A world-class programme of doctoral study supervised by leading experts. 

We offer students: 

• a world-class programme of research that combines taught content in research methods with independent study
• courses to build the methodological grounding of your individual research project run by the Department and Cambridge Research Methods (CaRM)
• opportunities to connect with our research community of leading academics, postgraduate students and research groups
• access to talks and events throughout the University of Cambridge
• a programme of seminars covering transferable skills such as academic writing, presentation skills and in-depth information about how to progress the PhD and the academic career

Study duration: 3-4 years full-time or 5-7 years part-time. Candidates typically spend nine terms (3 years) on research and one year on writing up the thesis.
 

Number of students enrolled: around 90 with 20 new students each year   

Further information about part-time PhD studies >>

How to apply to the PhD in Sociology >>
 

International students  

Our PhD student body is diverse, and we welcome students from across the world.

Please note that immigration options for part-time post-graduate study are limited. If you are an international student wishing to apply for a part-time course and you don’t already hold a UK visa or have immigration status that permits study, you should read the information outlined on the International Students website.  

For any further questions, or up-to-date information about visa support for PhD students please contact the Sociology postgraduate admin team. 

Meet our current students

Browse our current PhD student profiles to locate research expertise in the Department.

What next?

Recent postgraduate students of the Department of Sociology have gone on from Cambridge to exceptional roles.  Many of our PhD graduates are now professional researchers or academics; others work in national government, international organisations, NGOs, think tanks, and consultancies.

Asiya Islam

Asiya received her PhD in Sociology in 2019, funded by the Gates Cambridge scholarship, under the supervision of Professor Manali Desai. Her PhD research ethnographically explored the experiences of young lower-middle-class women in service work in Delhi, India.  She is Assistant Professor in Gender, Development and Globalisation at the London School of Economics, a member of the Feminist Review editorial collective, associate editor for New Technology, Work and Employment, and an editor for the ethnographic storytelling magazine Otherwise.  Her book, ‘A Woman’s Job: Making Middle Lives in New India’ was published by Cambridge University Press in 2024. 

Consuelo Sáizar 

Consuelo gained her PhD in Sociology in 2021.  She is a book publisher and editor, and was CEO of several leading Spanish language publishers. She is the former President of the National Council for Culture and the Arts (which has become Mexico’s Ministry of Culture), and of UNESCO’s Regional Centre for the Promotion of Books and Reading in Latin America and the Caribbean.