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Health in Social Science PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Health in Social Science

Research profile

A PhD in Health in Social Science offers a focus on innovative and cross-disciplinary health and social care research.

Our staff embrace a range of academic disciplines, including:

  • sociology
  • geography
  • social anthropology
  • social policy
  • healthcare studies

From these perspectives we examine the overlapping concerns of research, policy and practice in health and social care. Broad themes in our research portfolio within health and social care include:

  • ageing
  • dementia
  • intellectual disabilities
  • disability
  • care
  • critical care
  • pain
  • emotion
  • service improvement

We welcome projects utilising a range of research designs and have special interests in qualitative and collaborative research and innovative methods. We are keen to encourage research around the interface between social and cultural aspects of health, and the policy and practice contexts of healthcare delivery.

Programme structure

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
PhDHealth in Social Science3 YearsFull-timeProgramme structure 2024/25
PhDHealth in Social Science6 YearsPart-timeProgramme structure 2024/25

Training and support

Our PhD students are supported through regular meetings with two supervisors able to provide expertise in the relevant fields of interest.

All students have access to the considerable resources available across the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences in research methods training, professional skills development, seminars and workshops.

You will be encouraged to take part in the varied activities of our postgraduate research student community, including presenting your work at internal and external conferences and publishing your findings.

PhD by Distance option

The PhD by Distance is available to suitably qualified applicants in the same areas as our on-campus programmes: Clinical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Health in Social Science and Nursing Studies.

The programme allows students who are unable to commit to basing themselves in Edinburgh full time to study for a PhD in a field of Health in Social Science from their home country or city - however this is not intended to be a fully online distance learning programme.

Students enrolled on this programme will be expected to come to Edinburgh at least once per year of study to meet with their supervisors. The length and timing of these visits are negotiable but students should expect to spend at least two weeks at the University of Edinburgh during each year of study.

For further information on the programme (including entry requirements and how to apply) please see the school website:

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant subject area.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
  • Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
PhDHealth in Social Science by Distance3 YearsFull-timeTuition fees
PhDHealth in Social Science by Distance6 YearsPart-timeTuition fees
PhDHealth in Social Science3 YearsFull-timeTuition fees
PhDHealth in Social Science6 YearsPart-timeTuition fees

Scholarships and funding

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

  • borrowing money

    • taking out a loan

    • family support

  • personal savings

  • income from work

  • employer sponsorship

  • scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Featured funding

  • [Postgraduate research scholarships] (https://www.ed.ac.uk/health/subject-areas/postgraduate-research/scholarships)

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

  • your programme
  • the duration of your studies
  • your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

Further information

  • School of Health in Social Science
  • Medical School
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG

Application deadlines

The School of Health in Social Science operates a gathered field approach to PGR applications - this means that all complete applications which satisfy our minimum entry requirements will be held until the nearest deadline and an admissions panel will meet to consider all applications received together after that date.

The application deadlines and dates for decision are listed. In order to ensure full consideration of your application, we ask that you submit your complete application including all supporting documentation by these dates. More information about what will be considered a complete application and how to apply can be found on our School website:

Applicants planning to apply for the University of Edinburgh's funding opportunities must apply by the first deadline.

Round Application deadline Places awarded
1 11 November 2024 mid-January
2 21 April 2025 mid-June

How to apply

You must submit two references with your application.

To apply for this programme you must submit the following:

  • a completed research proposal form
  • 2 references
  • the online application form, completed via the ‘Apply’ section above

For guidance on completing the research proposal form, please see the research proposal guidance document provided by the School of Health in Social Science:

Before submitting the application, we strongly recommend that you discuss a draft version of your research proposal form with your proposed supervisor and/or with the Programme Director. Please indicate your proposed supervisor when submitting your application. Please read the ‘Discuss and develop your idea’ section in the research proposal guidance document for more information.

Your reference must be specific to your application, on headed paper, signed by the referee, and dated within the last 6 months. Your reference can be uploaded directly by your referee, or you can upload it yourself.

We must receive all the information before the deadline for your application to be considered.

If your online application is not ‘complete’ by the application deadline it will be rejected. If this happens, you can submit another application for a later application deadline.

After you apply, we will evaluate your application. If we are able to progress your application beyond the online stage, you will be invited to participate in an interview with your prospective first supervisor.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • School of Health in Social Science
  • Medical School
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG