ISER specialises in the production and analysis of longitudinal data – evidence which tracks changes in the lives of the same individuals over time. There are approximately 70 researchers here – including economists, epidemiologists, and demographers, social policy analysts, sociologists and survey methodologists – analysing links between individuals’ life events, employment conditions, behaviour and values over the life course and through successive generations.
ISER is home to four major research programmes:
- MiSoC, the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change
- Understanding Society, The UK Household Longitudinal Study
- CeMPA, a world-leading centre for research on distributional analysis and microsimulation in the social sciences
- The Cross National Surveys Unit, working with institutions around the world on designing robust survey methodology
ISER has close links with other departments in the University and our Postgraduate students are very much part of University life as well as our own research teams from the outset. We run our Master’s degree programmes jointly with the Departments of Sociology and Economics in the Faculty of Social Sciences, and with the Faculty of Science and Health, and our PhD students are supervised by our own experts alongside leading academics from the University’s other departments.
Research degrees
PhD in Economics
This PhD programme is targeted at students who are interested in applied micro-economics and micro-econometrics and plan to use socio-economic survey data for their research. Given our extensive experience in analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, we also welcome students interested in panel data and survival analysis, missing data, measurement error, endogeneity and other estimation issues.
PhD in Survey Methodology
This PhD programme is targeted at students with a strong interest in quantitative survey methodology. We especially welcome students interested in research on sampling and non-sampling issues using cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys such as the British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society.
PhD in Health Research
This PhD programme is aimed at students with a strong interest in quantitative health research. We offer supervision in a wide range of topics under the broad umbrella of social epidemiology. We especially welcome students interested in health research using panel or cohort surveys such as the British Household Panel Survey, Understanding Society, and the UK Millennium Cohort Study.
PhD in Applied Social and Economic Research
This PhD programme is targeted at students who are interested in quantitative research in sociology and other social sciences. The PhD would involve empirical analysis of data (usually secondary data) to answer socially relevant research questions.
Taught degrees
MA in Sociological Research Methods
This course gives students a strong foundation to conduct empirical research. The course covers both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Other topics offered for further study include research design and specific research techniques and evaluation.
MSc in Applied Economics and Data Analysis
This course provides advanced training in contemporary theory in current issues in applied economics, and in the techniques of data analysis.
MSc Survey Methods for Social Research
This degree provides advanced postgraduate training in survey research methodology. It is aimed at students who would like to develop a career as social or market researchers as well as those who are already working in these fields and wish to undertake further professional development, or as a prelude to a postgraduate research degree.