Methods Schools
Explore our popular programme of research-methods courses
What we offer
The selection includes a variety of in-person and online courses focusing on software training, qualitative and quantitative analysis, data collection techniques and much more! The course content is based on approaches from across the various schools within The University of Manchester.
2025 Summer School
Our annual Summer School provides research methods training with a range of courses on offer. The Summer School starts 1pm on Monday, 30 June, and finishes at 1pm on Friday, 4 July (but do check individual course pages as courses are various lengths with different finish dates).
Course schedule
Each course will follow the following daily timetable
- 9am-12.30pm (morning session incorporating break with teas/coffees & pastries)
- 12.30-1.30pm (lunch break – buffet lunch provided)
- 1.30-5pm (afternoon session incorporating break with teas/coffees & cake)
Summer School social programme
We have two social options sponsored by methods@manchester. We do not ask for additional payment, but ask you to indicate whether you will be attending.
Monday, 30 June 5-7pm, Summer School Social: Interact socially with your summer school colleagues over drinks and light finger foods (food and water provided, attendees to buy own drinks)
Tuesday, 1 July 5.30-7pm, Summer School Walking Tour: Join us on a guided walking tour of Manchester, featuring historical stories about this vibrant city. This tour will be informative for city visitors and residents alike, offering a fantastic opportunity to mingle with fellow attendees in relaxed surroundings.
The tour will finish at Society Manchester, a street food hub. Here there are a variety of food and drink options, or alternatively attendees are welcome to make their own plans for the rest of the evening.
Courses
Date: Monday, 30 June - Friday, 4 July 2025
Course Leads: Dr Ali Hassanzadeh, Dr Eghbal Rahimikia, Dr. Ahmed Kheiri, and Prof Richard Allmendinger
This in-person course provides the opportunity for exploring various analytics methods ranging from descriptive and predictive to prescriptive analytics.
For full details about this course and to book your place, please visit the course webpage.
Date: Monday, 30 June – Friday, 4 July 2025
Course leads: Dr Haleema Sadia and Dr Pauline Prevett
This in-person course provides a comprehensive introduction to using NVivo to manage the data and analyse a qualitative or mixed methods research project.
For full details about this course and to book your place, please visit the course webpage.
Date: 30 June - 2 July
Course Leads: Sophie Woodward, Petra Nordqvist, Rob Meckin, Laura Towers, Maisie Tomlinson, Hazel Burke
This in-person course provides a hands-on introduction to creative approaches to doing qualitative research.
For full details about this course and to book your place, please visit the course webpage.
Date: Monday, 30 June - Friday, 4 July 2025
Course Leads: Dr Elisa Bellotti and Dr Filip Agneessens
This in-person course introduces you to the methodological foundations of social network analysis, and how to use qualitative and quantitative methods to collect, analyse, and interpret social network data.
For full details about this course and to book your place, please visit the course webpage.
Date: Monday, 30 June – Friday, 4 July 2025
Course leads: Giulia Grisot, Sam Hind, Ashley Mattheis, Luka Scholz, Łukasz Szulc
This is an introductory course aimed at Postgraduate researchers and early career researchers, as well as other researchers in humanities and social sciences or in the industry who would like to expand their methodological toolkit to include digital methods.
Further details are available on the Digital Methods website.
Date: Monday, 30 June – Friday, 4 July 2025
Course lead: Dr Gail Hebson
This course introduces a critical but friendly approach to qualitative interviewing for those using or considering using interviews in their social science research.
Participants will be encouraged to think critically about why they are using interviews, what type of data interviews can generate and how their own role in data collection shapes the interview and the data generated.
For full details about this course and to book your place, please visit the course webpage.
Date: Monday, 30 June - Friday, 4 July 2025
Course lead: Thiago Oliveira
This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the analysis of longitudinal data. The focus will be on three core areas: estimating latent trajectories to analyse change over time, addressing ‘reverse causality’ and modelling reciprocal relationships, and leveraging panel data for causal inference within the potential outcomes framework.
For full details about this course and to book your place, please visit the course webpage.
Bursaries
methods@manchester is pleased to be able to offer two bursary streams, in order to facilitate access to our summer school programme. If you have any questions about our bursaries, including whether you would be eligible to apply, please email methods@manchester.ac.uk.
NWSSDTP/NWCDTP Bursary
Our NWSSDTP/NWCDTP bursaries provide PGRs studying at any NWSSDTP or NWCDTP institution a reduction of 50% off the reduced rate fees for any Summer School course. PGRs from the following institutions are eligible to apply:
- The University of Manchester;
- Lancaster University;
- University of Central Lancashire;
- Keele University;
- Manchester Metropolitan University;
- Royal Northern College of Music;
- University of Salford.
For more information on this bursary and how to apply visit the NWSSDTP/NWCDTP bursaries page.
Exceptional Circumstances
We recognise that not all researchers have access to the same support for their research. We are able to provide support towards the fee of a limited number of applicants. As well as PGRs, these bursaries are open to those working within the voluntary, charity and community sector.
For more information on our exceptional circumstances bursary visit our exceptional circumstances bursaries page.
Overseas Attendance
If you are attending one of our courses from overseas, we require you to follow a few steps so we can facilitate your arrival in the UK.
We will require you to complete a Right to Study check, to determine what immigration permissions are required for you to study on course.
Depending on your country, your steps required to enter the UK may be different. It is your responsibility to complete the relevant process for you, and you can find further information about what you will need to do before entering the UK here. If you have any questions, please get in touch with visa@manchester.ac.uk.
Travel and Accommodation
Travel and Accommodation is not included in the Summer School price. Please visit our travel and accommodation page to find out more about the options.
Dates: 3 March to 17 March
Course Leads: Martin Everett, Nick Crossley, Nikita Basov, Filip Agneessens, Elisa Bellotti, Tomáš Diviák, Philip Leifeld, and Michael Genkin
This is an online introductory course in Social Network Analysis, organised by the Mitchell Centre for Social Network Analysis.
Visit the Mitchell Online: Introduction to Social Network Analysis website for further information and to register your place.