The School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR) at Kent is one of the leading and largest research centres for social science in the UK and Europe. Research is a vital part of the activities of our School, which is one of the four top institutions of its kind in the UK as ranked by both the 2001 and 2008 Research Assessment Exercises and more recently by the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). REF ranked the School 2nd for research power in the UK, 3rd for research intensity, 5th for research impact and 5th for research quality (GPA).
The School offers an unrivalled European context in which to study for a PhD in the social sciences. We are a member of the prestigious South East Network for Social Sciences.
We have a thriving postgraduate community of over 200 students and offer a large and diverse range of professional development opportunities. Current postgraduate students are conducting research in a wide range of topics.
Research students have access to work space with computing facilities and where appropriate, research students may also teach part-time within the School. Our weekly postgraduate research seminars featuring external speakers to further broaden access to the latest research and knowledge.
Research expertise
We offer a range of social science research degrees which benefit from the multidisciplinary nature of our staff expertise. The School is home to the following research centres and benefits from their global research networks and specialisms:
Centre for Child Protection
Centre for Health Services Studies
Centre for Parenting Culture Studies
Centre for Philanthropy
Personal Social Services Research Unit
Q-Step Centre
Tizard Centre
Scholarships
Each year we also offer a number of PhD scholarships. For more details and information regarding the application procedure and eligibility, please visit our website.
Related Subjects
Communication, Cultural & Media Studies
Environmental Science
Gender & Sexuality
Health Sciences
Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Health Professions
Political Science & International Studies
Public Health & Epidemiology
Social Work, Social Policy & Administration
Sociology
Statistics