degree worth it.

Social science and humanities degree options

There is a diverse range of social sciences and humanities programs available at all educational levels, and each one can bolster your earning potential, skill set, and marketability.

If you’re choosing to advance your studies, a certificate program or master’s degree is likely the best option since it opens the door to additional educational paths, like a PhD.

At Northeastern University’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities , for example, certificate programs can be incredibly valuable to your overall education because they can be seamlessly incorporated into a master’s-level curriculum. Not only that, a certificate can be completed in less time with far less financial commitment, giving you the ability to test out a program or topic before committing to a full degree.

One of the unique features of an advanced degree in the social sciences and humanities is the broad skill set it provides students. Northeastern’s interdisciplinary approach, for example, is incredibly valuable because it can help you better understand how these skills fit into different career paths. Not only that, you’ll learn alongside people outside of your discipline.

Some of the graduate degrees you can obtain in the social sciences and humanities include:

Applied quantitative methods and social analysis : Focuses on studying and addressing vital questions surrounding equity, hierarchy, social organization, and social systems.
Criminal justice : Addresses the challenges in the criminal justice system and common ethical concerns to help improve societal justice.
Economics : Provides a foundation of economic principles, theory, and quantitative methods.
English : Develops skills in writing, literature, rhetoric, and composition while enhancing analytical and literary prowess.
History : Provides an overview of world or public history, depending on the specific concentration selected.
International affairs : Increases awareness of events impacting the world while preparing future leaders to address these challenges.
Political science : Prepares future political scientists in government and politics, comparative politics, international relations, public policy, or security studies, depending on the selected concentration.
Public administration : Develops the skills and qualifications needed to become leaders and managers focused on serving the public good.
Public policy : Prioritizes data analysis and evaluation to address public issues, formulate effective policies, and assess program efficacy.
Security and resilience studies : Shows how to make municipalities, cities, and organizations more resilient to future shocks (e.g., terrorism, climate change, pandemics).
Urban informatics : Marries the social sciences and technology, applying big data and data techniques to urban challenges.
Urban planning and policy : Encourages the development of potential solutions to problems impacting urban environments.

Despite the variety of degree programs a social sciences and humanities school offers, the value of this education is nearly the same across the board—even for programs that you wouldn’t traditionally associate with a master’s degree.

For example, while a master’s degree in history may seem unnecessary, our analysis of job postings data shows that 85% of historian job postings note a preference or requirement for this level of education.

As a result, earning a master’s degree in a social sciences and humanities field can be incredibly beneficial to your personal and professional goals. Here’s a closer look at the return on investment (ROI) you can expect before you decide to apply.

ROI of a graduate degree in the social sciences and humanities

For many, the major obstacle to earning a master’s degree in any field is cost. According to a 2021 report , 51% of students dropped out of their higher education program because they couldn’t afford it. This doesn’t even consider the professionals who weren’t willing to invest in their initial enrollment.

However, there are several aspects of a social sciences and humanities master’s degree that can help you recoup your investment post-graduation.

According to our analysis of job postings data, professionals with a graduate degree in the social sciences and humanities made a median advertised salary of $81,800 per year in 2022.

In addition, graduates from these programs can expect high earning potential long term since these wages have been trending upward by 21.2% from 2020 to 2023.

It’s important to remember that this number varies based on the specific program and career path you choose, though. For example, those pursuing a master’s in political science can earn upward of $125,000 annually , while graduates of advanced economic programs can earn over $105,000 per year depending on the job title .

Advancing your education doesn’t just increase your salary: It also acts as a valuable stepping stone to advancing your career or even finding a new career path you hadn’t anticipated pursuing.

What job opportunities are available?

There’s a wide range of programs in the social sciences and humanities. It’s important to keep in mind that the interdisciplinary aspect of these programs allows you to apply your knowledge to a wide range of positions.

However, according to our analysis of job postings data, here are the most common job titles of graduates from a social sciences and humanities master’s degree program:

Social science research assistants
Social scientists
Political scientists
Urban and regional planners

Not only are these the most common career paths for graduates from a social sciences master’s program, they also predominantly require an advanced education. For example, 91% of political scientist job postings prefer or require a master’s degree, while up to 68% of economist job postings prefer or require a master’s degree.

This isn’t to say that you won’t be able to find employment without a master’s degree, but advancing your education can broaden the positions you’re able to apply for and help you stand apart from other applicants. In fact, our analysis of program data found that 38% of job postings related to social sciences and humanities preferred or required a master’s degree in 2022. If you’re serious about a career in a social sciences or humanities field, it’s in your best interest to deepen your knowledge with additional education after receiving your bachelor’s degree.

Top industries in social sciences and humanities

A social sciences degree offers a multitude of career paths across diverse industries, providing numerous opportunities to apply your knowledge and skills to unique professional roles. This is largely because it provides a deep understanding of human behavior, decision making, and societal dynamics, which are foundational to any field involving people.

Our analysis of job postings data in the social sciences and humanities confirms this, spanning several sectors of business, including government, education, and business consultation. The extensive application of skills learned from these degree programs can apply to almost any industry in some capacity—especially if the program emphasizes interdisciplinarity.

For example, earning a degree in economics provides opportunities for skills development that’s important for a variety of professionals , including journalists, project managers, and executives. While an economics degree focuses on developing technical skill sets like mathematics and economics analysis, it can also enhance valuable soft skills, such as research, data collection, and collaboration.

Advancing your education in the social sciences and humanities

If you’re on the fence about earning a master’s degree in the social sciences and humanities, remember to choose a school that gives you the best chance to succeed in a variety of careers.

Northeastern University’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities takes an interdisciplinary approach to education, preparing students to apply skills from their degree to a variety of career paths. Some additional benefits of earning a master’s degree from Northeastern include the emphasis on experiential learning , a large number of co-ops , and unlimited access to university research .

If this pathway is one that interests you, consider checking out the various degree options available at Northeastern in the social sciences and humanities. There, you’ll learn about what policy can and can’t do, and how you can work to solve the most pressing social challenges. No matter which program you choose, you’re going to get experience, rather than just classroom instruction, to help you understand how these strategies work in the real world.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2023. It has since been updated for relevance and accuracy.

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The Doctoral Program in Social and Engineering Systems (SES) offered by the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society is a unique research program focused on addressing concrete and societally significant problems by combining methods from computing, data science and statistics, engineering, and the social sciences. Core classes provide students with a grounding in probability, statistics, microeconomic theory, and empirical research in the social sciences. Students then build on that foundation with coursework in information, systems, and decision science; social sciences; and classes in their particular area of applied research.

Additional information about this degree program is available under the section on the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society's graduate academic programs.

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Social Sciences PhD Program

The HSS PhD program in the social sciences offers the opportunity for highly motivated and quantitatively oriented students to pursue interdisciplinary research in areas common to economics , political science , political economy , history , psychology, anthropology, law, and public policy.

A foundational belief of the program is that a wide variety of social phenomena are best understood as the consequence of intelligent decisions by individuals pursuing their own ends. Caltech social scientists have established that such decisions can be modeled and that conclusions concerning social events should be based on observable and measurable parameters of those theories.

Caltech was one of the first research institutions to use laboratory experimentation in the study of economics and political science, and HSS remains one of the top departments—if not the top—in the world in this field. Under faculty supervision, graduate students conduct experiments in HSS research centers, including the Social Science Experimental Laboratory (SSEL) and the Caltech Brain Imaging Center (CBIC) .

Graduate students in the social sciences PhD program are encouraged to begin largely independent research early in their graduate career. Many of the research projects involve direct collaboration between members of the faculty and graduate students. Graduate students are expected to participate actively in the intellectual life of the division, including attendance and participation in seminars and workshops. Seminars occur at least weekly and usually feature colleagues from other universities who have been invited to formally present their work. Workshops are more informal gatherings where students, faculty, and visitors present their work in progress.

Expected learning outcomes for a graduate student completing the social sciences PhD program include:

a strong background in economics, political science, and econometrics;
a solid understanding of the technical tools—which themselves require an understanding of different theoretical and empirical approaches—needed to carry out research at the frontier of the social sciences;
a demonstrated record of independent and high-quality research; and
an ability to collaborate and communicate across different fields in the social sciences.

Caltech conferred its first PhD in social science in 1978. Graduates of the program have been eagerly sought after and have found positions in leading university departments of economics, political science, and law, as well as jobs in government and industry. Additional information about graduates of the program is available on the alumni listings page .

Social Sciences Graduate Courses

The first-year graduate curriculum consists of courses in modern statistical and econometric methods; game theory, social choice, and decision theory; microeconomics; and American political institutions. These required courses give Caltech students the unique perspective and background that faculty believe yield special insights into economic and political interactions. This rigorous first-year training also provides students with the foundation and skills needed to conduct independent research early in their careers at Caltech.

