Program Overview

BA (Honours) Sociology

Course summary

This course provides an understanding of deviance, order, protest, inequality, identity, and religion. Students will take on real-world projects with hospitals, the police, schools, councils, charities, and community associations. The course develops an expert approach to producing life-changing research in the future.

Teaching quality

96% of students on this course were satisfied with teaching quality in the 2024 National Student Survey.

How you learn

Our staff are experts in their fields – bringing their research-based knowledge to all the teaching and learning activities on the course. With their support, you’ll develop confidence, champion diversity, and make a difference in communities – all in a safe, green, and affordable city.

You’ll also discover new knowledge and ideas through a variety of field trips, events, and guest speakers arranged throughout the year. You’ll develop your skills by working with others in small groups, as well as by creating your own independent learning style.

You learn through:

• Workshops
• Tutorials
• Field trips
• Events
• Guest speakers
• Group learning

Key Themes

From day one, you’ll learn how to research, gain independence, benefit from invaluable work placements, and become a confident, competent professional. You’ll explore core sociological knowledge and skills before progressing onto specialized interests and employability skills – working on live projects and putting your skills to the test in real-world situations.

You will develop your knowledge and skills in a range of modules on topics such as Education, Health and Disability, Drugs, Crime and Society, and Gender, Sexuality, and Culture.

Course Support

Community is a huge part of this course – both in and out of the classroom. You’re part of a large, safe academic community that helps you thrive. You’ll help to champion diversity in an accepting environment, with societies, charities, and other extracurricular activities to help you along the way.

You will be supported in your learning journey towards highly-skilled, graduate-level employment through:

• Access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic, and career development.
• Access to our Skills Centre with one-to-one, webinars, and online resources.
• Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments, and networking opportunities.

Applied learning

On this industry-focused course, you’ll learn things you can apply to the real world. For example, previously our students have undertaken research with various charities. They have also worked collaboratively online with students from the University of Dallas. There are always opportunities outside of the classroom – we’ve even recently seen a level 4 student deliver a speech to the United Nations.

Live Projects

You’ll undertake live projects as part of your degree, getting a taste of how to use the skills you learn on the course in the real world. For example, working on a project brief for a local charity – undertaking desk-based research, helping them while also forming the basis for your assessment.

You’ll further boost your CV by undertaking more demanding commissioned projects – working in a team to meet the needs of local organisations. These could include research and development departments, charities, human resources, community-based support, businesses, and service providers.

Field Trips

During the course, you can take a field trip at no additional cost. In recent years, these have included a visit to Liverpool, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Belfast. You get to immerse yourself in places and contexts of sociological importance and interest. For example, previously students have visited the Slavery museum in Liverpool/the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh.

There are also additional away days and conferences to help build more external knowledge.

Work Placements

In the second year, many students opt to go on an eight-week work placement. This gives you real-world experience to prepare you for your future career. Previous students have worked on projects under the direction of a supervisor in workplaces such as hospitals, police service, schools, council departments, and community associations.

Alternatively, you can study abroad for 12 weeks at a university in Europe, Australia, USA, or Canada. This is a brilliant chance to learn about different cultures and learning styles and travel to new places and meet new people.

Networking Opportunities

As a Sociology student, you’ll be enrolled as a member of the Social Research Association (SRA) – funded by the university. The SRA is a membership organisation for social researchers working on poverty, health, crime, and other social issues you’ll encounter on your course. You’re able to access extensive networks that can support your studies and career development – with amazing networking and research opportunities during your studies and beyond. It also provides access to a wealth of past and present research for you to refer to.

The Sociology society is also a great chance to meet with your fellow students. You can network and socialise with students from your course or different courses – anyone who shares an interest in social issues and the development of society.

Course leaders and tutors

• Ian Woolsey, Senior Lecturer In Sociology

Come to an open day

Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Modules

Year 1

• Deviance, Order And Protest
• Researching Society
• Sociology – The Big Issues
• The Sociological Imagination

Year 2

• Applied Research Methods
• Inequality, Identity And Intersectionality
• Theorising Modernities
• Sociology – Real-World Application
• Study Abroad - Social Sciences
• Work Placement (Politics And Sociology)

Year 3

• Drugs, Crime And Society
• Education, Health And Disability
• Gender, Sexuality, And Culture
• Sociology Dissertation

Future careers

The skills you’ll develop during this flexible degree will enable you to successfully transition into a much more comprehensive range of potential career paths.

This course prepares you for a career in:

• Health and related areas
• Education
• Police, prison, and probation
• Local and national government
• Drug and alcohol services
• Social and policy research
• Human resources
• Civil service
• Trade unionism
• Business management
• Victim support work
• International consultancy
• Journalism

Equipment and facilities

The university is investing £250 million in new facilities over the next five years. This means students have access to new, innovative, and flexible spaces to study and relax in, making their student experience even better.

Where will I study?

You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars, and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Entry requirements

• UCAS points: 112-120
• A levels: BBC-BBB
• BTEC National qualifications: DDM
• GCSE: English Language at grade C or 4, Mathematics at grade C or 4
• Access: at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits from level 2 from a relevant Open College Network accredited course
• IELTS score: 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills

Fees and funding

• Home students: £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year)
• International students: £18,000 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year)

Additional course costs

• General course additional costs
• Additional costs for Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences (PDF, 614.1KB)

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Sheffield Hallam University City Campus Howard Street Sheffield S1 1WB UK

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