Program Overview

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BA (Hons) Sociology with Foundation Year

Why study this course with LJMU?

• Whether you want to challenge inequalities, shape policy, or influence cultural debates, the degree provides the tools to make a real impact in society
• 91% of students surveyed said the teaching staff were good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2024)
• Gain real-world research experience, using AI analytics, action research, and visual methods alongside core qualitative and quantitative approaches
• Take your studies beyond the classroom with field visits to cities like Amsterdam and international exchanges
• Learn from expert staff whose work shapes national and international sociological debates on topics like social justice, digital society, sport, music, disability, gender, and environmentalism
• Develop critical thinking, evidence-based decision-making, and communication skills that open doors to careers in research, policy, charities, public sector, media, education, and beyond

About your course

BA (Hons) Sociology at Liverpool John Moores University is an ideal degree for those who want to understand, challenge and change the world around them

What makes our course so distinctive?

At LJMU you’ll explore cutting-edge sociological ideas shaped by our staff’s research on social justice, sport, music, disability, gender, emotions, digital society, and environmentalism. Through application of these ideas, you will develop the insights to shape a more just and sustainable future. From your first year onwards, you’ll engage with both classic and cutting-edge theories while gaining hands-on experience in qualitative and quantitative research, including AI analytics, action research and visual methods.

Our curriculum is global. You won’t just study society in theory, you will experience it first-hand. Opportunities include field visits to cities like Amsterdam, international study exchanges, and in-depth explorations of global societies.

Our curriculum is local too and embedded within the fabric of the Liverpool City Region, shaped by its energies of activism, diversity, and creativity. Liverpool is a city of culture, music, and political engagement, where issues of inequality, identity, and social change are not just academic concepts. Studying on our programme makes you part of a community that is both historically aware and future-focused; a place where you can apply sociological ideas to real-world challenges and contribute to shaping a more just society.

In your final year, you will take control of your learning by undertaking independent research on a topic of your choice. Whether you want to challenge inequalities, shape policy, or influence cultural debates, this degree provides the foundation to make an impact. Graduates go on to careers in social research, the public sector and the civil service, media, education, and more.

If you want to study sociology from multiple angles in a theoretically informed but hands-on way, developing employer-valued skills, and engaging with regional, national and global issues our programme is the one for you.

Foundation Year

The Foundation Year is ideal if you have the interest and ability to study for a degree, but do not have the qualifications to enter directly onto the Sociology honours degree programme yet.

Once you pass the Foundation Year (level 3) you will progress directly onto the first year of the honours degree. If you are a full-time UK student, you will qualify for student financial support for the full duration of your course (subject to eligibility criteria).

Course modules

Foundation Year

• Preparing for Academic Success (30 credits)
• Investigating Liverpool (30 credits)
• War: Conflict in the Humanities and Social Sciences (30 credits)
• Peace: the Pursuit of Harmony in Humanities and Social Science (30 credits)

Year 1

• Sociological Imaginations (20 credits)
• Contemporary Social and Green Issues (20 credits)
• Introduction to Sociology (20 credits)
• Becoming a Sociological Investigator (20 credits)
• Cultural Sociology (20 credits)
• Global Inequalities and Society (20 credits)

Year 2

• Researching British Society (20 credits)
• Knowing the Modern World (20 credits)
• Research in Action (20 credits)
• Critical Theory and Us (20 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • The Medicalised Body: the Sociology of Health and Illness (20 credits)
  • Study Year Abroad Sociology (120 credits)
  • Study Semester Abroad Sociology (60 credits)
  • International Organisations (20 credits)
  • Musical Identities: Sociological Perspectives (20 credits)
  • Sociology at Work 1 (20 credits)
  • Tech-Topia: Social Media, Power and Activism (20 credits)

Year 3

• Dissertation in Sociology (40 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • Challenging Western-centrism in International Relations (20 credits)
  • International Fieldwork in Sociology (20 credits)
  • Sport, Crime and Politics: Critical Sociological Analyses (20 credits)
  • Body Politics: Gender, Sexuality and Society (20 credits)
  • Cultural Sociology of Music (20 credits)
  • Securing Spaces: Security and Places in the Modern World (20 credits)
  • Sociology at Work 2 (20 credits)
  • Mediating Diversity (20 credits)
  • Fear and Loathing: the politics and aesthetics of aversive emotion (20 credits)
  • Cities (20 credits)
  • Imagined Communities: The Sociology of Nationalism (20 credits)
  • Crime, Horror and the Media (20 credits)

Your Learning Experience

• Teaching Support Assessment
• Excellent facilities and learning resources
• A Learning Experience That Works for You
• Learning Beyond the Classroom
• Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support
• Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.

Career paths

We are committed to providing LJMU Sociology graduates with a competitive advantage in the labour market.

To enable this to happen, students work together with academics, and our careers and employability experts in our Student Futures team. We aim to empower students and equip them with competitive advantages.

We do this through seven steps:

1. Level 4 - Self-Appraisal: We assist Level 4 students to appraise their strengths, weaknesses, and interests
2. Level 4 - Career Planning: Building upon their self-appraisal, students are assisted to match their attributes to professional and managerial careers. In collaboration with Student Futures, students develop career plans, outlining the necessary steps to achieve their goals
3. Level 5 - Skills Enhancement: Students are guided in enhancing their CVs, crafting strong covering letters, and optimising their presentation on social media platforms
4. Levels 5 and 6 - Practical Experience: Opportunities are developed for students to gain practical experience through supported placements
5. Levels 5 and 6 - Networking: Students are encouraged to develop professional networks within relevant career settings through engagement with social media platforms, as well as participation in graduate employer events
6. Level 6 - Interview Preparation: Special emphasis is placed on honing interview skills, with ongoing support and refresher sessions provided to ensure students are well-prepared for the job market
7. Continuous Support: Even beyond graduation, students continue to have access to LJMU's top-tier careers and employment resources through Student Futures, which further strengthens their lifetime career prospects

Tuition fees and funding

• Home: £9,535
• International: £17,750
• Foundation first year: £5,760
• Second and subsequent years: £9,535

Entry requirements

• GCSEs and equivalents: Grade 4/C in English Language and Mathematics
• A levels: DDD-CDD
• BTECs: Extended Diploma: MMP
• Access awards: Pass overall with a minimum of 72 UCAS points
• International Baccalaureate: 72 UCAS points
• OCR Cambridge Technical: Extended Diploma: MMP
• Irish awards: 72 UCAS points to include Irish Highers
• T levels: 72 UCAS points from a related subject area

How to apply

• UCAS is the official application route for our full-time undergraduate courses.
• Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here

Your university life

• From accommodation and academic support to clubs and societies. Find out what LJMU has to offer.