The second-year curriculum is built around a series of course sequences that are used to set students on the road to active, independent research. Emphasis in these second-year courses is on areas of the faculty's current research interest, offering students a unique opportunity to work closely with individual faculty members in identifying and tackling research problems.

During their third year, graduate students in the social sciences are expected to complete the transition from coursework to independent research.

To learn more about the research currently underway in the social sciences at Caltech, visit the research areas page.

For questions regarding the social sciences PhD program, please contact the option manager.

Review of the PhD in the Social Sciences

At the beginning of 2020, ESRC launched a fundamental Review of the Social Science PhD.

Review of the PhD in the Social Sciences (PDF)

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The ESRC invests heavily in PhD studentships to cultivate the next generation of social scientists. Despite only funding a minority of UK social science PhDs, the ESRC has considerable influence over the UK social science doctoral agenda. It has been more than ten years since the ESRC last conducted a review of its doctoral training. During that time, demand for challenge-led, inter-disciplinary research and evaluation, including the use of digital methods and ‘big data’ has increased. It is timely, therefore, to re-examine the social science doctoral offer, to identify its strengths as well as areas where it could be improved.

18 March 2024 Updated document

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Social Science PhD students in the social sciences, how are you guys making money, and how much are you guys earning in total? ( self.AskAcademia )

submitted 22 days ago by Manofbat125

I understand most PhDs come with fully paid tuition fees and some amount in stipend but is a very low amount. How else do PhD students earn money within academia (for e.g. teaching classes for the university, etc.)?

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Social and Political Science PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Placements/internships

Programme website: Social and Political Science

Discovery Day

Join us online on 21st August to learn more about postgraduate study at Edinburgh.

Find out more and register

Research profile

This is a generic PhD programme for the School of Social and Political Science. Most PhD applicants should apply to a discipline-specific PhD programme, usually the home discipline of your intended lead supervisor. Interdisciplinary research can take place within the named discipline programmes.

If you intend to apply for the generic PhD in Social and Political Science, you must email the [Director of Postgraduate Research](mailto: [email protected]) with your research proposal and reasons for applying for this programme in advance of making a formal application.

The main content of this PhD programme is an independent doctoral research under the supervision of at least two members of academic staff from the Social and Political Science subject area.

Our expertise and interests range across the following subject areas:

African Studies
Global Health Policy
International Development
Medical Anthropology
Politics and International Relations
Social and Public Policy
Social Anthropology
Social Work
Socio-cultural Studies
South Asian Studies

Your application must clearly state the potential supervisor you have contacted.

Programme structure

In undertaking this PhD you will also be able to choose from a range of courses which provide research training in a wide range of social science methods, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods.

You can also take courses addressing aspects such as research ethics and positionality, as well as substantive taught courses in the School of Social and Political Science as relevant for your thesis.

Work placements/internships

You will be part of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science and can participate in all offered courses, events and initiatives such as internships.

Training and support

You will have access to a suite of professional development courses and workshops offered by the University’s Institute for Academic Development and the School’s Student Development Office.

Research library and archive facilities in Edinburgh are outstanding.

All research students are members of the Graduate School of Social & Political Science, with full access to the Graduate School’s facilities in the Chrystal Macmillan Building.

Other library and archive facilities include the:

University’s Main Library
National Library of Scotland
Scottish Records Office.

Proximity to the Scottish Parliament and other institutions of national government provides further research opportunities.

Graduate attributes

On completion of your PhD in Social and Political Science you will have:

a critical understanding of theories and concepts in the social and political sciences
a critical, detailed and often leading knowledge and understanding of literature at the forefront of the specialist research area
designed and generated original research that makes a significant contribution to knowledge in the field
knowledge of the principal research methods in the social sciences
applied relevant research methods and techniques of enquiry on a specific research question.
exercised critical judgement with regard to both your own work and that of other scholars in the same general field
applied an integrated approach to critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas, information and issues
communicated to a range of audiences including communication to a specialist audience through published academic work
demonstrated substantial authority and exercise of a high level of autonomy and initiative in academic and equivalent activities
if appropriate, practised in ways which are reflective, self-critical and based on research/evidence
managed complex ethical and professional issues

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, and a UK masters degree with an overall mark of 65%, or its international equivalent.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

Entry requirements by country
English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Living costs.

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Tuition fees

Scholarships and funding, featured funding.

School of Social and Political Science Scholarships

UK Research Council Awards

For specialised guidance on submitting a competitive scholarship application, please follow the requirements and recommendations and how to contact relevant academic staff as advised here:

Important information and recommendations

(Revised 10 November 2023 to update featured funding opportunities.)

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

your programme
the duration of your studies
your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

Search for funding

Further information

Postgraduate Admissions Team
Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
Contact: [email protected]
Postgraduate Director of Research
Contact: [email protected]
Graduate School of Social & Political Science
Chrystal Macmillan Building
15A George Square
Central Campus
Programme: Social and Political Science
School: Social & Political Science
College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This programme is not currently accepting applications. Applications for the next intake usually open in October.

Start date: September

Awards: PhD (36 mth FT, 72 mth PT)

Application deadlines

We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.

How to apply

You must submit a research proposal demonstrating your knowledge of your field of research, which will be closely scrutinised as part of the decision-making process. We request that PhD research proposals are no more than four A4 typed pages in Times New Roman, 12pt font. This includes charts and figures but does not include references or a bibliography.

We require PhD applicants in particular to contact potential supervisors before applying to discuss their research proposal so we can ensure there is adequate supervision.

[Revised 29 March 2024 to remove application fee requirement]

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

DPhil in Social Data Science

Entry requirements
Funding and Costs

College preference

How to Apply

About the course

The DPhil in Social Data Science is an advanced research degree which provides the opportunity to investigate and address novel research questions at the intersection of the computational and social sciences, supported by the multidisciplinary faculty at the OII, Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, and other departments across the University of Oxford. The DPhil, normally taking three to four years of full-time study to complete, is known as a PhD at other universities.

The DPhil in Social Data Science at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) will introduce you to cutting-edge research whilst studying in a beautiful, historic setting that is both student- and family-friendly. During your study at Oxford, you are encouraged to pioneer new approaches to contemporary social and policy issues online, developing new computational and data-driven methodology to inform the development and governance of technology. As a student, you will be part of a diverse cohort of research students, of many nationalities and from a wide range of scientific backgrounds. Research students in Social Data Science are graduates in subjects from computer science and mathematics to physics, as well as transdisciplinary subjects such as human-centred data science and complex systems.

The course combines individual supervision with a selection of lectures, seminars, transferrable skills training, and opportunities to participate in leading-edge research activities. OII faculty are world class experts working in the cutting-edge of their fields, and this innovative research is fully reflected in their course teaching. You will be able to audit courses led by faculty at the OII, as well as courses in other departments.

The programme provides a strong computational foundation, training you to develop new research skills in areas such as machine learning, statistical modelling, large-scale data collection, algorithm auditing, or network science. The DPhil in Social Data Science provides you with a rare grounding in both technical skills and social science research , helping you build critical skills to study digital technologies. There are weekly opportunities for you to interact with DPhil in Information, Communication and the Social Sciences students, providing a rich multidisciplinary environment.

As a full-time student, you are expected to continue working outside of the University terms with an annual holiday of approximately eight weeks.

Part-time study

The DPhil programme at the OII is also available on a part-time basis. The part-time programme is spread over six to eight years of study and research. It offers the flexibility of part-time study with the same high standards and requirements as the full-time DPhil programme. The part-time DPhil also provides an excellent opportunity for professionals in industry and civil society to undertake rigorous long-term research that may be relevant to their career.

As a part-time student, you will be required to attend seminars, supervision meetings, and other obligations in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year. Attendance will be required during term-time (a minimum of one day each week). There will be limited flexibility in the dates and pattern of attendance, which will normally be determined by the fixed teaching and seminar schedule during term. Attendance may be required outside of term-time on dates to be determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor. You will have the opportunity to tailor your part-time study in liaison with your supervisor and agree your pattern of attendance.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Oxford Internet Institute and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff.

Supervision for the DPhil in Social Data Science spans multiple departments (please see the full list of faculty members eligible to supervise DPhil students for this programme). A supervisor may be found outside the list on the course web page, and co-supervision is also possible. All students will have at least one supervisor who is a faculty member of the OII.

Students should normally expect to meet with their supervisor at least three to four times a term. A more typical pattern is weekly or bimonthly, at least until you reach the stage of writing up your thesis.

