PhD opportunities

We warmly invite candidates with a good background in quantitative methods and a strong interest in social research to apply for MSc by Research and PhD degrees offered in association with Edinburgh Q-Step centre. Edinburgh Q-Step centre brings together a number of academics who use a range of cutting-edge quantitative methods in their research. The centre is one of the largest collections of quantitative social scientists in the UK. Our staff members provide supervision to students on a wide range of research topics and quantitative methods and are often interested in taking on new projects. 

Our PhD degrees are based on a minimum of three years' full-time study and independent research. In the first year, you will combine research training, which follows the requirements of our MSc by Research degrees, with preliminary work on your thesis topic. As a PhD student, you will be allocated two supervisors, at least one of whom will be selected on the basis of substantive or methodological expertise to fit the proposed doctoral project. At the end of your study, you will submit a thesis based on original research, which is examined by two specially appointed examiners.

PhD degrees can be taken on a part-time basis with a minimum of six years' study. Part-time students have access to the same facilities as full-time students. Financial support is available from a variety of sources, external and internal. 

There are different opportunities for you to join us at Edinburgh Q-Step centre for your PhD:

1. Apply for advertised PhD studentship opportunities within established projects
2. Apply for a doctorate based on your own research project. In this case, you should identify which supervisor you think is the best possible match. Please feel free to e-mail any potential supervisor to discuss your proposal. We strongly encourage potential applicants to contact the Postgraduate Research Advisor or a prospective supervisor first to discuss their proposal, before making a formal application to the University.

You can find out more about applying here. Information about funding can be found here.

Current studentship opportunities:

ESRC / Scottish Graduate School of Social Science:
Does the nature of frailty in later life vary by individual circumstances and national context?
[Apply by 12 April 2019]

ESRC / Scottish Graduate School of Social Science:
Critical Transitions & Children’s Food Trajectories: Understanding how eating habits change from infancy to the teenage years and the role of key changes in children’s lives
[Apply by 26 April 2019]

ESRC / Scottish Graduate School of Social Science:
Making Sense of Teachers' Communities of Practice with Social and Epistemic Network Analysis
[Apply by 07 May 2019]