BSc (Hons) Sociology
University of Portsmouth
Key Information
Campus location
Southsea, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* for UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students/EU residents | £16,200/year: international students
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Understand how and why the world is changing on this BSc (Hons) Sociology degree course.
Step into the centre of critical debates on current social and political issues, from Brexit and Black Lives Matter to income inequality, drone warfare, veganism and the #metoo movement. Make sense of what’s going on, why it’s happening, and what we can do about it.
Learn to critically engage with the world around you, and develop the confidence, knowledge and methods to enact positive change. With this BSc (Hons) Sociology degree, you’ll learn classical sociological theories, have the chance to specialise in what interests you most – and see how sociology can help in the fight against inequality and injustice.
Course highlights
- Tailor your studies to topics that matter most to you – from gender, sexuality, race, and social class, to happiness, the body, and the politics of nationalism
- Learn ways to apply classical sociological theories, such as developing policies and actions to produce social change and solutions to the pressing issues affecting the world right now
- Learn from leading sociologists whose research is helping to tackle social inequalities around the world
- Hear from industry specialists on topics such as racism, asylum and gender-based violence – recent guest speakers have come from Friends Without Borders and Portsmouth Abuse and Rape Counselling Services (PARCS)
- Build competent research skills that support you to carry out your own research and analysis of issues you're passionate about – previous student dissertations were on the Black Lives Matter movement, online dating, musical taste and K-Pop, happiness and social media, becoming vegan, and racism in sport
- Follow an optional media studies pathway, where you could explore topics such as digital cultures and media fandom
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
Modules
Year 1
Core modules
- Class, Inequality and the Lifecourse – 20 credits
- Developing your Sociological Imagination – 40 credits
- Observing Society – 20 credits
- Research Design and Analysis – 20 credits
- Theorising Social Life – 20 credits
Year 2
Core modules
- Doing Sociological Research – 20 credits
- Modernity and Globalisation – 20 credits
- Risk and Society – 20 credits
- Work, Employment and Society – 20 credits
Optional modules
- Challenging Global Inequality – 20 credits
- Consumer Society: Critical Themes and Issues – 20 credits
- Emotions and Social Life – 20 credits
- Equality or Liberation? Theorising Social Justice – 20 credits
- Gender and Sexuality – 20 credits
- Health, Wellbeing, and Happiness
- Modern Foreign Language (IWLP) – 20 credits
- Media, Culture and National Identity – 20 credits
- Race and Racism – 20 credits
- Screen Media – 20 credits
- Sociology of Culture: Taste, Value and Celebrity – 20 credits
- The Body: Sociological Perspectives – 20 credits
- Media Networks: Exploring Digital Culture – 20 credits
- Family, Career and Generation (L5) – 20 credits
- Social Power, Elites and Dissent (L5) – 20 credits
- Food, Culture, and Society – 20 credits
- Gender and the Media – 20 credits
- The Sociology of Education – 20 credits
- Understanding Personal Life – 20 credits
- Professional Experience – 20 credits
- Engaged Citizenship In Humanities And Social Sciences – 20 credits
Year 3
Core modules
- Celebrity and Society – 20 credits
- Challenging Global Inequality – 20 credits
- Consumer Society: Critical Themes and Issues – 20 credits
- Dissertation (Sociology) – 40 credits
- Emotions and Social Life – 20 credits
- Equality or Liberation? Theorising Social Justice – 20 credits
- Food, Culture, and Society – 20 credits
- Family, Career and Generation – 20 credits
- Gender and Sexuality – 20 credits
- Health, Wellbeing and Happiness – 20 credits
- Introduction to Teaching – 20 credits
- Learning from Experience (LiFE) – 20 credits
- Major Project (Sociology) – 40 credits
- Media Fan Cultures – 20 credits
- Nationalism and Migration: Chaos, Crisis and the Everyday – 20 credits
- News, War and Peace – 20 credits
- Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates – 20 credits
- Professional Experience – 20 credits
- Race and Racism – 20 credits
- Social Power, Elites and Dissent – 20 credits
- Sociology of Culture: Taste, Value and Celebrity – 20 credits
- Studying Comedy – 20 credits
- The Body: Sociological Perspectives – 20 credits
- Understanding Personal Life – 20 credits
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry, and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Placement year opportunities and work experience
Taking an optional placement year after your second year of study will give you the experience you need to increase your chances of landing your perfect role after graduation. You'll get valuable work experience and the chance to grow your professional network and enhance your CV.
We'll work with you to identify placements, internships, voluntary roles and freelancing opportunities that will complement your studies and allow you to use the skills you've learned. Our students also regularly work on research projects for the local community.
Potential destinations
Previous students have taken placement roles at organisations, including:
- Portsmouth Abuse and Rape Counselling Service (PARCS)
- Why Me? Restorative Justice
- Volkswagen
- SEK International School, Spain
Career Opportunities
The knowledge you gain in 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.
In fact, 95% of graduates from this course are in work or further study 15 months after graduation, earning an average starting salary of £22,000 – higher than the national average for sociology graduates. After 5 years, you could earn up to an average of £32,000.
After the course you could also continue your studies to a PhD or other postgraduate qualification, following in the footsteps of your lecturers.
What sectors can you work in with a sociology degree?
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
- career advice, human resources and recruitment
- charity work and community development
What jobs can you do with a sociology degree?
Roles you could go onto include:
- fundraising and project manager
- hr adviser
- housing strategy and policy officer
- social worker
- evidence and evaluation manager
- peer support and young person's service manager
- recruitment consultant
- senior research executive
- marketing manager
- data analyst
- fraud operations executive
Graduate destinations
Our graduates have worked for companies such as:
- Washington Frank International
- Kantar (data analytics and brand consulting)
- Enham Trust (disability charity)
- The Prince's Trust
- NHS Foundation Trust
- Youth Futures Foundation
- Solent Mind
- Chance UK
- Strictly Come Dancing (production)
- YouGov
- Bank of England
Ongoing career support – up to 5 years after you graduate
Get experience while you study with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities and work experience. Towards the end of your degree and after graduation, you'll get 1-to-1 support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to find your perfect role.
Student Testimonials
English Language Requirements
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