The first year is a probationary year, soon after which, subject to satisfactory progress, you will be expected to transfer from Probationer Research Student (PRS) status to full DPhil status. The Transfer of Status takes place within a maximum of four terms for full-time students or eight terms for part-time students. A second formal assessment of progress, Confirmation of Status, takes place later in the programme, normally at the end of the third year. The Transfer of Status and Confirmation of Status assessments are conducted by two members of staff other than the student’s supervisor(s) or advisors.

The sequence of milestones for a DPhil student are as follows:

Admission as a Probationer Research Student (PRS)
Transfer to DPhil status (‘Transfer of Status’)
Confirmation of DPhil status for DPhil students (‘Confirmation of Status’)
Submission of thesis

Students initially admitted to the status of Probationer Research Student (PRS) are required to attend and pass core modules from the OII’s training programme. Students who have already completed similar courses in their past academic career should request an exemption from one or more modules by providing sufficient evidence.

A successful transfer of status from PRS to DPhil status will require the student to show that their proposed thesis represents a viable topic and that their written work and interview show that they have a good knowledge and understanding of the subject. Students are also required to demonstrate satisfactory completion of the foundational courses by this point.

Following successful transfer, students will need to apply for and gain confirmation of DPhil status to show that the work continues to be on track. This will need to be completed within nine terms of admission for full-time students and 18 terms of admission for part-time students.

Both milestones involve an interview with two assessors (other than your supervisor) and therefore provide important experience for the final oral examination.

Full-time students will be expected to submit an original thesis of not more than 100,000 words three or, at most, four years from the date of admission. If you are studying part-time, you be required to submit your thesis after six or, at most, eight years from the date of admission. To be successfully awarded a DPhil in Social Data Science you will need to defend your thesis orally (viva voce) in front of two appointed examiners.

Graduate destinations

The Oxford Internet Institute provides you with skills and opportunities in teaching, research, policymaking and business innovation. Employers recognise the value of a degree from the University of Oxford, and the OII’s doctoral students regularly go on to secure excellent positions in industry, government, and NGOs.

Alumni who have pursued academic careers have taken up research and teaching positions including notably at the University of Oxford, Cornell University, University of Hong Kong, Imperial College London, and TU Delft. OII DPhil alumni have worked in a wide range of organisations including The World Bank, Open Technology Fund, Oxfam, Cisco, McKinsey, and Google.

The OII Alumni page features interviews from both MSc and DPhil alumni about their time at the Department and career paths after Oxford.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying.

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

a master's degree with a mark of at least 65% ; and
a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in any subject.

It is expected that all applicants will hold a taught masters or other advanced degree.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

Strong analytical abilities in understanding the social aspects of the internet, World Wide Web and related technologies, as shown by the candidate’s writing sample and/or the reports of referees, are required. It would be expected that graduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate quantitative aptitude or experience in at least half of the material covered by the MSc in Social Data Science.

Applicants may demonstrate this aptitude/experience in a variety of ways including:

graduate and undergraduate transcripts;
on-the-job training and practical experience;
evidence of the successful completion of online courses.

Applicants are not expected to have published academic work previously, although publication may help the assessors judge your writing ability and thus could help your application.

Academic research related to data science or experience working in related businesses is not required, but may be an advantage.

Part-time applicants will also be expected to demonstrate their ability to commit sufficient time to study and spend a minimum of 30 days in Oxford per year, including attendance of teaching, seminars and departmental events, to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules. If applicable, evidence should also be provided of the employer’s commitment to make time available for study, and of the student’s permission to use employers’ data in the proposed research project.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

Minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level requirement
Test	Minimum overall score	Minimum score per component
IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713)	7.5	7.0
TOEFL iBT, including the 'Home Edition' (Institution code: 0490)	110	Listening: 22 Reading: 24 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24
C1 Advanced*	191	185
C2 Proficiency	191	185

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews are held as part of the admissions process.

All applications are reviewed by at least two members of faculty with relevant experience and expertise. Applicants are shortlisted based on the quality of the written application. Those who are shortlisted will usually be interviewed.

Interviews are typically held three to six weeks after the application deadline. There is usually only one interview held, which lasts 30 to 40 minutes and can be held via a video conferencing platform. You will be asked questions about your academic background, your research plan, and why you think the Oxford Internet Institute would be the best place to conduct your studies. The interview panel will consist of at least two interviewers which will normally include the potential supervisor.

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.

References and supporting documents submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about how applications are assessed .

Shortlisting and selection

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of the University’s pilot selection procedure and for scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Initiatives to improve access to graduate study

This course is taking part in a continuing pilot programme to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, in order to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly.

For this course, socio-economic data (where it has been provided in the application form) will be used to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process. Further information about how we use your socio-economic data can be found in our page about initiatives to improve access to graduate study.

Processing your data for shortlisting and selection

Information about processing special category data for the purposes of positive action and using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions .

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

Some postgraduate research students in science, engineering and technology subjects will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate prior to applying for a Student visa (under the Student Route) . For some courses, the requirement to apply for an ATAS certificate may depend on your research area.

The DPhil in Social Data Science is offered by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) in partnership with Statistics, Engineering Science, Sociology, and other departments. The OII faculty works at the cutting-edge of their fields, and this innovative research is fully reflected in their course teaching. The department prides itself on providing a stimulating and supportive environment in which all students can flourish. As a fully multidisciplinary department, the OII offers you the opportunity to study academic, practical and policy-related issues that can only be understood by drawing on contributions from across many different fields.

In addition to the formal requirements of the DPhil thesis, all OII doctoral students have access to regular training in the key professional skills necessary to support their research and future employment. These range from classes on advanced research methods as part of the OII’s option course offerings, to professional development training (provided both by the department and the University) such as presentation skills, academic writing and navigating the process of peer review.

You will attend a weekly seminar in which you will present your own work for critique, and critique the work of your peers. The OII also provides opportunities for DPhil students to gain teaching experience through mentored assistantship roles in some of its core MSc courses.

The department's busy calendar of seminars and events brings many of the most important people in internet research, innovation and policy to the OII, allowing students to engage with cutting-edge scholarship and debates around the internet and digital technologies.

OII students also take full advantage of the substantial resources available at the University of Oxford, including world-leading research facilities and libraries, and a buzzing student scene. The departmental library provides students access to a range of resources including the texts required for the degree. Other University libraries provide valuable additional resources of which many students choose to take advantage.

Oxford Internet Institute

The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) is a dynamic and innovative department for research and teaching relating to the internet, located in a world-leading traditional research university. The multidisciplinary OII offers the opportunity to study academic, practical and policy-related issues that can only be understood by drawing on contributions from many different fields.

The OII is the only major department in a top-ranked international university to offer multidisciplinary courses in the social sciences dedicated to understanding the impact of the internet, data, and information technologies on society. We offer masters and doctoral level education across several degrees focused on social data science or the social science of the internet and technology.

Digital connections are now embedded in almost every aspect of our daily lives, and research on individual and collective behaviour online is crucial to understanding our social, economic and political world. As a fully multi-disciplinary department, we offer our students the opportunity to study academic, practical and policy-related issues and pursue cutting-edge research into the societal implications of the internet and digital technologies.

Our academic faculty and graduate students are drawn from many different disciplines: we believe this combined approach is essential to tackle society’s big questions. Together, we aim to positively shape the development of our digital world for the public good.

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The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the institute's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Full-time study.


Home	£13,570
Overseas	£29,140

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.


Home	£6,785
Overseas	£14,570

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Continuation charges

Following the period of fee liability , you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

There are no compulsory elements of this programme that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Please note that you are required to attend in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year, and you may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for this. Also, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur further additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Whilst many graduate students do undertake employment to support their studies, please remember that students on the full-time arrangement of the OII's DPhil programme are subject to limits on the number of hours that may be worked each week. Part-time student are not subject to these limitations.

Within these limitations, many of the OII's existing full-time DPhil students have been employed on a short or long-term basis as Research Assistants on grant-funded projects gaining valuable research experience. The OII also offers Teaching Assistant positions on the MSc degree for DPhil students who can display the appropriate skills. In addition, there are employment opportunities within the University (such as teaching, translation, and research assistance) as well as within the OII.

For full information on employment whilst on course, please see the University's paid work guidelines for Oxford graduate students .

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

If you are studying part-time your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you must still ensure that you will have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference . For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:

Blackfriars
Campion Hall
Christ Church
Exeter College
Green Templeton College
Hertford College
Jesus College
Keble College
Kellogg College
Linacre College
Nuffield College
Reuben College
St Antony's College
St Catherine's College
St Cross College
St Hilda's College
Wadham College
Wolfson College
Wycliffe Hall

The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:

Before you apply

Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines and when to apply in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

applicants from low-income countries;
refugees and displaced persons;
UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and
applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver before you apply.

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission .

