PhD/ MPhil Social Work & Social Policy

The School of Social Work & Social Policy offers MPhil and PhD programmes in:

• Criminology
• Public health & health policy
• Social policy
• Social work

In Social Policy, we offer supervision across each of the School’s main research areas (see below). We cover both historical and contemporary issues, and welcome enquiries from students with interests in Scotland, the UK and globally. We're currently supervising students on a wide range of topics from volunteering and associational life in contemporary Scotland to assessing the impacts of social policies on Human Development in Sierra Leone.

Our Social Work staff also offer supervision across all of our research areas. Current work includes studies of the provision of support for disabled children and their families, various aspects of criminal justice social work, and the experiences of looked-after children and care-leavers. Many of our current students benefit from the opportunity to work with colleagues in the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS) and the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ).

Our PhD programme in Criminology draws on the expertise of colleagues in both Social Work and Social Policy and the School of Law. We offer supervision across a range of topics, including youth and criminal justice, criminalisation, punishment and sentencing, the promotion of desistance, prison health services, and prisoners’ relationships with their families and the wider community. We also have close links with the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) and the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR).

The School also manages a dedicated PhD programme in Public Health and Health Policy. This programme also draws on the expertise of colleagues in the Centre for Health Policy and other parts of the Faculty and University. We're currently supervising students who are working on a variety of different topics, ranging from the impact of mental health problems on women experiencing poverty to the relationship between mental health, homelessness and recovery.

Applicants are generally required to have a first-class or a strong upper second-class UK Honours degree, or overseas equivalent, in a relevant discipline (though there is some flexibility within this, e.g. for students who have a relevant Masters degree with merit/distinction).