======= Date Modified 29 49 2010 19:49:17 =======
Hi guys, I have a couple of questions with regards to choosing the right universities to apply to, for a masters degree in Sociology.

I've got a first in sociology from Northampton. I want to apply soon to do a Masters, but don't know where. Funding is an issue, but also, I do want to keep my options open so I can do a PhD later.

So firstly - what are the best universities for Sociology departments?

Also - I've heard that if I get a Masters from a relatively un-prestigious university (e.g. Northampton) I might not be able to do a PhD cos I'd get rejected - so I should be looking only at really good universities. I know in theory this is unfair, but am aware that HEIs are notoriously elitist, so I suspect there is some truth in this?

As a result, I've been looking up the league tables/Russell Group/RAE etc to work out which universities are the top ones, thinking that I can only really get away with maybe a top 20 institution, otherwise I may be signing away all hope of getting accepted to do a PhD in the future. Am I right to think like this? It's a bit of a dilemma - I don't want to/can't afford to go to Oxbridge or one of the London unis, but don't want to risk choosing a uni deemed "not good enough" and end up closing doors for myself in the future. But am not sure how far down the list I can go, if you see what I mean, and get away with it.

Any advice here?

I am doing a MSc in a sociology based subject, I don't think where you are matters too much when it comes to postgraduate level, the academics teaching there are more important as they determine how good the sociology department is. Do you have any specific research interests yet, or do you know whose work you like and want to learn more about?

I can only really recommend London universities but having read your other post it looks like you want to stay out of London. I think Loughborough might be good as well. To be honest, I wouldn't really rate Oxbridge for sociology, I think the newer universities are better when it comes to pushing the discipline forward.

Hi Natassia - thanks for the reply again!

My research interests... I am interested in migration/race, and particularly the media's representation of certain stuff such as immigration, Europe etc (xenophobia, racism etc). On an unrelated note I also am interested in cultural stuff like subcultures (youth studies, mods, rockers, punks etc), though am not sure how far one could take this. In my dissertation at BA level i looked at national identity, and want to take this further.

I'm aware that different universities have different reputations, and I'd love to do a Masters at a uni that has a really good sociology department. But I'm not sure which these are or how to find out?

I definitely want to stay out of London and Oxbridge. I'm in the Midlands (Corby... I did my BA in Northampton) so was thinking of Loughborough, Warwick or Nottingham, but also was considering further afield - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool.... Any ideas?

Thats ok, I think the only way you can assess whether the department would be right for you is to look on the university website and get an impression of what seem to be the 'popular' things to research in that department. It should be quite straightforward to do that as they frequently have research groups concentrated around paticular topics. Also have a look at what the PhD students are doing as you'll be able to see whether your interests fit in.

I can't really recommend any universities though, I never looked at any of those when I applied for my Masters. Good luck with your search though.

Hi there,

I agree with Nastassia's advice: I'm in the same boat (graduating with a first in sociology from a less prestigious university - the OU in my case - and looking for Masters courses) and I've been researching courses by trawling through various university websites, looking at staff research interests and checking what sorts of option modules are offered.

As has already been said, league tables are of limited value, but the Guardian's postgrad table might be of interest: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2009/feb/17/postgraduate-sociology-courses-table

You can also look at the sociology RAE results for 2008 here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2008/dec/18/rae-2008-sociology

Is funding an issue for you?

Hi, thanks for the advice. I guess there's no quick fix - I'll have to just trawl through them all looking at all the info I can about their social science departments.

I know league tables are not the be-all and end-all, but... they're fairly useful in terms of getting an idea of what are generally regarded as the best universities. It may be true that if I go to a relatively un-prestigious one, I may not be accepted for a PhD... I just wanted to post here to check how much truth is in this. The last thing I want to do is close doors for myself. So i may have to tread carefully.

Funding is definitely an issue. By September I'd have a few grand saved but i'm aware I'll need much more than that.

Hi, thanks for the advice. I guess there's no quick fix - I'll have to just trawl through them all looking at all the info I can about their social science departments.

I know league tables are not the be-all and end-all, but... they're fairly useful in terms of getting an idea of what are generally regarded as the best universities. It may be true that if I go to a relatively un-prestigious one, I may not be accepted for a PhD... I just wanted to post here to check how much truth is in this. The last thing I want to do is close doors for myself. So i may have to tread carefully.

Funding is definitely an issue. By September I'd have a few grand saved but i'm aware I'll need much more than that.

Hi, thanks for the advice. I guess there's no quick fix - I'll have to just trawl through them all looking at all the info I can about their social science departments.

I know league tables are not the be-all and end-all, but... they're fairly useful in terms of getting an idea of what are generally regarded as the best universities. It may be true that if I go to a relatively un-prestigious one, I may not be accepted for a PhD... I just wanted to post here to check how much truth is in this. The last thing I want to do is close doors for myself. So i may have to tread carefully.

Funding is definitely an issue. By September I'd have a few grand saved but i'm aware I'll need much more than that.