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

You are recommended to contact a potential supervisor (or supervisors) in the first instance to get feedback on the fit of your proposed research with the expertise of the supervisor before you apply. The full list of faculty members eligible to supervise DPhil students for this course, including their research interests and contact details, can be found on the departmental website. Please note that the Oxford Internet Institute will only admit students where appropriate supervision is available.

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents .

For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application .

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Proposed field and title of research project

Under the 'Field and title of research project' please enter your proposed field or area of research if this is known. If the department has advertised a specific research project that you would like to be considered for, please enter the project title here instead.

You should not use this field to type out a full research proposal. You will be able to upload your research supporting materials separately if they are required (as described below).

Proposed supervisor

If known, under 'Proposed supervisor name' enter the name of the academic(s) whom you would like to supervise your research. Otherwise, leave this field blank.

Referees: Three overall, academic and/or professional

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

Professional references are acceptable, particularly if you have been out of education for some time, but should focus particularly on your intellectual abilities rather than more narrowly on job performance.

Your references will be assessed for:

your intellectual ability;
your academic achievement; and
your motivation and interest in the course and subject area.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

Personal statement and research proposal: Statement of a maximum of 500 words and a proposal of a maximum of 2,500 words

Your statement of purpose/personal statement and research proposal should be submitted as a single, combined document with clear subheadings. Please ensure that the word counts for each section are clearly visible in the document.

Personal statement

Your statement should explain your motivation for applying for the DPhil course at Oxford and the specific research areas that interest you and/or you intend to specialise in. It should focus on your academic achievements and research interests rather than personal achievements, interests and aspirations. You should also include details of any relevant experience in engaging in social data science related research.

Your statement should be written in English and be a maximum of 500 words.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

Your statement will be assessed for:

interest and commitment for the study of social data science;
evidence of aptitude for working with data-driven research; and
alignment of your areas of interest with the availability of supervision, as all students will be assigned a supervisor to guide their research.

Research proposal

A coherent thesis proposal is required in an area of study covered by at least one member of the research staff within the Social Data Science programme. Your proposal should focus on specific research you propose to undertake rather than personal achievements, interests and aspirations.

The proposal should be submitted in English only and be a maximum of 2,500 words. The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

Your research proposal will be assessed for:

the coherence of your proposal;
the relevance of the topic as it relates to the research of the Oxford Internet Institute and collaborating department;
the clarity of research question(s), and the knowledge gap the proposal intends to fill;
the appropriateness of the methods and research design as related to the research question(s); and
the overall quality of the project proposed.

It is normal for your ideas to change in some ways as you commence your research and develop your project. However, you should make the best effort you can to demonstrate the extent of your research question, sources and method at this moment.

Written work: One essay of a maximum of 2,000 words

An academic essay or other writing sample from your most recent qualification, written in English, is required. If you have not previously written on areas closely related to the proposed research topic, you may provide written work on any topic that best demonstrates your academic abilities. The written work does not need to be data science related, but should demonstrate your critical and analytical capabilities and ability to present ideas clearly.

The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes. Extracts of the required length that originally come from longer essays are also acceptable.

This will be assessed for:

a comprehensive understanding of the subject area, including problems and developments in the subject;
your ability to construct and defend an argument;
your aptitude for analysis and expression; and
your ability to present a reasoned case in proficient academic English.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice . You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.

Application Guide Apply - Full time Apply - Part time

ADMISSION STATUS

Closed to applications for entry in 2024-25

12:00 midday UK time on:

Friday 5 January 2024 Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships Final application deadline for entry in 2024-25

Key facts
	Full Time	Part Time
Course code	RD_FB1	RD_FB9P1
Expected length	3-4 years	6-8 years
Places in 2024-25	c. 6	c. 2
Applications/year*	59	17
Expected start
English language

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2021-22 to 2023-24)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Oxford Internet Institute

Course page on the institute's website
Department open days
Funding information from the institute
Academic and research staff
Research at the institute
Social Sciences Division
Residence requirements for full-time courses
Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 287210

Application-process enquiries

See the application guide

Other courses to consider

You may also wish to consider applying to other courses that are similar or related to this course:

View related courses

Visa eligibility for part-time study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.

Social Science MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

The MPhil/PhD at the Social Research Institute provides a route for students to carry out their own research project within a multidisciplinary and multi-method environment. Our research students engage with the academic community within UCL and benefit from a comprehensive research training programme. This programme is available to study both face-to-face and online.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

Entry requirements

The normal minimum requirement is a Master’s degree from a UK university in a subject appropriate to the programme to be followed, or a qualification of equivalent standard appropriate to the programme to be followed awarded by a university (or educational institution of university rank) outside the UK. The majority of our successful applicants hold a Merit at Master’s level, and may have additional relevant experience.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The Social Research Institute is one of the largest multidisciplinary social science research and teaching centres in London. Our staff include sociologists, psychologists, social scientists and economists. We have research-active staff able to supervise research in our key areas of expertise.

Who this course is for

We welcome candidates who have a commitment to social research. They are expected to identify two potential supervisors prior to applying. Overseas applicants also need to satisfy the English Language requirement.

What this course will give you

IOE is a world-leading centre for research in education and related social science. We host the UK's largest doctoral cohort in these areas. We are home to many prestigious research centres and projects. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2023), the Institute was ranked first for education for the tenth year running, ahead of Harvard, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge. In the UK's recent Research Excellence Framework (2021), we were ranked first for research strength and research power in Education, according to the Elsevier REF 2021 Results Analysis Tool. We attract extensive research funding each year and host many prestigious research centres and projects.

Doctoral students at IOE have access to the wider UCL community as well as the education cluster constituting the ESRC UBEL Doctoral Training Partnership . The Institute's programme has been designed to provide comprehensive and broadly based research training and to meet the requirements of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the UK Researcher Development Framework.

The foundation of your career

Students develop general and specialist skills in research methodology, academic writing and presentation, as well as experience of engaging with a wide range of practitioners across different social science sectors.

Employability

Social Science doctoral graduates are found in a variety of occupational fields and a wide range of career paths including social research, media research, marketing research, human resources, government, health, policy development, charities, education, NGOs, youth work and managerial posts in business and retail.

The Social Research Institute has a wide range of research seminars where students can join discussion of our ongoing projects, and IOE is the base for national and international conferences. The Centre for Doctoral Education holds two annual conferences for doctoral students. There are also opportunities for students to offer specialist reading groups and workshops and to act as facilitators on courses within the research training programme.

Teaching and learning

Our PhD students work closely with a principal supervisor and subsidiary supervisors. At SRI, we have expertise on a wide range of topics. Students will have opportunities to engage in research activities and seminars. In addition, the UCL Doctoral School also offers a range of skills development courses for PhD students.

In addition to UCL's Doctoral Skills Development Programme, IOE's Centre for Doctoral Education provides a comprehensive Research Training Programme.

The Core Course aims to meets the needs of early stage doctoral students.

There is also a wide range of introductory, advanced methods, advanced theoretical, and generic academic skills courses, as well as student-led workshops and reading groups.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) consists of a piece of supervised research, normally undertaken over a period of three years full-time or five years part-time. Assessment is by means of a thesis, which should demonstrate your capacity to pursue original research based upon a good understanding of the research techniques and concepts appropriate to the discipline. It must also represent a distinct and significant contribution to the subject, whether through the discovery of new knowledge, the connection of previously unrelated facts, the development of new theory, or the revision of older views. It should reflect the exercise of critical judgement with regard to both your own work and that of other scholars in the field.

For those who decide not to pursue the full PhD, or are unable to do so, the degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) consists of a piece of supervised research, normally undertaken over a period of three years full-time or five years part-time. Assessment is by means of a thesis, which should represent a contribution to the subject, either through a record of your original work or a critical and ordered exposition of existing knowledge.

You must ensure you have adequate time to devote to this research, at least six hours a day (2-3 days a week part time).

Research areas and structure

Our expertise at the Social Research Institute covers the following specialising fields:

Children’s rights and advocacy; childhood studies; child development; children in care; maternal and child health; reproductive health; health behaviours; health promotion
Families; family formation; parenting; work and family life; fatherhood; motherhood; food practices
Gender; sexualities and intimate lives
Longitudinal analysis; cohort studies cross-cohort and international comparisons
Lifecourse transitions; intergenerational studies; demography; youth and young adulthood
Social inequalities; intergenerational and intragenerational social mobility
Education; skills and employment; labour market behaviour
Migration; transnational families; sociology of religion; culture and ethnicity
Cultural and social psychology
Political sociology and the study of social movements
Advanced qualitative and quantitative methods; mixed methods and visual methods
Systematic reviews of research evidence; study of how research evidence is used in policy, practice and decision making
Time use research; time use data to study social life, gender, work/family balance, family and economics

Research environment

The Social Research Institute (SRI) is one of the leading centres in the UK for multidisciplinary teaching and research in the social sciences. With more than 180 academic, research and professional staff, we work to advance knowledge and inform policy in areas including gender, families, education, employment, migration, inequalities, public health, health and child/adult wellbeing. At SRI, our postgraduate research students from all over the world work alongside supervisory teams, staff and current students. Students work closely with their supervisor(s) to develop each stage of research; supervisors also help put together a programme of additional courses and activities to support progress towards completion of the final thesis. We offer a wide range of seminars and teaching opportunities. As research students, you will have opportunities to organise your own reading groups, workshops, and seminars, working with other research students in other departments in IOE and UCL.

