This postgraduate programme is aimed at professionals and practitioners who need to develop their understanding and practical application of quantitative and qualitative research methods, especially those from health, policy, NGO and government sectors including researchers and those who manage and/or commission research. No prior knowledge of research methods is necessary.
KEY BENEFITS
- Set in a leading international centre for the study of social science and health.
- A dynamic, research-led department with an international reputation for excellence.
- Wide range of disciplinary and methodological expertise offered by a dedicated team of academics.
- Flexibility: modules can be taken either as stand-alone units or towards the PGCert qualification.
- An excellent foundation for understanding, conducting, commissioning or using research in the social, policy and healthcare arenas.
KEY FACTS
Student destinations
Our postgraduate students have gone on to pursue a range of careers including consultant positions in medicine and psychiatry, work as specialist health care practitioners, positions in Government and the public sector, policy positions in public and voluntary organisations, analytical posts, and research and academic posts in universities around the world. Many of our past graduates now work in strategic positions in medicine, social care and policy or within central or local government, voluntary organisations, or non-governmental organisations.
Programme leader/s
Dr Karen Lowton
Awarding Institution
King's College London
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent)
UK 60/ECTS 30
Duration
January – March plus one week in May (FT), January – March over two years, plus one week in May in second year (PT)
Location
Strand Campus.
Year of entry 2013
Offered by
School of Social Science and Public Policy
Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine
Institute of Gerontology
Closing date
9 December 2012 for entry in January 2013. Students requiring visas should apply in good time to ensure that they have sufficient time for any visa applications.
Intake
There is no set number.
Fees
PT Home: £1150 (2012) (first year, subject to increase in second year)
PT Overseas: £2500 (2012) (first year, subject to increase in second year)
FT Home: £2300 (2012)
FT Overseas: £5000 (2012)
CONTACTS
Contact information
Postgraduate Officer, Centre for Arts & Sciences Admissions (CASA)
tel: +44 (0)20 7848 1977/7203/7230/1434/7204
fax: +44 (0) 20 7848 7200
Dr Karen Lowton Senior Lecturer in Ageing & Health 020 7848 2566
Dr Debora Price Senior Lecturer in Social Policy 020 7848 2560
Email
Website
PURPOSE
An excellent foundation for understanding, conducting, commissioning or using research in the social, policy and healthcare arenas.
DESCRIPTION
Students can take the modules offered either as standalone units, or combined, as a Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods for Social Science and Health. The full Postgraduate Certificate can be taken within one academic year (January to May), or over two years (January in one year to May the following year).
The first three core modules are offered over ten weeks from mid-January to mid-March, with teaching for all three modules on a Thursday (one day a week). The final optional modules are taught over a full week in May. This is the timetable for the "full-time" study option. Modules can also be taken over two years, which is the "part time" study option.
In both cases, the course is well-suited to those with full or part-time employment, and it has been designed with this in mind. Most of our students on the "Full Time" course have full-time jobs, with day-release from their employers to attend lectures on one day a week for 10 weeks, and then one week off in May for the optional module.
Teaching takes place on Thursdays from 10am – 1pm, 2pm – 5pm from mid-January to mid-March for the three core modules; and then for one full week in May, 10am to 4pm for the optional module. This is usually around the third week in May. Assessment is via coursework & assignments only. There is no exam.
STRUCTURE OVERVIEW
Core programme content
NB. THIS IS THE TIMETABLE FOR FULL-TIME STUDY. (If you are interested in part-time study, please contact Dr Karen Lowton.)
Students take 3 compulsory modules over 10 weeks (once a week from mid-January to mid-March):
- Designing Qualitative Research for Social Science & Health;
- Designing Quantitative Research for Social Science & Health;
- Quantitative Data Analysis.
Indicative non-core content
Students take 1 optional module over 1 week (full-week, May):
- Researching Vulnerable Populations, OR
- Data Manipulation & Management.
FORMAT AND ASSESSMENT
Combination of lectures, seminars, workshops and practical exercises. Assessment is through coursework. There are no examinations for this programme.
MODULES
More information on typical programme modules.
NB it cannot be guaranteed that all modules are offered in any particular academic year.
