Sociology BSc (Hons)

Overview

How can we understand and explain diverse social and political issues such as Brexit, drone warfare, veganism, the #metoo movement and celebrity culture? Why does social inequality continue to exist? How can we find out more about, and improve, people's lives and experiences?

On this BSc (Hons) Sociology degree, you'll explore these pressing contemporary social issues and delve into the latest sociological research.

As well as applying classic sociological theories to contemporary situations, you'll have the opportunity to study specialist areas of sociology that interest you most, such as nationalism, happiness and emotions, the body, social class, and gender, sexuality, and race. You can also follow a media studies pathway, studying topics such as digital cultures and media fandom.

You'll develop the skills and knowledge to engage critically with the world around you, enhancing your understanding of it so you can consider how to fight to change it.

You'll be taught by sociologists who are currently doing research that tackles social inequalities, explores people's lives and investigates pressing contemporary issues. The content of many modules is based on this research, giving you an experience and perspective you won't get anywhere else. You'll also develop the skills to carry out your own research into topics you care about.

The course prepares you for a variety of people-focused careers, from health and social care to teaching and research. You can also do further training or study after your degree.

What you'll experience

On this course you'll:

• Develop a critical and independent understanding of the world we live in
• Learn how our lives relate to each other's and how they intersect with wider social structures
• Develop an understanding of how sociology can help us to understand and fight inequality and injustice
• Build research skills that support you to carry out your own research and analysis of issues you're passionate about
• Take specialist optional modules taught by leading sociology researchers, on topics such as food, nationalism, emotions, social class, gender and race
• Develop transferable skills that will impress employers, as you learn to think critically, lead research projects, communicate effectively and analyse data

Careers and opportunities

The knowledge you gain on this course, coupled with the communication, research, critical thinking and analysis skills you learn, means you'll have lots of career options when you graduate.

Many of our sociology graduates go into people-focused roles, or in roles that allow them to do research, shape social policies or bring about social change.

Areas you could go into include:

• Teaching and lecturing (with additional training or further study)
• Research and policy
• Health and social care
• Advertising
• Marketing and media
• Local government
• Community development
• Careers advice
• Charity work
• Human resources and recruitment
• Business and personnel management

Job roles some of our recent graduates have gone into include:

• Equality and diversity co-ordinator at HS2
• Housing policy officer in local government
• Recruitment manager and human resources manager in the NHS
• Events organiser for Bank of England

Work experience and career planning

To give you the best chance of securing the ideal job when you graduate, our Careers and Employability service can help you find relevant work experience during your course.