In addition to the campus-based mode, we offer the option to study online in a distance-learning mode. Choosing the distance-learning mode means that there are no residency requirements and it is not necessary to attend during doctoral study, the viva examination take place in-person at UCL or online. However, you are welcome to visit and use campus facilities including the library, attend seminars etc. In the first year of full-time study (and first two years of part-time study), distance learners take a series of compulsory research methods modules that are studied online. This typically involves provision of materials (articles, eBooks, videos etc.), forums to facilitate discussion of various tasks, and synchronous sessions to discuss the activities. Alongside these you will work with your supervisors on your research (e.g., using Teams/Zoom and email). In addition, there are other resources and training opportunities to support distance-learning students, e.g., sessions to develop generic skills.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes is 3 years for full-time.

You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva 9-18 months after initial registration.

The Centre for Doctoral Education at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society provides an extensive Research Training Programme. A mandatory core course is provided that aims to meet the needs of early-stage doctoral students. There is also a wide range of introductory, advanced methods, advanced theoretical, and generic non-credit bearing academic skills courses, as well as student led workshops and reading groups which you can attend.

Full-time MPhil/PhD students are required to fulfil minimum 20 ‘points’ of training activity in their first year, and are encouraged to fulfil the same in their subsequent years of study. This training can be selected from the UCL Doctoral Skills Development Programme, IOE faculty’s Research Training Programme, the multi-institutional Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network, and from other sources. Each point is worth approximately a half-day of face-to-face training, or an online equivalent. Other activities such as attending and presenting at conferences also count towards research training. Students may undertake additional training beyond these minima, as relevant to their research and/or as agreed with their supervisors.

You are expected to upgrade from MPhil to PhD status towards the end of your first year of study if full-time. Students whose performance is satisfactory will transfer from MPhil to PhD status.

Processes aimed at assisting you during your course of study include the Research Student Log (an online project management tool), and periodic reviews of students’ progress.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may, if necessary, register as a completing research status (CRS) student while you finish writing your thesis.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes is 5 years for part-time.

IOE Centre for Doctoral Education provides an extensive Research Training Programme. A mandatory core course is provided that aims to meet the needs of early-stage doctoral students. There is also a wide range of introductory, advanced methods, advanced theoretical, and generic non-credit bearing academic skills courses, as well as student led workshops and reading groups which you can attend.

Part-time students are required to fulfil minimum 12 ‘points’ of training activity in each year of study. This training can be selected from the UCL Doctoral Skills Development Programme, IOE faculty’s Research Training Programme, the multi-institutional Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network, and from other sources. Each point is worth approximately a half-day of face-to-face training, or an online equivalent. Other activities such as attending and presenting at conferences also count towards research training. Students may undertake additional training beyond these minima, as relevant to their research and/or as agreed with their supervisors.

You are expected to upgrade from MPhil to PhD status at around 18 months if part-time. Students whose performance is satisfactory will transfer from MPhil to PhD status.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£7,580	£3,790
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£22,700	£11,350

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

Students should take into account any travel, accommodation and expenses involved in their thesis.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding webpage: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships/funding-students-postgraduate-research-courses

UCL's Research Excellence Scholarships (RES) are available annually to prospective and existing UCL research students from any country: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships/research-excellence-scholarship . The UCL, Bloomsbury and East London Doctoral Training Partnership offers studentships annually. More information is found here: https://ubel-dtp.ac.uk/

UBEL, RES and other funding programmes are not available to online and non-resident students.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

Applications for this programme are accepted throughout the year. It is highly recommended that students start their programme at the beginning of the academic year (usually the end of September-beginning of October). Two supervisors must be identified and agreed upon prior to submitting a formal application. To identify potential supervisors, check the areas of research interest of staff from the departmental staff lists https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-and-centres/departments/ucl-social-research-institute/

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Got questions get in touch.

Social Research Institute

[email protected]

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Programs & Degrees

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Student Voices

The power in the SHIPS approach to doctoral study is the way it opens up the possibilities for educational research by combining two distinctive approaches. One is to develop expertise in a disciplinary tradition. In this vein we offer seven programs in Humanities and Social Sciences in education (HSS): anthropology; economics; history; linguistics; organizational studies; philosophy; and sociology. The other approach is to develop expertise in a major issue area in education. In this vein, we offer four programs in Issue Domains in Education (IDE): educational policy; higher education; international comparative education (ICE); and education data science (EDS).

All doctoral students in SHIPS may pursue one of four program options:

A program in one of the seven HSS disciplines
A program in one of the four IDE areas
A program in one of the cross-area specializations
A dual specialization in two of the aforementioned programs

Degree Program

Students seeking careers as educational anthropologists should select a disciplinary orientation, and concentrate in the Anthropology of Education subconcentration.

The PhD candidate in Anthropology of Education will take courses in the Department of Anthropology in addition to educational anthropology courses offered in the Graduate School of Education, for a combined total of at least 45 units. The course units in anthropology should include work in methodology, theory and its history, sociocultural and psychocultural processes, and ethnography. At least 20 units must be at the advanced graduate level. The 45 units of anthropology can be recognized as a PhD minor in anthropology or as a master's in the Anthropology Department. See program requirements .

Affiliated faculty:

Alfredo Artiles
Anne Harper Charity Hudley
Ari Y. Kelman
Ramón Antonio Martínez
Jonathan Rosa

The program in Economics of Education aims to instill a thorough understanding of micro- and macro-economic analyses as they apply to the economics of education, a facility for using econometric modeling techniques to formulate complex relationships in education and to test such models with relevant data, and an acquaintance with the other social sciences as they relate to the economics of education.

Specific areas of focus include the production, distribution, and financing of education; the relationship between education and labor markets; the contribution of education to economic growth and development; and the organization of the education industry.

Students are expected to take courses in each of the following four areas: (1) economics and econometrics; (2) statistics; (3) education; and (4) related areas, including research-oriented courses in sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology, history, philosophy, mathematics, engineering-economic systems, and operations research.

Knowing how to apply the tools of economics and econometrics to problems in education will prepare students for positions in universities, research institutions, and government. See program requirements .

Eric Bettinger
Martin Carnoy
Thomas S. Dee
Susanna Loeb
Prashant Loyalka
sean reardon

The program in Education Data Science serves students looking to employ modern data science analyses and computational methods to solve the world’s greatest educational challenges. It offers training in data science skills anchored in educational data, applications, and concerns. Analytically, students are expected to become familiar with statistics, programming languages, computational methods (machine learning, data mining), data visualization, and specialized analytic concerns, such as relational and textual data (network science and text analysis). These skill sets enable students to perform state-of-the-art analyses salient to digital data found in most educational, organizational and web-based companies.

Students will take coursework focused on key data science principles, topics, and applications common to the use of data science in education contexts to ensure that they attain a common cohesive base of knowledge and skills with which to pursue academic areas of interest and specialization tracks later in their course plan. Students will also complete data science specializations in their course of study. The areas of specialization are Natural Language Processing, Network Science, Experiments & Causal Methods, Measurement, and Learning Analytics. See program requirements.

Dora Demszky
Bruce McCandliss
Daniel A. McFarland
Mitchell L. Stevens

The Educational Policy specialization aims to produce leaders who will influence the nature of educational organizations and systems. It prepares scholars, administrators, and policy analysts for these roles by developing the characteristics of educational leaders: the knowledge base to understand the societal and economic forces affecting complex organizations, the ability to question, analyze, and develop creative solutions to policy and operating problems and the determination to make decisions in the face of conflict and ambiguity.

This program champions methodological diversity, believing that varied methodological approaches equip our students with a broad spectrum of tools and perspectives, fostering innovative solutions. The Education Policy program also recognizes the interplay between education and the political economy, emphasizing that educational policy does not merely impact this dynamic but operates symbolically with it.

Variations in topics of interest occur in choices of institutional focus (higher education, elementary or secondary schools, state or federal agencies), intended role (research, policy analysis, or administration), and disciplinary approach (sociology, economics, political science, etc.).

Doctoral graduates frequently become university faculty, as educational researchers or scientists. Some do research in for-profit or non-profit research firms, and in companies or consulting firms in the corporate sector. They may also take administrative or policy-making roles in colleges and universities, manage research projects, or be school officials in K-12 settings. Some take program officer or executive roles in community or private foundations. A few have practices as independent consultants. See program requirements .

