Our Faculty of Social Sciences at Southampton is unique among its Russell Group comparators. It includes the School of Mathematical Sciences, the Schools of Economic, Social and Political Sciences, Southampton Law School, Southampton Education School and Southampton Business School. It is also home to the Doctoral College and Centre for Higher Education Practice.
The School of Mathematical Sciences is a leading centre of excellence in education and research. Our research portfolio spans pure and applied mathematics, statistics, operational research and theoretical physics. The School hosts interdisciplinary research centres that collaborate widely across the University, including the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute (S3RI), the Centre for Operational Research, Management Science and Information Sciences (CORMSIS) and the Southampton Theory Astrophysics and Gravity Centre (STAG).
The School of Economic, Social and Political Sciences is home to a range of undergraduate (including joint Honours) and postgraduate taught programmes, representing all academic disciplines and areas of expertise. It also has a large PhD student community. Staff in SESPS contribute to at least four REF units of assessment and secure very significant external research funding for the Faculty on an annual basis. The School is home to nationally and internationally renowned research centres, the Centre for Population Change and the National Centre for Research Methods and staff contribute significantly to other University centres and institutes for example, the S3RI and the Work Futures Research Centre.
Research-driven teaching is of key importance within Southampton Law School. Our full-time staff are active researchers across a wide range of subjects in public, private, domestic and international law. Our academics work with leading law firms and other organisations across the world helping to develop and shape the future of law.
Southampton Education School is a vibrant community of scholars, focusing on education and research across a wide range of contexts; their research has informed policy and practice locally, nationally and internationally. The School offers a range of Initial Teacher Education (PGCE), undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, all informed by the research in the School’s three Research Centres: the Centre for Research in Inclusion (CRI); the Centre for Leadership, Educational Effectiveness and Policy (LEEP) and the Mathematics, Science and Health Education Research Centre (MSHE). The School was ranked seventh for research impact and research intensity in the last REF (2014). Our academics are internationally known for their research, particularly in the areas of school effectiveness, mathematics and science education, and inclusion.
Southampton Business School’s mission is to transform business and society for the better. It offers undergraduate, master’s, MBA, DBA and PhD programmes accredited by AACSB and AMBA to over 2,500 students. The educational portfolio draws on the SBS research expertise, which is interdisciplinary, at the intersection of quantitative digital data analytics and entrepreneurial business management. The School is ranked nineteenth in the UK for Business Management and fourteenth for Accounting and Finance (the Guardian, 2020) and third in the UK for Marketing (Complete University Guide, 2020).
The Centre for Higher Education Practice provides opportunities for academic professional development (research, education and enterprise) for all staff across the University by signposting a wide range of professional learning activities, building networks, and sharing good practice. It also plays a pivotal role in Strategic Major Projects in support of the Education Strategy.
The Doctoral College oversees all the doctoral research activities at the University. Our principle aim is to help promote a world-class research environment for all our members. We provide high-quality training and resources for postgraduate researchers from all disciplines and act as a hub for Southampton’s vibrant and inspiring doctoral research community. Through the Professional Development Programme, we support the professional development of postgraduate researchers to enable them to become excellent research professionals, and complete their doctorates fully equipped for the next stage of their careers.