Anyone done a masters in social research? Q about quantitative methods

[Molesworth]

A bit of a long shot, this, but thought it was worth asking anyway. I'm looking at my options for postgrad study and wondered if anyone who has done an ESRC-recognised social research Masters can advise about the quantitative research methods component. At undergrad I've focused on the 'artier' end of sociology (apart from about 10 minutes of SPSS training in 2006) and I struggle with all things mathematical, therefore I'm not sure if I could cope with the quantitative side of things. This is making me think that perhaps I should go down the Humanities road (eg cultural studies/history/philosophy). I'm wondering what level of mathematical ability is required: anyone happen to know?

Having worked with some social researchers, I would be very surprised if there wasn't a significant analytical/numerical component to a Masters. I would expect it to include designing, using and analysing the results of surveys, for example.

Don't people publish their disserations? Have you tried looking at some of these in your uni library? They should give you a good idea of the techniques used.

Good luck deciding what you want to do!

Thanks IsItMe - good idea to look at some dissertations. I'm an OU student so I'm not sure where I'd find them, but will make enquiries. I know there'll be ways to find out about the quantitative element (go to open days, ask other students etc), but thought I'd post on mn just in case anyone here could give me a quick lowdown.

I did a psych degree and we shared many lectures with sociologists. Quantitative methods was one of the shared ones - for the whole of the 3 years (4 hrs a week in the first year). I have a horrid feeling that they would expect you to know the basics.

Having said that, the OU are very good at guiding you through everything, so unless it's a prerequisite for the course, you'll get a fairly gentle introduction.

You might be surprised at how good at maths you actually are!

What Jux said - ime many people have a fear of numbers/maths and are perfectly capable of doing it with some patient support. I see this with my neice as well as people who I've worked with.

I have an MSc in Social Policy, and did an elective module in research methods which was far more about the theory, so had very little actual data manipulation (though you needed to know what you would do with the data if it was there if you see what I mean). The MSc in Research Methods was much more data based. Would you consider Social Policy instead if the numbers worry you?

Thank you so much for all the responses! The reason I'm looking at social research rather than a subject-based course is that there is no research council funding for a subject-based sociology masters and, unfortunately, I can't afford to fork out £3500+ to fund myself

I realise that competition for funding is fierce so I'd be unlikely to secure it anyway, but I think it's worth applying. I won't be applying for anything until the end of this year, so I'll seek out some more detailed advice about the quantitative component before the time comes, and I'll be attending some open days which will give me a chance to talk to staff/students about all aspects of the course. It's not as if I'm phobic about numbers - I've got an (ancient) 'O' level in maths, for what that's worth - just that it's something I haven't covered at all in my undergrad studies.

Thanks again for the advice, all

I have an MSc in Social Research methods with is ESRC accredited. It included a quantitative module which focused really on experimental design and data analysis. It did what I would consider mid level SPSS - I already had a psychology degree so I was confident with it all but did not do the advanced techniques.

You dont really need a huge maths degree to use SPSS. Some places may want you to do stats by hand which is more complicated. SPSS is more about understanding what the tests do, what buttons to click and how to read and understand the output.

I have now done a phd, am a researcher etc and am a seasoned SPSS geek. My maths is not particularly good! Saying that the sociologists / cultural / humanities students on the course really struggled with the quantitative component. It is nothing you cannot learn if you put your mind to it and an excellent skill if you want to go into academia / research.

That's excellent advice/reassurance, thank you Peppa

mine was about 50/50 quant/ qual tbh (actually it still is, lol, as I haven't quite got round to submitting - another story lol).

as peppa says, don't worry about the maths (although - i'm still worrying about the maths...)

where are you looking at?

I'm just considering my options at the moment: I don't have to apply for anything until the end of this year to start in autumn 2011.