Anthony Antonio
Francis Pearman
Rebecca Tarlau

The doctoral program in Higher Education is designed for students pursuing careers as academic faculty, administrators, policy analysts, and educational researchers. Since the PhD is a scholarly degree, the core objective of our program is to prepare professionals to conduct research of exceptional quality. Our program features small courses, hands-on research training, and individualized mentoring. Students enroll full-time and typically complete the program in four to five years.

Our curriculum emphasizes the mastery of particular theoretical frameworks and research methods in the social sciences. Each doctoral student obtains a minor in a related discipline or interdisciplinary area; doctoral students often pursue master's degrees in their chosen field concurrently with their coursework for the PhD.

Our home in Stanford's Graduate School of Education enables our students to appreciate the myriad connections between higher education and K-12 schooling. Students also make good use of the wider resources available at Stanford, routinely enrolling in courses throughout the university.

Our faculty are internationally recognized scholars and university leaders. Their areas of research include: the production and formal organization of knowledge in higher education; organizational restructuring and institutional change in public colleges and universities; alternative educational forms; the quantification of academic accomplishment; policy alignment and student transitions throughout the life course; the impact of diversity on college student outcomes; socialization and student networks; and the role of liberal arts instruction and service learning in professional education. See program requirements .

Thomas Ehrlich
Patricia J. Gumport
Emily Levine
Woody Powell
Christine Min Wotipka

Research Opportunities

Faculty projects within and beyond the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research offer doctoral students the opportunity to conduct research and work closely with well-known scholars, as do collaborations with nearby research organizations such as the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

A historian of education needs to be well trained in history and knowledgeable about education. By taking coursework in history and history of education—normally earning a master's in history along the way-students gain skill in asking productive questions, finding and organizing evidence, and presenting convincing historical arguments. In addition, students take a range of courses in education that introduce them to important issues and strategies for research. The aim of this specialization is to prepare historians of education who will be rigorous, imaginative, and knowledgeable teachers and researchers. Graduates often find their training helpful in policy analysis and in fields like academic administration. See program requirements .

Michael Hines

The program in International Comparative Education (ICE) is a multidisciplinary, international, cross-cultural program of training that places educational problems into an international and comparative framework. Core courses explore how education is related to economic, political, and social development in both developed and developing countries. The program provides a strong theoretical and empirical base for studying education in a rapidly changing global context and for understanding the how and why of successful policy-making to improve educational practice in different social settings.

In both its training and research activities, ICE has developed a special concern for the study of education in less developed countries. At the same time, several faculty are engaged in research comparing educational policies and conditions in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The relationships among educational research, educational policy, and educational planning are important in the program's intellectual agenda.

The doctoral specialization in ICE is designed to relate a firm grounding in the theories and methods of a basic social or behavioral science to the analysis of education's role in the processes of economic growth, political development, and social change.

The training of ICE doctoral students is geared toward achieving substantial research competence in areas where a social science discipline and the policy problems of development education intersect. Doctoral students are therefore expected to have, or to acquire while at Stanford, substantial graduate training in a social science discipline relevant to their fields of interest at a level equivalent to the master's degree or a PhD minor in the appropriate university department.

Graduates of the PhD program in ICE typically choose research-oriented careers either within their countries' universities or with government agencies. Their expertise is sought from time to time by international and philanthropic organizations.

While there is no universal foreign language requirement for the ICE doctoral program, students must be proficient in the languages appropriate to their professional and geographical areas of interest. They are also encouraged to seek practical research training in their areas of interest. See program requirements .

For more information about the ICE MA program, please visit: https://ed.stanford.edu/ice

Patricia Bromley
Francisco Ramirez

The program in Educational Linguistics is interdisciplinary and draws substantially upon courses, faculty, and programs in various areas throughout Stanford GSE as well as departments within the School of Humanities and Sciences. Building upon a common core of linguistic foundations, graduates of the program in educational linguistics integrate theory, research, policy, and practices that are central to studies of language development and usage in schools and their surrounding communities. See program requirements . Affiliated faculty:

The following degree program will not accept applications for 2025-26 enrollment. Please check back in July 2025 for more information about the 2026-2027 academic year:

The Graduate School of Education has notable strength in the area of organization studies, particularly in terms of research on schools, universities, nonprofit and governmental organizations, as well as more creative associations, such as community or advocacy groups, and grass-roots associations. Students can elect to pursue a SHIPS concentration (i.e., sub-plan or emphasis) or a pre-approved Individually Designed Distributed Minor (IDDM) in Organization Studies . The concentration in Organization Studies includes a minimum of 20 units from the courses listed in this document . See program requirements.

Debra Meyerson

The Philosophy of Education program trains scholars that will be able to

analyze and clarify concepts and chains of reasoning used by teachers, researchers, administrators, and policymakers;
assess arguments and clarify the rhetoric of educational debates;
identify implicit assumptions in such arguments or statements;
enter into productive exchange with researchers or policymakers in at least one branch of social or human science; and
place educational issues, and issues arising from the social sciences, into a broader philosophical and sociocultural context.

Graduates of this subconcentration traditionally become college or university professors of the philosophy of education in departments or schools of education. However, a few graduates have secured joint or courtesy appointments in a school of education and a department of philosophy because of the intensive training in the minor field of general philosophy (many students take a master's degree in philosophy or philosophy of science). See program requirements.

The Sociology of Education program offers students invaluable research apprenticeship opportunities that take advantage of faculty interests and expertise at Stanford. Areas of emphasis include

analysis of relational dynamics in classrooms, schools, and universities
the sociology of development and peer cultures
organizational and institutional features of schools and universities
transfer of knowledge and organizational learning
inequality in education and society
comparative macro sociology of education
social network analysis
study of nonprofits, advocacy and community groups, urban spaces and places

Doctoral candidates in Sociology of Education ordinarily earn a master's degree in sociology and take advanced coursework in statistics. Doctoral students emerging from this specialization typically become faculty members at universities and carry on activities such as teaching sociology and education courses, training researchers, carrying out applied and basic research, and consulting. See program requirements.

Students in the Learning Sciences and Technology Design (LSTD) program complete foundational research on learning and design innovative learning technologies. As a cross-area specialization, the LSTD program links its content to one of the three academic areas: Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education (CTE), Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS), or Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in Education (SHIPS). See program requirements.

Learn more at Learning Sciences and Technology Design (LSTD) .

The cross-area specialization in Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE) brings an interdisciplinary scholarly focus to the major factors that influence educational attainment, especially for underserved children. Students ground their RILE studies within the context of one of the three academic areas: Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education (CTE), Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS), Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in Education (SHIPS). See program requirements.

Learn more at Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE) .

The majority of our PhD graduates in the SHIPS area express an interest in pursuing a university career in teaching and research. Other graduates seek employment in educational research and policy settings at both public and private research organizations. Some of our recent graduates are employed at the following locations:

Boston University Education Faculty
Brown University Education Faculty
Columbia Teachers College Education Faculty
Columbia University Sociology Faculty
CUNY Sociology Faculty
Duke Sociology Postdoc
Harvard Graduate School of Education Faculty
New York University Education Faculty
Oxford University Postdoc
San Jose State University Education Faculty
Stanford Education Postdoc
Tampere University Business Faculty
Temple University Education Faculty
Tulane University Sociology Faculty
UC Berkeley Information Science Postdoc
UC San Diego Education Faculty
UCLA Ethnomusicology Faculty
UCLA Postdoc
University of Alabama Education Faculty
University of Amsterdam Communication Faculty
University of Colorado Boulder Education Faculty
University of Florida Sociology Faculty
University of Hawai’i at Manoa Education Faculty
University of Michigan Sociology Postdoc
University of Pennsylvania Education Faculty
University of Virginia Education Faculty
University of Wisconsin Education Faculty
Vanderbilt Graduate School of Education Faculty
Brandeis University Education Faculty
Yale Institute for Sacred Music Postdoc
Katz Center for Jewish Studies Postdoc

Other organizations:

Inter-American Development Bank
Mathematica
McKinsey and Company
SRI International
Walmart Global Tech

Area Faculty & Affiliates

Elizabeth Kozleski
Guilherme Lichand

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Careers Beyond Academia: Humanities

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Quick Guide to Humanities Resources

A quick Guide to resources most helpful in particular to humanities and social sciences doctoral students and graduates:

ImaginePhD - use this tool to discover the many career possibilities, take self-assessments to hone in on your super-strengths and discover where you can apply your talents

O*NET - a search tool to discover jobs based on your knowledge, skills, abilities and values, according to the job family of most interest to you

Beyond the Professoriate - chock full of tips and tricks to translate your dissertation skills into the language of your future employer

Non-Academic Career Options for PhDs in the Humanities and Social Sciences - a great overview of many roles where you can put your skills to work, compiled by Columbia University's Center for Career Education

Five truths about leaving academia with a PhD by Roostervane

Philosophers in Industry - an informal directory with the purpose of helping academic philosophers network outside of academia.

