Postgraduate study
Edinburgh: Extraordinary futures await.

Social Policy PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Social Policy

Social Policy has been taught in Edinburgh for more than a century, and we have a rich tradition of supervising students towards higher degrees as a route to careers in academia, research and public policy.

Today our group is at the heart of the scholarly community in social policy in Scotland and the UK, but also resolutely turned towards the wider world.

Our highly regarded research draws on a variety of disciplinary perspectives and is methodologically diverse, spanning the full range of social science methods from action research to advanced quantitative approaches.

We are committed to scholarly advancement but also to the dissemination of our work beyond the academy to generate non-academic impact and effect social change.

We offer postgraduate supervision across the whole subject range, with particular expertise in:

  • social security
  • labour market policy
  • health policy
  • family policy
  • education policy

Our cross-cutting areas of expertise include:

  • comparative social policy
  • knowledge and policy
  • the governance of welfare states

Who this programme is for

We welcome doctoral students wanting to undertake advanced research on social problems and policy and practice responses to them locally, nationally and globally.

We especially encourage those seeking to do research projects closely aligned with our core research themes:

Our core research themes.

Undertaken full-time over three years, or part-time over six years, the PhD in Social Policy is a research degree in which you will make an original contribution to knowledge by pursuing an extended and focused piece of research on a topic of your interest.

The programme is supported by the Graduate School of Social and Political Science, which enables you to acquire a broader set of transferable skills during your time with us.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
PhDSocial Policy3 YearsFull-timeProgramme structure 2023/24
PhDSocial Policy6 YearsPart-timeProgramme structure 2023/24

We offer a lively intellectual environment in which to undertake postgraduate research in social policy, with a range of thematic research groups and an active seminar programme.

You will benefit from our excellent links to other social policy scholars, policymakers and practitioners both locally and across the world.

The subject area hosts some of the leading academic journals in the field.

Postgraduate research students in the Graduate School of Social and Political Science can access core, intermediate and advanced research training courses tailored to the needs of their project.

There is also an extensive annual programme of methods workshops delivered through the School’s Research Training Centre.

Edinburgh’s excellent library facilities and the presence of the headquarters of many public, voluntary and private organisations, including the Scottish Parliament, make the city the perfect place to undertake research on social and public policy.

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:

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:

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).

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:

Tuition fees

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
PhDSocial Policy3 YearsFull-timeTuition fees
PhDSocial Policy6 YearsPart-timeTuition fees

Featured funding

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:

(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.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • Graduate School of Social & Political Science
  • Chrystal Macmillan Building
  • 15A George Square
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9LD
Programme start date Application deadline
9 September 2024 1 July 2024

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.

You must submit two references with your application.

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.

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

Further information

  • Graduate School of Social & Political Science
  • Chrystal Macmillan Building
  • 15A George Square
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9LD