Masters applications for 2023 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2024 will open on Monday 25 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2024 start. View our programmes »
Overview
- We’ll develop you into a fully trained and competent social science researcher who is able to understand and use a range of research techniques
- There is a substantial theoretical and quantitative core alongside complementary qualitative training
- Forms part of the ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership and funding may be available for UK/EU students embarking on the programme and wishing to work towards a PhD
- A joint initiative between the Universities of Bath, Bristol and Exeter with collaborative teaching – each semester one core unit is taught intensively, with time spent at each location
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Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree with 53% or above (or international equivalent) in an appropriate subject from a recognised university.
Students will be required to demonstrate that their undergraduate course contained a substantial quantitative element (nominally 60 credit points, 30 European Credit Transfers) and that their dissertation included the use of quantitative methods.
Please note, if we receive an application which we deem more suitable for one of our other data science programmes we may make an offer for that alternative programme.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
This distinctive MRes aims to develop a systematic understanding and critical appreciation of alternative approaches, methodologies and paradigms of social science research. It will develop fully trained and competent social science researchers, who are able to understand and use research techniques appropriate to their subject area as well as being conversant with approaches used by other social scientists.
The programme has a substantial theoretical and quantitative core but also delivers complementary qualitative training. This will provide an essential foundation for any working researcher, whether they are going on to do a PhD or otherwise engaged in research. The training will enable students to think through how they can use their knowledge and skills of advanced quantitative methods in different contexts and apply them to a variety of problems; and, progressively, to identify their own needs for training.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Fees
2024/25 entry
UK fees per year:
£11,500 full-time; £5,750 part-time
International fees per year:
£23,800 full-time; £11,900 part-time
Scholarships
We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students. This includes over £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*.
For more information on scholarships, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Selected programmes only. Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details.
Teaching and research
Learning and teaching
With the exception of the dissertation, each module on this programme is normally taught through academic lectures expanded through seminar discussion, presentations, group work, reading and essay assignments.
Work on formulating a dissertation topic begins early in the academic year and you will have an individual supervisor for your dissertation.
Location
This programme is a joint initiative between the Universities of Bath, Bristol and Exeter. The course is delivered collaboratively; each semester one core unit is taught intensively, with time spent at each location. This collaborative delivery means that the expertise of academics at each institution can be made available to students from all three universities, enhancing the training capacity of each.
Research
Students can take advantage of our seminar series and its long-running and highly successful annual postgraduate conference which brings together researchers from across all humanities and social sciences disciplines.
Professor Susan Banducci
Programme Director
Professor Duncan Russel
Professor in Environmental Policy
Professor Susan Banducci
Programme Director
Susan teaches on the core module Data Visualisation and her research interests are in the areas of comparative political behaviour, media and political communication.
She is the director of the Exeter Q-Step Centre working, along with a £1.44million investment from Nuffield, ESRC and Hefce and four new lecturers, toward advancing quantitative methods in the social sciences.
Susan is also a Turing Fellow and a deputy director of Exeter's Insitute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
In the Department of Politics, she is the Director of Research and a member of the Centre for Elections, Media and Participation
Profile page
Professor Duncan Russel
Professor in Environmental Policy
Duncan Russel is a Professor in Environmental Policy. His research and teaching interests include UK and European climate, climate and public policy, policy appraisal and coordination, evidence and policy interactions and budgetary politics.
Careers
Career Paths
The MRes Advanced Quantitative Methods (AQM) in Social Sciences is a training programme designed to equip you with the research skills necessary to progress to a doctoral research degree, or to embark upon on a career as a political researcher.
Employer valued skills
You will develop a range of academic, knowledge-based and personal skills:
- Advanced independent thinking
- Experience of working as an individual on challenging material
- The ability to reflect on your learning, evaluate personal strengths and weakness, and map out a plan of personal development based on those reflections
- Experience of working as a participant and/or leader of a group, and of contributing effectively to the planning and achievement of that group’s objectives
- Experience of giving presentations to others in your field
- The ability to construct a rigorous argument, and defend that argument citing relevant sources, both in written form and orally
Careers support
The Exeter University careers advisory service offer expert guidance to all students and will help you plan your future through activities such as psychometric testing, employer presentations, skills events, practice job interviews and CV preparation. Visit the employment and professional development pages for more information, including podcasts and profiles, about the range of support available.
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