Soxiology curates vacancies in schools of sociology, politics, history and philosophy

CogDevSoc is a listserv that compiles job announcements, conference and meeting announcements, grant announcements, and general queries

Resource for Career Planning from the Modern Language Association.

Cornell Center for Social Sciences - Workshops on a variety of data related tools and topics.

Cornell Library Immersion Program and Resources for Humanities and Social Science Graduate Students

Humanities Societies

Databases & directories of think tanks & n.g.o.s.

See the Directory of Associations to find local, regional, national, and international associations compiled by state and categories. Use keywords from your research with "association" or "society" to find more.

CIAO Database- - Full text of conference proceedings, think tank articles, some journals, and working papers on international affairs
Columbia University Lehman Social Sciences Library
OxResearch - multidiciplinary articles on political developments worldwide
"Pishu 皮书": China Economy, Public Policy, and Security Database
PolicyArchive Database - an innovative, new digital archive of global, non-partisan public policy research
U.S. Department of State - lists policy issues
World Press Review Library of International Affairs - an index of international think tanks and non-governmental research organizations with hyperlinks

Mentors with Humanities Backgrounds

Inform yourself by reading about and reaching out to humanities grads who have made their way to successful careers outside of academia.

Eric Acree ; Cornell University Library, Director, John Henrik Clarke Africana Library; Coordinator of Fine Arts and Music Libraries

Derek Attig (they/them), a History PhD

Liz Murice Alexander

Oumar Ba, editor at the online magazine Africa Is a Country

Malcom Bare

Michelle Boyd (Inkwell Academic Writing Retreats)

Leonard Cassuto

Christopher Caterine

Rebecca Colesworthy , PhD '09 (English)

Chris Cornthwaite

Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar , President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Kiley M. Foste r PhD'20 (Near Eastern Studies)

Grace Catherine Greiner PhD '21 (English)

Stephanie J. Hull , PhD, President & CEO, Girls, Inc.

Vicki Johnson PhD, BA'01 Government, Founder and Director of ProFellow

Virginia Kennedy , PhD ’12 (English)

Stephen Kidd , PhD, Executive Director, National Humanities Alliance

Stephen Kim, PhD'20 (English), minor fields in FGSS and American Studies

Emily Levitt , PhD '18, (Cultural Anthropology) UX Researcher, Google

Andrew Mahlstedt , United World Colleges

Eilis Monahan PhD'19 (Near and Middle Eastern Studies) BCG

Sabrina Papazian UX researcher, Lyft (Cornell postdoctoral alumna)

Laura Payne-Bourcy , Owner/Partner Laura Payne-Bourcy Consulting Services

Charles Petersen, senior editor at n+1 magazine

Ashley Ruba , UX Researcher, Meta Reality Labs (U of Washington PhD, Psychology, 2019)

Dylan Ruediger , Program Manager, The Research Enterprise at Ithaka S+R

Cameron Scott , PhD '02 (Comparative Literature)

Anna Shechtman, senior humanities editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books ( LARB )

Lynne Stahl , PhD '15 (English), Humanities Librarian at West Virginia University

Emily Swafford from the American Historical Association

Mia Tootill , MA ’13, PhD’17 (Musicology)

Jennifer Urban , MA ’06, PhD ’08 (Human Development), Author of “ Building a Career Outside Academia: A Guide for Doctoral Students in the Behavioral and Social Sciences ”, and Professor of Family Science and Human Development, Montclair State University

Janine Utell from the Modern Language Association

Robert Weisbuch

Lina Žigelytė , Senior UX Researcher, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (U of Rochester PhD, Visual & Cultural Studies, 2017)

Roles for PhDs

Take advantage of Imagine PhD to explore roles you might not have considered.

UX (User Experience) Researcher -

this article explains how PhD holders from any discipline are perfectly suited to this role
UX Researcher starter resources by Tarah Srethwatanakul (UX Researcher at WhatsApp)
UX resources for beginners by Simon Taylor , Senior Experience Researcher @Twitter

Check out the Internship, Fellowship and Job Opportunities on their Individual Websites

American Center for International Labor Solidarity

American Enterprise Institute

American Institutes for Research (AIR)

Atlantic Council of the United States

British American Security Information Council

The Brookings Institution

Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

The Carter Center

Cato Institute

Center for American Progress

Center for International Policy

Center for the National Interest

Center for Naval Analyses (CNA)

Center for a New American Security (CNAS)

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

Center for the Study of the Presidency

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Council on Foreign Relations

The European Policy Centre

Freedom House

Henry L. Stimson Center

The Heritage Foundation

Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace

The Hudson Institute

Institute for Defense Analyses

Institute for International Economics

Institute for the Study of Diplomacy

Jamestown Foundation

Mercatus Center

New America

Stimson Center

Transatlantic Policy Network

Urban Institute

Washington Office on Latin America

World Economic Forum

Careers in Higher Education

Many PhD graduates from the humanities seek fulfilling careers in higher education. Some resources to consider:

Search for jobs in Higher Ed (faculty and administrative roles): HERC (Higher Education Recruitment Consortium)

Consult this database of relevant journals and conferences: Higher Education Journals and Conferences has direct links to author guidelines and conference homepages, includes impact factors, acceptance rates, and a separate tab for K-12 journals.

Fund your work through fellowships organized in these databases targeted toward all disciplines:

UCLA's GRAPES Graduate and Postdoc Funding listing
Johns Hopkins' Graduate Student Funding Opportunities (Federal and Private)
Harvard's Carat searchable Fellowship funding

Examples of Humanities Fellowships

Cornell University Rural Humanities student microgrants

Einhorn Center for Community Engagement for Cornell postdocs

Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability opportunities for postdocs and graduate students whose research touches on thematic priority areas: Accelerating Energy Transitions (AET), Reducing Climate Risk (RCR), Increasing Food Security (IFS), and Advancing One Health (AOH)

PhD Pathways Program fellowship at UT Austin led by Melanie Pearce. The program was developed by borrowing heavily from Laura at Michigan, ACLS public fellows and University of Illinois Humanities Without Walls academics without walls programs Pathways Candidate Evaluation Rubric a really amazing selection process that was developed by our two graduate assistants (one studies the role of AI and equity in application processes, the other advertising)

ProFellow is a Cornell alumna initiated searchable database of fellowships for graduate study and professional development

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Last Updated: Aug 13, 2024 2:20 PM
URL: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/CareersBeyondAcademia

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A PhD in the social sciences and humanities is usually a terrible career choice

The faculty and staff at universities — and people already in PhD programs — won't tell you, but choosing to do a PhD in the humanities and social sciences is a terrible life choice and career move.

To get a handle on why, I suggest starting with this informative blog post, "So You Want To Go To Grad School (in the Academic Humanities)?"

https://acoup.blog/2021/10/01/collections-so-you-want-to-go-to-grad-school-in-the-academic-humanities/

Put briefly:

Universities take in far more PhD students than they can properly support, and drastically more than there are jobs for. There is a high chance that lack of support means you will never finish with a doctorate.

A research-based tenure-track position is pretty much the only job you need a PhD for. For every other job, they would rather see a few years of relevant work experience than 5+ years wasted in a PhD.

You may be positively less employable with a PhD, since employers expect you to be difficult and demanding to work with, and to leave after a short time.

Pretty much the whole world is operating with a "more education = better life prospects" mindset. The claim does not generalize to a doctorate in the humanities and social sciences.

After forcing my way through the program with enormous effort and suffering, I find myself applying for (and not getting) basic jobs like flight attendant or cashier at the liquor store. I can't afford an apartment of my own, and I keep getting forced out by lawbreaking landlords keen to replace old tenants with new ones at massively increased rent. After at least six months of job searching, I have no leads and I am ineligible for EI because I didn't work at least 700 hours as a TA last year (I had a dissertation to finish, edit, and defend!).

If you don't know what to do — or have found school more fun than working — do not take that as a reason to start a PhD. Unlike my undergrad and MPhil, the PhD was not fun. Now that I have reached then end of it, I feel like I have worse prospects than before I began.

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Paris Olympics breakdancing head judge one of many rallying around Raygun amid online criticism

Topic: Olympic Games

The breaking community wants the world to give Australia's Raygun a break as the Paris Olympics wrapped up.

The sport made its Olympic debut in Paris — it might never be back — and one of the lasting images was the performance of an Australian B-girl known as Raygun who did a "kangaroo dance" and scored zero points.