The course I really fancy is the MA in Social and Political Thought at Sussex, and both Warwick and Birkbeck run similar courses. None of these will involve wrestling with quantitative methods, and I like the idea of doing an interdisciplinary course because my interests seem to sit somewhere in the overlap between social science and the humanities. But in all the soul-searching I've been doing about what to do next I realised that it's my fear of quantitative methods which has turned me away from 'pure' sociology courses, and I don't want to limit my options for what strikes me as a silly reason

molesworth it might be worthwhile speaking to the dept about what level you would need to do this course.

i did a ma and had to do a statistical componenet - if i had known i had to do it i probably would not have done the MA so bad is my grasp of all things mathematical! (So glad I didnt because my life and job options have being transformed by doing the MA that I did) But i ploughed through, and although not an expert have done alot of research since completing my MA using quant and qual methods. (I often have used an expert but have known what to ask them to do for me!) YOu might find that the research you do is based on already compiled questionnaires etc /which will tell you quite simlply how to analyse the results (I am simplifying this massively of course), but i would not be put off totatally - there is usually a way forward adn you will certainly not be the only one feeling that you will need a bit more support.;

I would not be totally put off by it- you can also see if the course is somethign you need to pass or jsut do?
is there a refresher course you could do before this. There are some good books out there you can plod through as well which will guide you through the basics ...

and to end my story for you, i ended up teaching first years at university a basic stats course - it was probably the worst lecturing i ever did, but i did it to finally turn my own corner of my fear of stats/maths/numbers etc that had also held me back!

Good luck

Thanks Kruger - this is exactly the sort of 'voice of experience' info I was hoping for when I started this thread

If I do decide to do social research I will certainly bone up on basic quantitative methods beforehand. I'm sure I would cope (although I doubt I'd ever opt for an advanced stats option!).

God, this is such a difficult decision to make. The costs involved are such that I can't afford to make a mistake.

This might be a bit late - I only just discovered the student-parents section on MN! But you did write that you still had some time to decide so for what it's worth, here's my 2c:

I'm currently doing a sociology PhD. At my uni, there is quite a large range of sociology MSc courses to choose from. Some of them are heavier on the quantitative aspects, some less so. My uni puts a particular emphasis on qualitative methods, so a typical "research methods" module may involve maybe two or three sessions on surveys and statistical data analysis, whereas the rest will focus on interviewing methods, participant observation, coding, grounded theory, and the works.
As far as I know, only those who do a "research" MSc are forced to do more quant stuff. At my uni, they expect to teach you proper statistics if and when you start doing a PhD which requires quant methods, not before (in Sociology at least, that is).

Just as a framework, my uni is among the top three in the UK regarding social sciences.

So to sum it up:
If you don't think you'd be going down the quant research path in the future, there are lots of sociology MSc's open to you that do not require advanced understanding of statistics/quantitative methods.
(That said, quant methods are excellent "transferrable skills" for the non-academic job market.)
The level of statistics required is eminently attainable.

Another comment: ESRC grants for sociology are extremely competitive these days. People say they are probably about 10 times as competitive as they were just a decade ago. It is not enough anymore to have excellent grades and references... your statement that describes your research interests must also be extremely good. Preferably, you'd be interested in something that is of enormous public interest and promises to yield ground-breaking results that have a real and measurable effect on the well-being of people in the UK now... although of course that is not very likely to happen at master's level.

Anyway, best of luck in your decision-making and with your funding application(s)!

That's very useful advice, thank you meita. I'm proceeding on the assumption that I'll be funding myself, and - subject to organising the funds - I'm almost certainly going to apply for a taught Masters to extend/deepen my subject knowledge, rather than a research methods course.

I know the chances of funding are extremely slight and I certainly don't have any earth-shattering research proposals up my sleeve, but then, I can't imagine many final year undergrads would have!

Molesworth, it's mostly about making it sound like it could in the future be of benefit. Rather than phrasing it as something you want to do because it interests you so much (though that is important too). Topics related to climate change, bio-/nanotechnology, poverty... are always of interest.

That said, if you are going for a quota place, then your application first and foremostly must be in line with the department's research interests and strengths.

I think it could be very helpful to have a look at earlier successful applications. Perhaps your tutor/personal advisor could put you in touch with former students of theirs who have successfully applied?

In any case, best of luck!

Once again, thank you for your advice Meita: you've been very helpful indeed.

I've been researching my options by trawling through various university websites to look in detail at staff research interests and what Masters modules are on offer, as well as doing a lot of soul searching to define my interests, my strengths and weaknesses, my reasons for wanting to go on to postgrad study and what I might end up doing afterwards.

