Sociology PhD
Boasting an international reputation and a thriving academic environment, we supervise PhDs in a wide range of subjects across sociology, criminology, digital media, gender and communications and related areas. We are renowned for our applied approach, which is reflected in the way we work with a range of private, public and third-sector organisations.
Key course information
- Entry requirements
- See full entry requirements
- Start date
- April 2027
- Attendance
- Full-time
- Duration
- 4 years
- UK fees
- £5,238*
- Overseas fees
- £21,800
- Subject area
- Sociology
- Funding
- Funding information
- Entry requirements
- See full entry requirements
- Start date
- April 2027
- Attendance
- Part-time
- Duration
- 8 years
- UK fees
- £2,619*
- Overseas fees
- £10,900
- Subject area
- Sociology
- Funding
- Funding information
- Entry requirements
- See full entry requirements
- Start date
- July 2027
- Attendance
- Full-time
- Duration
- 4 years
- UK fees
- £5,238*
- Overseas fees
- £21,800
- Subject area
- Sociology
- Funding
- Funding information
- Entry requirements
- See full entry requirements
- Start date
- July 2027
- Attendance
- Part-time
- Duration
- 8 years
- UK fees
- £2,619*
- Overseas fees
- £10,900
- Subject area
- Sociology
- Funding
- Funding information
- Entry requirements
- See full entry requirements
- Start date
- October 2027
- Attendance
- Full-time
- Duration
- 4 years
- UK fees
- To be confirmed
- Overseas fees
- £22,700
- Subject area
- Sociology
- Funding
- Funding information
- Entry requirements
- See full entry requirements
- Start date
- October 2027
- Attendance
- Part-time
- Duration
- 8 years
- UK fees
- To be confirmed
- Overseas fees
- £11,400
- Subject area
- Sociology
- Funding
- Funding information
- Entry requirements
- See full entry requirements
- Start date
- January 2028
- Attendance
- Full-time
- Duration
- 4 years
- UK fees
- To be confirmed*
- Overseas fees
- £22,700
- Subject area
- Sociology
- Funding
- Funding information
- Entry requirements
- See full entry requirements
- Start date
- January 2028
- Attendance
- Part-time
- Duration
- 8 years
- UK fees
- To be confirmed*
- Overseas fees
- £11,400
- Subject area
- Sociology
- Funding
- Funding information
Why choose this programme?
- Our standing in league tables reflects our strong postgraduate community, diverse research centres, research training activities, and funding successes.
- As a postgraduate researcher, you will join a diverse community of full and part-time PhD students from the UK, the EU and around the world. Our PhD students play an important part in the life and culture of our vibrant and friendly department.
- We have a global reputation for our expertise in a wide range of research methods, including qualitative and ethnographic work, statistical analysis of large and complex data sets, online research, computational social science and computer-assisted qualitative analysis.
- We are renowned for our applied approach, which is reflected in the way we work in partnership with a range of private, public and third-sector organisations. These include the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office, the Environment Agency, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Police Dependants’ Trust.
Statistics
Top 50 in the world
Sociology is ranked 49th globally and 9th in the UK in the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2026
Top 15 in the UK
Ranked 11th in the UK for the quality of our environment research in sociology (Research Excellence Framework 2021)
Course details
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What you will study
Exactly what you'll study will depend on the topic of your PhD. We can supervise a wide range of areas relating to criminology, sociology, gender, and digital media and communications. We engage with rapidly developing areas and urgent challenges such as climate change, social justice and artificial intelligence. Please see the research areas tab for a full list.
We formally review your progress twice a year, offering the opportunity for medium and longer-term research planning, the identification of training needs, and provision of CV and career advice. Progress reviews also offer you the opportunity to raise any queries, concerns or suggestions.
Close to the end of your first year (full-time) or second year (part-time), you will complete a PhD confirmation process in which you will receive detailed feedback and guidance on your work, from staff outside your supervisory team.
You will also attend a range of courses, workshops, seminars, conferences and other events as appropriate to your project. As well as offering training in research skills or different aspects of the PhD process, such events offer opportunities for you to present your work to one another, or exchange findings and ideas with staff or external speakers.
You will also have the option to take relevant modules from our taught courses in your first year of study, to extend and deepen your field of knowledge.
Establishing a vibrant academic environment where PhD students develop supportive relationships with one another and with staff, is central to our approach. In addition to close one-to-one mentoring and tuition from supervisors, you will benefit from a range of bespoke events.
Doctoral students can also attend our day courses in social research and the extensive range of courses run by the CAQDAS Networking project. There is also an extensive Researcher Development Programme run at university-level where you can benefit from the extensive central resources and research training opportunities provided by the University’s Doctoral College.
Assessment
Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners.
You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.
Location
This course is based at Stag Hill campus. Stag Hill is the University's main campus and where the majority of our courses are taught.
Research areas
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Research themes
- Age and ageing
- Computational social science
- Crime prevention
- Criminology and criminal justice
- Digital technologies, artificial intelligence and society
- Environment and sustainability
- Everyday consumption and food
- Families and parenting
- Gender and sexualities
- Hate crime
- Health, illness and wellbeing
- Education (including Higher Education)
- Identity and difference
- Media and communications
- Methodological innovations and developments
- Policing
- Prisons
- Race, ethnicity and migration
- Religion
- Sociology of sleep
- Science and science policy
- Youth and youth cultures.
Discover more about our sociology research.
Research areas
Research centres
Academic staff
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The PhD programme centres on close individual tuition and guidance from your supervisory team, comprising a principal supervisor, a co-supervisor and, in some cases, an additional third supervisor.
Supervisors offer advice, feedback and guidance on all aspects of the PhD process, as well as – where appropriate – on career and CV development, and research dissemination through publications and conference papers.
See a full list of all our sociology academic staff.
Support and facilities
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Research support
The professional development of postgraduate researchers is supported by the Doctoral College, which provides training in essential skills through its Researcher Development Programme of workshops, mentoring and coaching. A dedicated postgraduate careers and employability team will help you prepare for a successful career after the completion of your PhD.
You'll have access to an annual allowance to help with the cost of external conferences and other training events relevant to your work, as well as other research expenses. Doctoral students are able to apply for graduate teaching assistant roles and have access to training, to support them in developing their teaching skills.
Facilities
PhD students have access to office space, a computer and a range of research tools and resources, from transcription equipment to data analysis software. The University Library offers access to extensive collections of physical and electronic resources to support research in sociology, criminology and digital media and communications.
Hear from our students and graduates
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Rosie Macpherson is a Sociology PhD student in Sociology. Here she describes the sociology academics and how she has grown in confidence as a researcher and teacher.
Before arriving at Surrey to study for a PhD in Sociology, Dr Melissa Pepper read Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Portsmouth, followed by an MSc in Social Research Methods at London South Bank University. Melissa was keen to pursue a career in academia – which, with the support of the team at Surrey, she was able to do.
Entry requirements
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UK qualifications
Applicants are expected to hold at least an upper second-class (2:1) UK degree in sociology or a related discipline.
Country-specific qualifications
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 7.0 or above with a minimum of 6.5 in each component (or equivalent).
These are the English language qualifications and levels that we can accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Selection process
Selection is based on applicants:
- Meeting the expected entry requirements and providing all relevant documents including a satisfactory research proposal
- Being shortlisted through the application screening process
- Completing a successful interview
- Providing suitable references.
Fees and funding
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Fees per year
Explore UKCISA's website for more information if you are unsure whether you are a UK or overseas student. View the list of fees for all postgraduate research courses.
* Please note: any start date other than September will attract a pro-rata fee for that year of entry (75 per cent for January, 50 per cent for April and 25 per cent for July).
Fee options
- UK
- £5,238
- Overseas
- £21,800
- UK
- £2,619
- Overseas
- £10,900
- UK
- £5,238
- Overseas
- £21,800
- UK
- £2,619
- Overseas
- £10,900
- UK
- To be confirmed
- Overseas
- £22,700
- UK
- To be confirmed
- Overseas
- £11,400
- UK
- To be confirmed
- Overseas
- £22,700
- UK
- To be confirmed
- Overseas
- £11,400
- Annual fees will increase by 4% for each year of study, rounded up to the nearest £100 (subject to legal requirements).
Additional costs
There are additional costs that you can expect to incur when studying at Surrey.
Funding
A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course.
Studentships
Browse our frequently updated list of funded studentships open for applications.
Register for updates
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Apply
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Application process
Applicants should contact potential supervisors before submitting an application via the website. Please refer to section two of our application guidance.
Apply online
To apply online first select the course you'd like to apply for then log in.
Select your course
Choose the course option you wish to apply for.
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Create an account and sign into our application portal.
Sociology PhD
Full-time, April 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 17 January 2027
Select
Sociology PhD
Full-time, April 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 17 January 2027
If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.
Sociology PhD
Part-time, April 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 17 January 2027
Select
Sociology PhD
Part-time, April 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 17 January 2027
If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.
Sociology PhD
Full-time, July 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Friday 16 April 2027
Select
Sociology PhD
Full-time, July 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Friday 16 April 2027
If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.
Sociology PhD
Part-time, July 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Friday 16 April 2027
Select
Sociology PhD
Part-time, July 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Friday 16 April 2027
If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.
Sociology PhD
Full-time, October 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 11 July 2027
Select
Sociology PhD
Full-time, October 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 11 July 2027
If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.
Sociology PhD
Part-time, October 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 11 July 2027
Select
Sociology PhD
Part-time, October 2027
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 11 July 2027
If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.
Sociology PhD
Full-time, January 2028
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 10 October 2027
Select
Sociology PhD
Full-time, January 2028
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 10 October 2027
If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.
Sociology PhD
Part-time, January 2028
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 10 October 2027
Select
Sociology PhD
Part-time, January 2028
Status
- Applications:
- open
- Closing date:
- Sunday 10 October 2027
If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.
After registration
Students are initially registered for a PhD with probationary status and, subject to satisfactory progress, subsequently confirmed as having PhD status.
About the University of Surrey
Need more information?
Contact our Admissions team or talk to a current University of Surrey student online.
Code of practice for research degrees
Surrey’s postgraduate research code of practice sets out the University's policy and procedural framework relating to research degrees. The code defines a set of standard procedures and specific responsibilities covering the academic supervision, administration and assessment of research degrees for all faculties within the University.
Terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the University of Surrey, you will be agreeing to follow our policies and procedures, student regulations, and terms and conditions.
We provide these terms and conditions at the offer stage. You will be asked to accept these when you accept the offer made to you. You will be provided with these terms and conditions again at registration by way of reminder.
Disclaimer
This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.
Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate; some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.