Course options

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Course summary

UK's top ranked sociology department Our sociology department is the UK’s top-ranked department for sociological research. What will I learn? This programme will provide you with a rigorous introduction to the sociological study of digital society and digital culture. You will be introduced to the core theoretical and methodological issues that arise when sociologists investigate the increasing prevalence of digital technology, digital infrastructure, and data production, capture, and analysis in everyday life. The programme will also allow you to study the very social conditions (economic, political, and cultural) that give rise to such technologies and their circuits of power. On this programme you may take up the following specialised topics, including (but not limited to):

  • the sociological analysis of digital technology and new forms of data on the fields of contemporary culture
  • work and labour
  • leisure
  • health
  • education
  • government and law
  • finance
We will be launching in academic year 2023/24 a dedicated cluster of courses in Social Data Science for the MSc in Digital Sociology. Students taking these courses will be able to undergo specialized training in core analytical skills within the field of social data science (including natural language processing, network analysis, machine learning and prediction). In combination with other core courses in Digital Sociology, this will equip students with the core analytical and programming skills required for evaluating and conducting data scientific work in the social sciences. How will I learn? The degree combines seminar teaching on specific topics with individual research supervision by leading researchers in the emerging field of digital sociology. Who is this programme for? While this programme will be primarily suitable for those with some background in the social sciences, the MSc is intended for anyone who wants to understand, learn, study, analyse, and critique digital technologies and the complex ways in which they shape society, social institutions, and culture.


Entry requirements

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent


English language requirements


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Additional fee information

Tuition fees vary between degree programmes. Find the specific fees for your chosen programme on our website.
Digital Sociology at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS