Double first status for Sociology and Management School

Lancaster University's Management School and Department of Sociology have received extra funding from HEFCE ( Higher Education Funding Council for England) as a result of achieving 5* in two consecutive Research Assessment Exercises. The extra funding amounts to over £300k.

5* has been the highest category there is and is awarded to units that conduct excellent research of international importance.

Around 25 % of Lancaster's staff are in this category, which the Government is calling double firsts, which is higher than the national average.

Professor Ray MacDonald, Pro-Vice Chancellor for research said: "There is a lot of prestige attached to the "double first" rating as well as the extra funding. Lancaster has a relatively large number of staff in these units and that is something to be proud of".

Professor Jackie Stacey Head of the Sociology Department, said: "The Sociology area at Lancaster has been placed in the topmost category for its research achievement in every assessment of research ever held in the UK. There is only one other Sociology unit in the UK to have achieved this.

"The area includes scholars from the Department of Sociology, the Institute for Women's Studies, the Institute for Cultural Research and the Institute of Environmental Philosophy and Public Policy. This result reflects the outstanding record of research in these fields at Lancaster. Such a classification recognises that this work is unambiguously world class.

"This achievement is a consequence of not only the excellent scholarly contributions of individuals within this Unit, but also of the uniquely interdisciplinary and dynamic research cultures which have facilitated so many remarkably productive collaborations among scholars in these areas. "

Professor Sue Cox, Dean of Lancaster University Management School, commented: "The retention of the five-star rating in two successive RAEs is an outstanding achievement of which my colleagues can be immensely proud.

"We shall continue to develop our ability to make this academic excellence available to organisations across our region, the UK and around the world in order to provide insights into their priority issues."