Program Overview

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Sociology with Education - BSc (Hons)

Overview

Explore how social forces shape human behaviour, interactions and the structure of society, while taking your first step into the field of education.

Summary

Are you curious, analytical and passionate about tackling broader societal issues, with an interest in education or teaching?

Studying Sociology with Education helps you understand how social forces influence learning, schools, and educational outcomes, preparing you for careers in policy, social advocacy or further study in secondary education.

About this course

About

There are three key emphases in the Sociology degree: an emphasis on the theories and explanatory frameworks found in sociology; an emphasis on examining the social features of contemporary society within a global context; and an emphasis on developing student skills in the collection and assessment of evidence and the development of arguments.

Associate awards

• Diploma in Professional Practice DPP
• Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS

Attendance

The Sociology with Education degree is a 3 year programme. Students take 6 modules each year.

Each module usually involves two hours of lectures plus a one hour seminar each week. Workshops may be offered in applied modules.

In addition, students are required to undertake substantial directed independent learning.

Start dates

• September 2026

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Students on the Sociology with Education degree learn through a range of lecture, seminar and workshop classes. Projects and placements support the applied elements of the degree.

Assessments on the degree include essays, reports, exams, and presentations. Students are introduced to a range of different formats to increase transferable skills and provide the opportunity to apply knowledge in a range of contexts. You will also be invited to explore current technologies in the presentation of your work.

All students complete an independent research study (dissertation) in their final year. This is supervised individually by a member of staff who will help you to shape your chosen topic and create original sociological knowledge.

Modules

Year one

• Contemporary Educational Issues
• Facilitating An Effective Learning Environment
• Introduction to Sociology
• Sociology of Health and Illness
• Contemporary Culture & Social Change
• The Sociological Imagination

Year two

• Industrial Educational Placement
• Classical sociological theory
• Quantitative research methods
• Contemporary Ireland
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Learning and Teaching with Technology (optional)
• Physical Health and Wellbeing (optional)

Year three

• Inclusive Educational Practices
• Multicultural education and language learning
• International Academic Studies (Study Abroad) (optional)
• Professional Practice – Applied Social and Policy Sciences (optional)

Year four

• Methodology, Ethics and Politics of Research
• Contemporary sociological theory
• Dissertation
• Global Inequalities:Issues and Challenges (optional)
• Media, Culture and Society (optional)
• Sociology of Education (optional)
• Professional Placement (optional)
• Sport in Society (optional)

Standard entry conditions

We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.

A level

Grades CCC

Applied General Qualifications

• BTEC Awards: Award profile of DMM
• RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma / OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma (2016 Suite): Award profile of MMM

Irish Leaving Certificate

96 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at higher level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher level or O4 if studied at Ordinary Level.

Scottish Highers

CCCCC

Scottish Advanced Highers

DDD

International Baccalaureate

Overall International Baccalaureate profile is minimum 24 points (including 12 at higher level)

Access to Higher Education (HE)

Overall profile of 55% (120 credit Access Course) (NI Access course).

GCSE

For full-time study, you must satisfy the General Entrance Requirements for admission to a first degree course and hold a GCSE pass at Grade C/4 or above English Language.

English Language Requirements

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.

Careers & opportunities

Graduate employers

Graduates from this course are now working for:

• NI Civil Service
• PwC
• Deloitte
• Health & Social Care Trusts
• NI Assembly
• PSNI
• Start 360

Job roles

With this degree you could become:

• Social Researcher
• Civil Servant
• Community Development Worker
• Teacher
• Police Officer
• Policy Officer
• Public Affairs Consultant

Career options

The course provides the opportunity for you to acquire a valuable combination of skills and opens up a wide range of postgraduate educational and career opportunities. The detailed knowledge and understanding of society and social life that you will gain from the degree equips you with core skills to work in a rich variety of settings. In recent years our graduates have found employment in areas including: human resource management, health administration, PSNI, the Civil Service, market research, industrial relations, health administration and private sector consultancy. Many others have gone on to take postgraduate courses in Sociology, Media Studies, Social Work, Education and Heritage Studies.

Fees and funding

2026/27 Fees

Undergraduate fees are subject to annual review, 2026/27 fees will be announced in due course.

See our tuition fees page for the current fees for 2025/26 entry.

Additional mandatory costs

It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.

Contact

For more information visit

• Visit Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Visit School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences

Terms and Conditions

1. We prepare our prospectus and online information about our courses with care and every effort is made to ensure that the information is accurate. The printed version of the prospectus is, however, published at least a year before the courses begin. Information included in the prospectus may, therefore, change. This includes, but is not limited to changes to the terms, content, delivery, location, method of assessments or lengths of the courses described. Not all circumstances are foreseeable, but changes will normally be made for one of the following reasons:

• to meet external, professional, or accredited body requirements;
• to provide for exceptional circumstances due to reasons beyond our reasonable control;
• to improve or enhance your experience, or to adopt changes recommended in student feedback, with the aim of improving the student experience and/or student outcomes; and/or
• to ensure appropriate academic standards are met, for example in response to external examiners’ feedback.

2. If there are insufficient enrolments to make a course viable, it may be necessary for the University to withdraw a course. If you have received an offer for a course that we subsequently have to close, we will contact you as soon as possible to discuss alternative courses. If you do not wish to study any alternative courses at the University, you may withdraw your application by informing us by email to .
3. Please note that the University’s website is the most up-to-date source of information regarding courses, campuses and facilities and we strongly recommend that you always visit the website before making any commitments.
4. We will include a durable PDF when we send you an offer letter which will highlight any changes made to our prospectus or online information about our courses. You should read this carefully and ensure you fully understand what you are agreeing to before accepting a place on one of our courses.
5. The University will always try to deliver the course as described in the durable PDF you receive with your offer letter.
6. At any point after an offer has been made, students will be notified of any course changes in writing (usually by email) as soon as reasonably practicable and we will take all reasonable steps to minimise their impact where possible. The University will, where possible and reasonably practicable, seek the express consent of the student in regard to any changes concerning material or pre-contract information.
7. The University website will be updated to reflect the changed course information as soon as reasonably practicable.
8. If, after due consideration, you decide that you no longer want to study your course or to study at the University because of the changes, you may withdraw your application or terminate your contract with the University. In order to do so, you should notify us in writing by emailing (and update UCAS if applicable). We will, on request, recommend alternative courses that you could study with us, or suggest a suitable course at an alternative higher education provider.
9. If you do not agree that the changes are fair, you can seek redress under the Student Complaints Procedures (opens in new window).
10. Providing the University has complied with the requirements of all applicable consumer protection laws, the University does not accept responsibility for the consequences of any modification, relocation or cancellation of any course, or part of a course, offered by the University. The University will give due and proper consideration to the effects thereof on individual students and take the steps necessary to minimise the impact of such effects on those affected.
11. The University is not liable for disruption to its provision of educational or other services caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control providing it takes all reasonable steps to minimise the resultant disruption to such services.
12. Further information can be found in our terms and conditions (opens in new window).

Student Terms and Conditions

The full Student Terms and Conditions 24/25 (opens in new window) is now available.

Testimonials

“Lecturers provide excellent resources made available via Blackboard. Interesting guest lecturers. Staff take an interest beyond their own module, concerned about future of their students. Staff are always encouraging and promoting opportunities to enhance studies/experience.”

“Lecturers are very welcoming and are always available to help with problems that students have. The coursework encouraged students to be reflective of experiences and allowed us to apply our sociological learning to everyday situations in our placements.”

“Lecturers are very approachable and extremely helpful. I would definitely recommend University of Ulster to anyone who may be considering university. I will be sad to leave as it feels part of my daily life now.”

“I believe all the staff in my department care about the needs of the students. They care when students are experiencing difficult circumstances. I believe they genuinely want to share their knowledge and expand ours. We are not merely a big class, they make the effort to get to know their pupils individually.”

“Lecturers are all excellent. They are enthusiastic about what they teach. Overall fantastic.”