Teaching staff: Dr Karen Lowton
Module code: 7SSAM125
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: Lectures,
Seminars
Field/Lab/Supervised Learning
Private study
Assessment:
coursework
1 x 3500 word project (100%)
There are no exams
This module aims to convey the fundamentals of qualitative research design in the social sciences including research methods, sampling, field work, analysis and ethics. It aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and understanding required to conduct qualitative research in social science and health.
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
• Formulate appropriate research questions.
• Select the most appropriate research design to address a specific research problem.
• Demonstrate knowledge of common research deigns and methods used in qualitative research (interviews, focus groups and observation).
• Design and administer a brief topic guide and critically discuss its strengths and weaknesses.
• Analyse qualitative data using simple coding
• Demonstrate the ability to design and conduct a small original qualitative research project.
• Demonstrate the ability to structure a written qualitative research report.
Indicative Reading
Grbich C (1999) Qualitative Research in Health. Sage, Australia
Charmaz K (2006) Constructing Grounded Theory, Sage, London
Gray D (2009) Doing Research in the Real World (2nd edition), Sage, London
Teaching staff: Dr. Karen Glaser
Module code: 7SSAM123
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: Lectures
Field/Lab/Supervised Learning
Private study
Assessment:
coursework
1 x 3000 word report (100%)
There are no exams
This module aims to enable students to develop an understanding of ethical research design in quantitative studies (survey and experiments) as well as wider research issues. To prepare students to apply this knowledge in a research context such as their masters’ dissertation or health services research.
On completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Formulate appropriate research questions.
2. Select the most appropriate research design to address a specific research problem.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of common research designs and methods used in quantitative research (survey and experiments).
4. Design and administer a brief questionnaire and critically discuss its strengths and weaknesses.
5. Critically review methods used in published studies in social sciences and in health services research.
Indicative Reading
1. Gray DE. (2009) Doing research in the real world 2nd edition. London, Sage
2. de Vaus, DA 2002, Surveys in Social Research. 5th Edition, Routledge, London.
3. Bowling, A 1997, Research methods in health: Investigating health and health services, Open University Press, Buckingham.
Teaching staff: Dr Debora Price
Module code: 7SSAM124
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: Lectures
Seminar
Project work
Private study
Assessment:
coursework
1 x 3000 word essay (100%)
There are no exams
This module aims to provide students with an understanding of statistics in the social sciences and the ability to interrogate a social science dataset statistically using SPSS.
On completion of this module, students will:
• Understand the concepts behind basic descriptive and inferential statistics for social science research, and how to interpret these statistics
• Understand the principles of correlation, t-tests, chi-square and regression in social science research, and how to interpret these tests
• Demonstrate competence in a basic level of data manipulation using SPSS to prepare social science datasets for statistical analysis
• Demonstrate competence in the use of statistical software (SPSS) to interrogate social science datasets using descriptive statistics and commonly used statistical tests
Indicative Reading
Fielding and Gilbert (2006) Understanding Social Statistics, 2nd Edition SAGE
Agresti & Finlay (2008) Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences, Fourth Edition Prentice Hall
Field (2009) Discovering statistics using SPSS , 3rd Edition SAGE
Teaching staff: Dr. Debora Price
Module code: 7SSAM126
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: Lectures
Field/Lab/Supervised Work
Project work
Private study
This module is taught over one full week (Monday to Friday) in mid May
Assessment:
coursework
2 x Assessed coursework
1) completed workbook (Variable length) 25%
2) research assignment (2000 words) 75%
There are no exams.
This module aims to provide students with the data manipulation skills to work with complex hierarchical and panel data sets in the social sciences.
Learning outcomes of the module:
On completion of this module, students will:
• Be able to source large social science datasets and associated documentation
• Understand how complex social science large scale datasets are structured and the implications of this
• Be able to manipulate, recode and compute variables and understand how missing data can be dealt with
• Learn how to combine datasets, and aggregate and disaggregate data from different files in a relational database
• Learn how to transform the structure of datasets from long form to short form and vice versa
• Learn complex computation of derived variables including do loops and lag functions
• Have practical experience of the manipulation of complex datasets to answer questions of importance in the context of health and social research
Indicative Reading
Levesque, R and SPSS Inc. (2009) Programming and Data Management for SPSS Statistics 17.0. A Guide for SPSS Statistics and SAS Users . SPSS Inc: Chicago.
Field, A. (2009) Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. Third Edition. SAGE:
Teaching staff: Dr Karen Lowton
Module code: 7SSAM127
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: Lectures
Seminars
Private study
This module is taught over one full week (Monday to Friday) in mid May
Assessment:
coursework
1 x 3000 word essay (100%)
There are no exams.
This module aims to provide students with a critical understanding of the ethical approaches and governance of health and social science research, as applied to sensitive issues and vulnerable populations. The module will explore contrasting responses from different interest groups and theoretical standpoints, including the social and behavioural sciences, and public and social policy where appropriate. NB: The module will not cover issues relating to basic clinical research.
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of:
1. The fundamental ethical considerations and legal frameworks underpinning health and social science research.
2. The ethical considerations arising throughout the research process: from initial project concept to research governance and dissemination.
3. Consent, capability and autonomy in research participation.
4. The general principles and practices underpinning the interests and protection of vulnerable research participants, including confidentiality and anonymity.
5. The dilemmas and required responses to ‘wearing two hats’ of clinician and researcher.
6. Ethical and practical issues relating to the safety of researchers
Indicative Reading
Beauchamp TL, Childress JF. (2001) Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 5th edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Iphofen R. (2009) Ethical decision making in social research: a practical guide. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
Mauthner M, Birch M, Jessop J, Miller T (eds) (2002) Ethics in Qualitative Research. London, Sage
ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
General entry advice
Candidates should have a first class or upper second class (2:1) honours degree (or the equivalent from an overseas university). We may consider candidates with a lower second class degree or with professional qualifications from a recognised institution if they can show relevant work experience and/or relevant professional qualifications, can demonstrate that they are highly motivated and have referees from their university or employment strongly supporting their admission onto a masters level programme. In these circumstances we will usually admit a student to our certificate or diploma programmes, possibly with a view to the student transferring to the master's programme if they successfully pass their first two examined subjects. Relevant professional qualifications will be taken into account.
APPLYING TO KING'S
To apply for graduate study at King's you will need to complete our graduate online application form. Applying online makes applying easier and quicker for you, and means we can receive your application faster and more securely.
King's does not normally accept paper copies of the graduate application form as applications must be made online. However, if you are unable to access the online graduate application form, please contact the relevant admissions/School Office at King's for advice.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Your application will be assessed by the Admissions Tutor. You may be invited to be interviewed. We may interview non-UK candidates by telephone and may ask applicants to write an essay. We will only assess complete applications with supporting uploaded documents. Please see our website for more details. We aim to process applications within three weeks; during holiday periods applications may take longer to process.
PERSONAL STATEMENT & SUPPORTING INFORMATION
The personal statement should be approximately three to four paragraphs, and no more than one page. This should explain why you are interested in the programme applied for, and could include, for example, details of your motivation and aptitude, your relevant experience and skills, and any other information that would be useful for us in assessing your application. In general terms, we look for candidates who demonstrate a strong interest in the programme, are committed to academic study at postgraduate level, and demonstrate the potential to do well in an academic environment.
FUNDING
Self-funded.
Related programme student profile
Gerontology Research MPhil/PhDWhat I initially found most attractive at King’s College London was its central location. As my experience as a student went on, it was the staff’s availability and open-mindedness that I found most pleasant. Beyond KCL’s great reputation, the Institute of Gerontology is among the most highly-regarded research centres on ageing in Europe known both for its innovative research and track record.
King’s is a place where unconventional ideas are welcome and where personal projects are supported. I was given the chance to discuss a partnership with a private company for a PhD. King’s gave me the necessary time and advice for this project to be successfully initiated.
I am now on my way to completing my first year as a part-time PhD candidate. I spend my days between the Strand Campus for classes or meetings and Camden Town, where the company I work for (Amaris) is located.
King’s has provided me with the ideal environment to reach my highest goals.