In a show of support on Sunday, the head judge of the breaking competition said 36-year-old university professor, Rachael Gunn, was just trying to be original. And the breaking federation says it has offered mental health support in the wake of online criticism.

"Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region," head judge Martin Gilian — known as MGbility — said at a press conference. "This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo."

The breaking and hip-hop communities "definitely stand behind her," he added.

"We have five criteria in the competitive judging system and just her level was maybe not as high as the other competitors," MGbility said. "But again, that doesn't mean that she did really bad. She did her best. She won the Oceania qualifier. Unfortunately for her, the other B-girls were better."

Sergey Nifontov, general secretary of the World DanceSport Federation, said they've been in direct contact with Gunn and Australian Olympic team officials

"We offered (the) support of our safe-guarding officer. We are aware about what has happened, especially on social media, and definitely we should put the safety of the athlete, in this case, mental safety in first place," he said. "She has us as a federation supporting her."

Breaking — known to many as breakdancing, a term its performers dislike — is not on the program for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The next Summer Games after that will be in Brisbane, Australia.

"We believe that this has nothing to do with our chances for Brisbane 2032," Nifontov said when asked about the criticism of Raygun and getting back into the Olympics.

Japan's Ami Yuasa, known better as B-girl Ami, won the gold medal and said she wished Los Angeles organisers had waited to experience the energy between the athletes and the crowd at Place de la Concorde.

"I feel so sad about it not happening in Los Angeles because breaking was born in the USA," she said on Sunday. "Breaking is not just a sport, it's also expressing myself and art."

Federation president Shawn Tay defended the evolution — from what started as an art form in the 70s in the Bronx to an Olympic appearance. Critics have questioned the commercialisation of the sport.

"Right from the beginning we were warned that some of the breakers — the top breakers — may not take part," he said. "But now we have achieved to bring them all in — we have all the best breakers. Now they are fighting for the glory of their country — it's a totally different thing. And that's actually pushed them to improve so much, to work so hard in a more scientific way."

The ABC of SPORT

IMAGES

How I feel while applying to PhD programs in sociology : r/GradSchool
Translation: “I don’t know what social science is” : r/TheRightCantMeme
social science phd programs
Starting Your Journey Towards a PhD
How to get into a Social Science PhD in the US? Part 2
PhD in Social Science

COMMENTS

For those with a PhD in Social Science, what was your broad ...
The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including anthropology, communication studies, economics, human geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology.
PhD hopefuls in the Social Sciences and Humanities, how is it ...
A bridge between qualitative and quantitative is essential for research in the social sciences and humanities, and I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to add to the body of knowledge with a skillset I feel more comfortable and confident in. Second year student in a Higher Education PhD program here.
Graduate and PHD degrees in the social sciences that are worth it?
Special education is still a somewhat young field and still growing. There are many higher Ed jobs in the field as well, and many states continue to see a shortage in qualified special educators. Speech language pathology, while not really a social science, is also a highly marketable field. Reply. thegreenaquarium.
The new reality for humanities Ph.D.s is a transformation, not a crisis
The academic job market collapse in the humanities and social sciences, which is often characterized as a feature of the academy in the 2000s, is clearly the result of a transformation that has been going on for more than a generation. ... Third-tier institutions still hope for top-tier graduates, and so on down the line. At the least, graduate ...
Is a Social Science Degree Worth It?
ROI of a graduate degree in the social sciences and humanities. For many, the major obstacle to earning a master's degree in any field is cost. According to a 2021 report, 51% of students dropped out of their higher education program because they couldn't afford it. This doesn't even consider the professionals who weren't willing to ...
Social and Engineering Systems
The Doctoral Program in Social and Engineering Systems (SES) offered by the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society is a unique research program focused on addressing concrete and societally significant problems by combining methods from computing, data science and statistics, engineering, and the social sciences. Core classes provide students ...
Social Sciences PhD Program
The HSS PhD program in the social sciences offers the opportunity for highly motivated and quantitatively oriented students to pursue interdisciplinary research in areas common to economics, political science, political economy, history, psychology, anthropology, law, and public policy.. A foundational belief of the program is that a wide variety of social phenomena are best understood as the ...
Review of the PhD in the Social Sciences
Details. The ESRC invests heavily in PhD studentships to cultivate the next generation of social scientists. Despite only funding a minority of UK social science PhDs, the ESRC has considerable influence over the UK social science doctoral agenda. It has been more than ten years since the ESRC last conducted a review of its doctoral training.
PhD students in the social sciences, how are you guys making money, and
use the following search parameters to narrow your results: subreddit:subreddit find submissions in "subreddit" author:username find submissions by "username" site:example.com find submissions from "example.com"
Social Science Careers: 2024 Guide to Career Paths, Options & Salary
Employment in social science occupations is projected to grow at 5% through 2029. As of May 2020, the median annual wage for occupations related to social science is $69,760. Most practitioners in the field have advanced degrees and the median social science salary varies per specialization.
Social Science PhD: Value? : r/GradSchool
I find social science is really different from both pure STEM and humanities and often the advice given doesn't apply. From what I've seen, MA+work experience is about equivalent to PhD for analyst type jobs. PhD provides a few benefits: If you go the government path, you will start on a higher pay grade. PhD is generally free, whereas policy ...
What You Should Know About Social Science Majors
Social science majors generally fall under the latter category. They typically refer to subjects that relate to systems and how they operate, such as the human mind and the global economy. Choosing to major in the social sciences can lead to lucrative jobs in economics, politics, and urban planning, to name just a few areas. With a social ...
Social and Political Science PhD
The main content of this PhD programme is an independent doctoral research under the supervision of at least two members of academic staff from the Social and Political Science subject area. Our expertise and interests range across the following subject areas: African Studies. Global Health Policy. International Development. Medical Anthropology.
DPhil in Social Data Science
The DPhil, normally taking three to four years of full-time study to complete, is known as a PhD at other universities. The DPhil in Social Data Science at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) will introduce you to cutting-edge research whilst studying in a beautiful, historic setting that is both student- and family-friendly.
Social Science MPhil/PhD
The MPhil/PhD at the Social Research Institute provides a route for students to carry out their own research project within a multidisciplinary and multi-method environment. Our research students engage with the academic community within UCL and benefit from a comprehensive research training programme. This programme is available to study both face-to-face and online.
Studying Reddit: A Systematic Overview of Disciplines, Approaches
Reddit has become one of the most prominent social platforms on the web with 52 million daily active users (Reddit.com, 2020a) and over 138,000 active topical communities called "subreddits" (Marotti, 2018).Reddit has also been home to a number of prominent and controversial events, such as attempts to identify the Boston-city bombing terrorists (Starbird et al., 2014); a massive leak of ...
Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in
The power in the SHIPS approach to doctoral study is the way it opens up the possibilities for educational research by combining two distinctive approaches. One is to develop expertise in a disciplinary tradition. In this vein we offer seven programs in Humanities and Social Sciences in education (HSS): anthropology; economics; history; linguistics; organizational studies; philosophy; and ...
Is there a point in doing a social science PhD in hopes of ...
I held a master's degree from a state college before pursuing a social science PhD… at a small, not-for-profit, humanistically-oriented graduate university. I wasn't aiming for a tenure track position as I mostly enjoyed my job in state government and planned for a long career with my agency when I saw an ad for a tenure track position in ...
Careers Beyond Academia: Humanities
A quick Guide to resources most helpful in particular to humanities and social sciences doctoral students and graduates: ImaginePhD - use this tool to discover the many career possibilities, take self-assessments to hone in on your super-strengths and discover where you can apply your talents. O*NET - a search tool to discover jobs based on your knowledge, skills, abilities and values ...
PhD in Social Sciences? : r/PhD
I have a Social Sciences PhD I'm not using technically. That being said if you look at the tangential benefits, the way of solving problems, how it effects your worldview/thought processes it's worth it. Hope that helps. For people oriented to social science research and who like that as a process, do you think ph.D. are worth it, in ...
Methods and Statistics in Social Sciences Specialization
Understanding statistics is essential to understand research in the social and behavioral sciences. In this course you will learn the basics of statistics; not just how to calculate them, but also how to evaluate them. This course will also prepare you for the next course in the specialization - the course Inferential Statistics.
A PhD in the social sciences and humanities is usually a ...
A PhD in the social sciences and humanities is usually a terrible career choice Advice The faculty and staff at universities — and people already in PhD programs — won't tell you, but choosing to do a PhD in the humanities and social sciences is a terrible life choice and career move. ... though the reddit GIS forums are also full of people ...
Paris Olympics breakdancing head judge one of many rallying around
The breaking community wants the world to give Australia's Raygun a break as the Paris Olympics wrapped up. The sport made its Olympic debut in Paris — it might never be back — and one of the ...