Key facts
Award
MPhil, PhD
MPhil, PhD
Start date
1st day of any month
1st day of any month
Duration
3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
Mode of study
full time, part time
full time, part time
PhD Social Work
With a Social Work PhD from Stirling, you’ll be ready to make a key contribution to research and thinking around critical social issues and social work practice.
The University of Stirling's social work doctoral studies are designed to prepare you for a rewarding research career in this global field. Our academic team have a track record of research and teaching excellence. You’ll be part of a faculty that hosts and collaborates with renowned centres and networks such as The Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, the Dementia Services Development Centre and the Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research. We are also connected with international associations and specific interest-based networks. We offer a wide range of opportunities to gain practical teaching experience as well as the opportunity to join a lively research and postgraduate community both within the faculty and across the University.
Research in our division is heavily influenced by social work practice and addressing critical social issues. Our strong links to communities, organisations and practitioners enable them to also support and otherwise participate in relevant research projects. We strive for research resulting in transformative change, and having lasting impact and regularly work in partnership with people who use services, and practitioners, to ensure relevance and inclusion. We have ethical and methodological experience in co-production and participation methods; using creative arts; and seeking the views of children and young people, asylum seekers, migrants, parents, disabled and older people and those involved in justice services, through qualitative and quantitative approaches.
We would welcome proposals from any area of Social Work or related subject. Our particular research interests include:
- Risk and Decision Making
- Adult Safeguarding
- Supporting adults: voice, choice and control
- Social Work and Disasters
- Social Work and Climate Change
- Leadership and Management in Social Work
- Children and Families
- Unaccompanied Minors
- Refugees and Migrants
- Domestic Violence
- International Social Work
- Mental Health
- Trauma
The University also offers a Doctor of Applied Social Research course as another route for Doctoral-level study in this field.
We're ranked 3rd in Scotland and top 25 in the UK for Social Work and Social Policy – with 100% of our research environment and 88% of our research deemed world leading or internationally excellent. (REF 2021)
Entry requirements
An upper second class honours Bachelors degree or higher qualification. For some studentships and programmes of study a suitable masters degree may be specified.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each sub-skill.
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 62 overall with 60 in each sub-skill.
- IBT TOEFL 80 overall with 18 in reading, 23 in writing, 19 in listening and 21 in speaking.
Propose your own PhD topic
To propose your own PhD topic in Social Work, follow the application guidelines below.
How to apply
Follow these steps to apply for a research degree at the University of Stirling.
Step 1: Develop your research proposal
Before applying for a research degree, it’s important that you have a clear idea of what you would like to research, what you hope to achieve, and how you plan to achieve it. Your research proposal is your chance to lay out all of these details as part of the application process.
A research proposal should include a background, rationale and context as to why you want to undertake your research, as well as detailing clear aims and objectives. The proposal should also include more detail about your expertise, methodology and how you will approach your study.
For guidance on how to produce a good research proposal, you can take a look at our guidance on writing a research proposal.
You’ll submit your research proposal as part of the online PhD application form.
Step 2: Choosing a subject area and finding a supervisor
Once you’re confident you have a good core idea for the research you’d like to carry out, you should identify the subject area your research will fall under.
Our PhD subject areas page shows all of the broad topics we offer supervision in, but we appreciate that every PhD is an original idea and may not sit neatly under a single subject area. You should apply for the area that seems most relevant to your research proposal, and we can always reallocate applications to the most suitable subject area after you apply.
Supervision
Before starting the application process, we recommend that you try to identify a supervisor who you would like to guide and mentor you during your studies. By using our Find a Supervisor tool, you can search for members of staff operating in your chosen field and make contact with them to check their availability and discuss your research proposal.
You can still apply for a research degree without naming a supervisor in your application form, but making initial contact with one of our experts can be a helpful way to ensure your application is as strong as possible.
Step 3: Apply
Use the apply link on any subject area page to start your PhD application.
The application form will ask you for a range of information and documentation, including your research proposal, how you plan to fund your studies, proof of qualifications, an academic reference and a CV.
If you’re applying for a PhD in English Studies, Publishing Studies, French, Linguistics, Religion, Spanish, Translation Studies, Global Cinema or Creative Writing, you’ll also be asked to upload a writing sample – see our supporting documents guidance for more information.
You can save your application form progress at any time, so even if you don’t have everything you need to hand right away, you can come back and fill in the blanks later.
If you meet the initial entry requirements, the Admissions Office will pass your application to Faculty for academic review. You will also receive an email with details of how to access the applicant portal and track the progress of your application. We look forward to hearing from you.
Fees and funding
| UK students | Overseas students | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £4,786 | £18,200 |
| Part-time | £2,393 | £9,100 |
| Registration-only fee | £480 | £480 |
| UK students | Overseas students | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £5,006 | £19,500 |
| Part-time | £2,503 | £9,750 |
| Registration-only fee | £490 | £490 |
Important information about fees
If you're studying a PhD full time, fees will be payable for your first three years. For subsequent years you'll only pay an annual 'registration-only' fee. Part-time PhD fees are payable over six years, followed by the annual 'registration-only' fee.
If you're studying an MPhil full-time, fees are payable for your first two years, followed by an annual 'registration-only' fee. Part-time MPhil fees are payable over four years, followed by the annual 'registration-only fee.
Fees are charged each year. Overseas PhD fees are fixed at the point of entry, so you will be charged the same fee each year, based on when you started your programme. For UK students, fees are subject to change each year.
Funding opportunities and scholarships
Explore options for funding your PhD and associated living costs while you study
Supporting your studies
The Institute for Advanced Studies supports our thriving PhD research community with resources and networking opportunities. The Institute connects you with a global community of scholars, industry experts, leading academics and employers from a diverse range of interdisciplinary research areas.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about studying a PhD at the University of Stirling, please contact us.