Social Work and Social Care

Start date
September, other start dates can be negotiated.
Duration
PhD: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time; MPhil: 2 years full-time, 4 years part-time
Course Type
Postgraduate, Doctoral research
Fees

For 2025-2026
UK
PhD (full time): £4,921
PhD (part time): £2,461
MPhil (full time): £4,921
Distance Learning: £2,461
International 
Phd (full time): £22,110

Learn more about fees and funding

We offer two types of research degree: an MPhil or a PhD – which consider topics, organisations or concepts relating to social work and social care services.

In the School of Social Policy and Society we offer much more than a degree. PhD students have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of events including Departmental Research Seminars, Research Centre Seminars, Postgraduate Research Student Seminars, as well as a vibrant and a engaged PhD researcher community. 

Our PhD programmes offer you a combination of taught courses in the first year and careful supervision throughout your study, with the aim of helping you to produce a thesis that makes a significant and original contribution to the discipline.  

A research degree programme may be undertaken either by full-time, part-time study or via distance learning.  

We welcome applications to work in a wide variety of areas. Joint supervision, both between staff within the Department, and with staff in other departments is possible.

Find out more about our staff and their research interests

All research students have regular meetings with their supervisors. PhD students also have annual panel meetings to support and review progress. We encourage you to give conference papers and to publish your work. Find out more about the research interests of doctoral researchers in Social Work and Social Care

The MPhil requires a thesis of 60,000 words, while the PhD thesis is 80,000 words in length.

Fees

Fees 2025 - 2026

UK*

  • Code 784C - PhD full-time £4,921
  • Code 785C - PhD part-time £2,461
  • Code 797C - MPhil part-time PT £2,461
  • Code 800C - PhD Distance Learning £2,461

International 

  • Code 784C - PhD full-time £22,110

* UK fees to be confirmed in spring 2025.

Learn more about fees

Scholarships and Loans

Please visit our dedicated Postgraduate funding database for further information on scholarships you may be eligible to apply for or contact the Funding, Graduation & Awards Office via online enquiries. 

Eligible Doctoral students can now apply for a government loan of up to £29,390 to contribute to overall costs. 

How To Apply

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate research programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the research programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

Normally a first-class or upper second-class Honours degree in social work or a relevant social science, or the successful completion of an appropriate postgraduate programme is required. Post-qualification experience, including professional qualifications and experience, will also be taken into account when considering applicants.

Potential for research generally also needs to be indicated through the submission of relevant application materials including a research proposal on your selected topic, a personal statement, and a CV.

Learn more about entry requirements.

International Requirements


Our academic staff have wide research interests and these are detailed below. Joint supervision is generally standard, and we can provide this with other departments/Schools.

  • Black service users' views of mental health services; re-ablement and community services for older people; mental health legislation; the contribution of social theory to the understanding of mental stress; risk assessment in mental health; the role of masculinity in shaping men's experience of mental distress and our responses to it; service user participation; evaluation of health and social care responses to mental health and old age.
    Contact Ric Bowl
    Tel: +44(0)121 414 6688
    Email: r.e.e.bowl@bham.ac.uk

  • Comparative international analysis of social work policy and practice in relation to aspects such as age, gender, mental health, disability and communities.
    Contact: Professor Barbara Fawcett
    Tel: +44(0)121 414 5730
    Email: b.fawcett@bham.ac.uk
  • Race and gender; Asian women within the family and wider society; service provision within areas of disability and sexuality.
    Contact: Dr Surinder Guru
    Tel: +44(0)121 415 8481
    Email: s.guru@bham.ac.uk

  • Social work with older people; community care policy and practice; adult service users' experiences of social work and social care services; enhancing service users' quality of life and mental well-being; service user involvement.
    Contact: Dr Denise Tanner
    Tel: +44(0)121 414 2941
    Email: d.l.tanner@bham.ac.uk

  • Mental health, recovery and social inclusion; whole family approaches; wellbeing and resilience; personalisation and self-directed support; identity issues; social theory and social models of mental distress; service user and carer participation; social work and interdisciplinary working.
    Contact: Dr Jerry Tew
    Tel: +44(0)121 414 3640
    Email: j.j.c.tew@bham.ac.uk

  • Gender; sexuality and sexual orientation; services for people with learning difficulties; relationships of care; narrative methods; social work ethics and values; adult social care; social inclusion; diversity and equality.
    Contact: Dr Nicki Ward
    Tel: +44(0)121 414 5713
    Email: n.j.ward@bham.ac.uk

  • Impact of social media on social work education and practice; using digital technologies in social work education/practice; social work and online communities of practice;  using 360-degree video in professional education and practice; solution-focused approaches in social work practice; social work and child protection practices.
    Contact: Dr. Tarsem Singh Cooner
    Tel:+44 121 414 8184
    Email: t.s.cooner@bham.ac.uk

  • Social work and child protection; domestic abuse; fatherhood, masculinities and men's lives; mobile research methods; ethnography; the social science of social work.
    Contact: Professor Harry Ferguson
    Tel:+44 121 415 8653
    Email: h.ferguson.3@bham.ac.uk

  • Mental health, including the role of the Approved Mental Health Professional; motherhood, stigma, child protection and social futures; qualitative methodologies, including ethnomethodology, and visual, sensory and arts-based approaches.
    Contact: Lisa Morris
    Tel: +44 121 415 8031
    Email: l.morriss@bham.ac.uk

  • Sexuality, specifically LGBT; young people and professionals’ engagement with them; gender, particularly men and masculinities; children and families, specifically inter-agency working.
    Contact: Jason Schaub
    Tel:+44 121 414 5732
    Email: j.schaub@bham.ac.uk

The Department of Social Work and Social Care is an internationally leading centre for research in social work. The department is part of the School of Social Policy and Society, which is located in the Muirhead Tower - a sophisticated, hi-tech learning environment. There are nine libraries supporting your learning through access to one of the biggest research library facilities in the UK. Open access computing facilities are widely available across campus.

 

Assessment Methods

The MPhil requires a thesis of 60,000 words, while the PhD thesis is 80,000 words in length.

The skills you will gain from studying in the School are highly sought after in most jobs or professions, as you will develop analytical skills and the ability to gather, assess and interpret data, all of which require clear and logical thinking.

Birmingham’s School of Social Policy and Society postgraduates enter a wide range of occupational sectors: the majority in the public sector in areas such as youth work but others including events, sales, administration and education. Graduates also opt to continue in academia.

What type of career assistance is available to doctoral researchers in this department?

The College of Social Sciences, to which the School of Social Policy and Society belongs, has specially designated careers advisors and careers consultants who can provide guidance for doctoral researchers on career paths, CVs, training opportunities, application and interviews. The University’s central Careers’ Service also runs workshops and offers personally tailored advice and guidance including 1-1 careers advice, 1-1 CV advice. The Career’s Service also runs CV writing workshops especially for postgraduates in the College of Social Sciences, giving advice on how to compile CVs for both employment and for academic roles.

The University also has dedicated careers advisors for International students who run workshops and networking opportunities with potential employers. These are especially popular with International postgraduate researchers.