If I were younger I'd be thinking about an academic career. But at my age (I'm 41) and in this bleak climate of HE cuts I accept that my studies are unlikely to lead to anything more than personal development, although teaching (in the post-compulsory sector - I hate the idea of secondary!) might be an option at some point down the line.

Anyway, I'll certainly seek advice from my own university: being an OU student, it's not possible to collar a friendly member of faculty staff in the corridor, but I'm sure I'll be able to speak to someone via my regional centre.

Thanks again

moley, i didn't realise you were ou. do you know of anyone on the pg side to discuss phd with? i'm not in a position to attend ft at the mo, but am curious about distance options... (def qual not quant, if you are in a position to know research specialisms i can cat you?) not sure whether you know many of the department...

Hello madwoman - I'm afraid I don't have any faculty contacts, but I'd recommend giving the OU a call: I've always found them to be extremely helpful and efficient and I'm sure they'll be able to put you in touch with the right person. As far as I'm aware you need to live in or near Milton Keynes to do a full-time PhD with the OU, but the residency requirement might be different for part-time doctoral students. There's some basic info here but I'm sure you've already looked at that. It might be worth trawling through the list of faculty staff - link to social science staff directory here - to check out research interests and make contact with potential supervisors by email?

PS - just rootling about on the OU website and notice Prof John Law is joining the soc sci faculty this year!

thanks - had looked at the directory - have spent most of the last 4 months trawling potential supervisors lol

just seemed like a good idea to see if you knew anyone personally, i still have an option at old uni if necessary but as she said, the specialisms don't quite tally, and although she's more than willing, she wants me to make sure there's not a 'perfect fit' somewhere else... am going to have to get on with it though!

they have obviously made a few changes since i looked a couple of months ago though, so worth another trawl john law seems to be quite looking forward to it!

good luck with finding the right course

Now I'm curious: what's your specialism?

The only faculty member I've ever met is Hugh Mackay (at summer school). Seemed like a lovely bloke!

One of the drawbacks of studying with the OU is the lack of contact with staff. I'm a big OU fan but right now I'm feeling at a bit of a disadvantage because of this.

Anyway, good luck with your future plans, madwoman

I am doing an MSc in Psychology with the OU and did the Basics in Research course for social sciences as my compulsory methology paper last year.

I found the maths bit of it OK. They expect you to understand the figures that SPSS churns out rather than how they are calculated. They also recommend some precourse reading (I have Derek Rowntree - Statistics without Tears but I am not sure if that was it). There are models to work through. The OU never leave you to flounder ime.

I also have an O level maths but did economics as a first degree so did a bit of stats for that although that was 20 yrs ago so long forgotten. If I can do it I am sure you can too.

oh, broadly 'gender', which means every supervisor and his/ her dog has it on their 'key interests' list, but specifically gender in the military/ wider military community... (most recently gender dysphoria/ transition in the military - v interesting, so i went off on a transition tangent for a while ), but also straying off into families (volunteering/ institutionalisation/ community ethos etc), mothering, and health/ medicalisation of pg/ parenting and disability etc

one of my tutors was a huge fan of john law though - and i sat through a fascinating module which touched on a lot of his interests... the trouble is, there are so many things i would love to get my teeth into, but i'm having to curb my overwhelming desire to get involved in everything

my phd proposal is specifically gender and military though (although lots of other stuff creeps in)... and it's pretty much together, except for finding the mythical perfect supervisor... oh, and funding lol

That sounds like a fascinating research topic, madwoman! What led you to become interested in the military in particular? Is it possible to get research council funding if you do your PhD part-time?

gamekeeper turned poacher, really i think at about 16 i decided i was going to join the marines lol, only because the literature said i couldn't... (hadn't really contemplated the job lol, it just got my back up that there were rules about what i could do because i was a woman...) so the 'why's and 'wherefore's and the actual gendered experience within the institution have fascinated me ever since... and particularly transgendered experience.

i don't think research council funding is avail for pt, but have seen a couple of location-specific funding opportunities... that's my dilemma really. it's tempting to put it off for a year and apply for ft funding , and of course that'll give me time to hone the proposal and get access formalised etc... (but i think my main gatekeeper might be moving on soon, so getting a bit twitchy!) i also have the option of asking the mod to part fund but i don't really like the idea of being beholden lol... not the most objective stance to adopt!