Program Overview

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Social Sciences BSc

The Social Sciences BSc at UCL offers opportunities to engage with global perspectives on social change, and tools for understanding, shaping and innovating in future policy and practice. As a Social Sciences student, you will develop excellent skills in critical thinking and empirical analysis, preparing you for careers in a range of areas such as government, politics, journalism, non-governmental organisations and international development.

Study Mode and Duration

• Study mode: Full-time
• Duration: 3 academic years

Tuition Fees

• UK tuition fees (2025/26): Ł9,535
• Overseas tuition fees (2025/26): Ł36,500

Programme Starts and Application Deadline

• Programme starts: September 2025
• Application deadline: 29 Jan 2025

UCAS Course Code

• UCAS course code: L300

Entry Requirements

A Levels

• Grades: AAA
• Subjects: No specific subjects. At least two A level subjects should be taken from UCL's list of preferred A level subjects.
• GCSEs: English Language and Mathematics at grade B or 6.

Contextual Offer Information

• Grades: ABB
• Subjects: No specific subjects. At least two A level subjects should be taken from UCL's list of preferred A level subjects.
• GCSEs: English Language and Mathematics at grade B or 6.

International Baccalaureate Diploma

• Points: 38
• Subjects: A total of 18 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5.

Contextual Offer

• Points: 34
• Subjects: A total of 16 points in three higher level subjects, with no score below 5.

UK Applicants Qualifications

For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, the following are considered:

• Access to HE Diploma
• BTEC National Diploma
• Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects
• Scottish Advanced Highers
• T Levels
• UAL Extended Diploma
• Welsh Baccalaureate

Equivalent Qualification

• Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 33 credits at Distinction and 12 credits at Merit, all from Level 3 units.
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF) or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF - teaching from 2016) with Distinction, Distinction, Distinction.
• D3,D3,D3 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects.
• AAA at Advanced Highers (or AA at Advanced Higher and AAA at Higher).

Course Overview

The Social Sciences BSc is a broad-based interdisciplinary degree offering considerable flexibility and a wide range of optional modules. Compulsory modules in year one provide a foundation in the disciplines of sociology and psychology as well as research methods. You will also choose optional modules from a range of subjects including anthropology, economics, education studies, history and other social sciences subjects.

Modules

Year 1

• Compulsory modules:
  • Introduction to Social Science Research
  • Foundations of Psychology I
  • Introduction to Sociology
  • Social Change Within Contemporary Society
  • Discovering Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods (DQQRM)
  • Foundations of Psychology II
• Optional modules:
  • Sociology of Media
  • Understanding Social Policy
  • Introduction to Economics I
  • Historical Foundations of Sociological Thought
  • Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

Year 2

• Compulsory modules:
  • Social Theory
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Quantitative Research Methods
  • Social Psychology
• Optional modules:
  • Uncertainty in contemporary societies: A psychosocial approach to wellbeing
  • Families in Society
  • Sociology of Childhood
  • Public Health in Context
  • Sociology of Gender
  • London Lab
  • Economics of Public Policy
  • Social Inequality and Mobility
  • Political Sociology

Year 3

• Compulsory modules:
  • Social Sciences Dissertation
  • Social Science Seminar
• Optional modules:
  • Love, intimacy and sexuality
  • Citizenship, political exclusion and the racialised state
  • Food and Society
  • Research Internship in the Social Sciences
  • Ageing and Society
  • Gender, Families and Work
  • International Development
  • Migration and Society
  • Power, Conflict and Collective Action: The Sociology of Social Movements
  • Thinking Through Identities

Teaching and Learning

Teaching on the degree includes a stimulating mix of lectures, small-group seminars, and workshops, as well as film screenings, field visits and specialist guest lectures. You will also attend practical sessions to discover, explore, and analyse qualitative data and quantitative data through statistical techniques.

Assessment

Assessment is through a mix of essays, written examinations, practical exercises, blog posts, film reviews, explainers, and a dissertation in the final year of study.

Fees and Funding

Fees for this Course

• UK students: Ł9,535
• International students: Ł36,500

Additional Costs

Please note that if you study abroad during your programme at UCL, this is likely to incur additional costs. Studying abroad may cost between Ł200Ł1,000 per month depending on where you choose to study.

Funding Your Studies

Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships.

Employability

The degree prepares you for a wide range of careers in the public and private sectors, including government, public administration, charities and international development, politics, journalism, teaching and research, as well as non-governmental organisations. The degree also prepares students for graduate studies in the social sciences.