Ranked among the top research-led universities in the United Kingdom, Royal Holloway University of London has an international reputation for serious scholarship, strong teaching, and interdisciplinary work. From the Social and Cultural Geography Group to the Department of Health and Social Care's own Lifespan Research Group in central London, scholars from diverse disciplines, both at the university and in collabouration with scholars at universities and research centres all across the world, produce path-breaking work on significant sociological and social policy questions
The Department of Health and Social Care, which houses the Medical Sociology program, is a new and growing centre for the study of social work, human health, health care provision, and social policy — and these areas often overlap, with staff and students engaging in interdisciplinary research. The Department has taught programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and post- qualification levels, and works in partnership with local authorities and voluntary agencies to provide professional courses across health and social care settings.
Health and Social Care has offices in Bedford Square in the heart of central London's famous Bloomsbury district. This area offers a wealth of research resources, from the nearby Public Records Office and the British Museum to the University of London and its renowned Senate House library, to which all Royal Holloway University of London students have full access
The British Sociological Association's London Medical Sociology Group meets in central London once every month for a presentation by a leading medical sociologist and discussion following the lecture. Scholars from the many medical schools and universities in the London area come to these seminars — indeed, many of our graduates attend and present their cutting-edge research — and students are always welcome.
Starting in 2006, our students may take part in a student exchange scheme with the Institute of Sociology, University of Vienna, under the European Union Socrates Programme. It will be possible for two students a year to spend up to five months in Vienna, from April to August, Getting expert advice from Austrian medical sociologists while researching and writing their dissertation. This reflects Royal Holloway’s increasingly international feel, encouraged by the international reputation of the University of London degree and our location close to Heathrow Airport.