Program Overview

Social studies

Social science field

BA 180 credits

The social studies program at the University of Iceland is recognized for its excellent teaching and research. The program stands up to international comparisons and prepares students well for the challenges that society faces today. Social scientists who graduate from the University of Iceland are faced with diverse opportunities, whether they continue to graduate studies at prestigious foreign universities or enter the labor market directly. The department's good reputation and interdisciplinary studies ensure that graduates are well prepared to work in different areas of the business world, where an understanding of human life and society is important.

Undergraduate studies in sociology take three years. It is possible to complete a bachelor's degree in sociology as a major with 180 credits, which means that students take certain compulsory courses but also have considerable flexibility with elective courses.

Admission requirements

To start studying social studies, a student must have completed a matriculation exam or a comparable exam from a foreign school. Other final exams of three disciplines shall be considered comparable to matriculation exams if the applicant has completed at least 170 units, of which at least 25 credits in Icelandic and 25 credits in English (two out of 10 credits in three subjects in each discipline) and 10 credits in mathematics (at least in another subject). Final exams from the Keilis University Bridge, the Reykjavík University Foundation or the University Portal of the University of Bifröst are considered comparable to matriculation exams and are sufficient for admission to a BA program in social studies.

It is desirable that applicants have completed at least 10 units in mathematics and 15 units in English.

Study requirements

Complete 180 ECTS credits. The course is divided into the following parts: Compulsory course (98e), restricted choice course (58e), free choice course (12e) within the Faculty of Social Studies, Humanities and Economics or within other departments of the University of Iceland by agreement. The program ends with a 12-unit BA thesis.

Organization of studies

• 1st year
  • Autumn
    • General social studies
    • Icelandic Jewish Society
    • Social psychology
    • Work in social studies, anthropology and economics
  • Spring
    • Deviance, social restraint and marginalization
    • Methodology: Research methods of social sciences
    • Inequality: Economy, gender and minorities
• 2nd year
  • Autumn
    • Mathematics I: Introduction
    • Classical theories in the social sciences
    • BA carpenter II
    • BA carpenter I
  • Spring
    • Modern theories in sociology
    • Statistics II: Data analysis
    • BA carpenter II
    • BA carpenter I
• 3rd year
  • Autumn
    • Mathematics I: Introduction
    • Classical theories in the social sciences
    • BA carpenter II
    • BA carpenter I
  • Spring
    • Modern theories in sociology
    • Statistics II: Data analysis
    • BA carpenter II
    • BA carpenter I

Course

• General social studies (FÉL102G)
• Icelandic Jewish Society (FÉL107G)
• Social Psychology (FÉL109G)
• Work in social studies, anthropology and economics (FÉL108G)
• Deviance, social control and marginalization (FÉL262G)
• Methodology: Research Methods of Social Sciences (FÉL204G)
• Inequality: Economy, gender and minorities (FÉL264G)
• Elective course (FÉL265G)
• Mathematics I: Introduction (FÉL306G)
• Classical theories in the social sciences (FÉL308G)
• Bachelor of Construction II (FÉL601G)
• Bachelor of Construction I (FÉL501G)
• Modern theories in social studies (FÉL404G)
• Statistics II: Data analysis (FÉL416G)

Examples of workplaces

Social scientists work in public administration, social services, leisure, cultural and sports activities, education, financial and insurance activities, research and consultancy.

They work both in the public sector and in the private market, and surveys have shown that the vast majority believe that their studies in social studies are useful in their work.

People with this qualification work, among other things:

• As social scientists
• To the media
• At government institutions
• At the police
• We market research
• We study politics
• By sex
• During counseling
• In public relations

The list is not exhaustive.