Program Overview

Social Sciences BA

The Social Sciences BA course at the University of Sheffield is designed to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to tackle the big social science challenges facing society today, including inequality, injustice, and health. Students will learn how to undertake high-quality research, communicate results to different audiences, and apply research to make a difference in people's lives.

Course Description

The course allows students to develop their own area of expertise through a choice of optional social science modules. Students will study core modules each year, including Foundations of Social Science 1 and 2, Reading Social Science, and Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics. They will also have the opportunity to choose from a range of optional modules, including World Politics, Situating Crime, and Cities, Places and People.

Modules

The course includes a range of modules, including:

• Foundations of Social Science 1
• Foundations of Social Science 2
• Reading Social Science
• Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics
• Optional modules, such as:
  • World Politics
  • Situating Crime
  • Cities, Places and People
  • Exploring Human Geographies
  • Living with Environmental Change
  • Why Geography Matters
  • Social divisions and inequalities: causes, patterns and change
  • Comprehending Criminology
  • Western Political Thought
  • Sociology of hope, community and social justice
  • Data Visualisation
  • British Politics

Learning and Assessment

Students will learn through a combination of lectures and seminars, and will also benefit from small group teaching within the department. Assessments on the course range from essays, projects, and presentations to practical assignments based on real-life case studies and data. In the final year, students will complete a dissertation and will be supported by a dissertation tutor.

Entry Requirements

The standard offer for this course is ABB at A Level, with alternative offers available for students with other qualifications, such as BTEC or International Baccalaureate. Students must also have a GCSE Maths grade 4/C and GCSE English Language at grade 4/C.

Graduate Careers

Graduates from this course have secured employment in organizations such as the Civil Service, National Centre for Social Research, and Capita, in roles such as Data Analyst, Research Officer, and Research Analyst.

Department

The course is taught by the Sheffield Methods Institute, which combines expertise from three areas of the University: education, the Sheffield Methods Institute, and lifelong learning.

University Rankings

The University of Sheffield is a world top-100 university, ranked 92nd in the QS World University Rankings 2026. It is also ranked as the number one university in the Russell Group for student experience, based on aggregate responses.

Fees and Funding

The tuition fees for this course are £9,535 for home students and £23,810 for overseas students. There are also opportunities for scholarships and bursaries, and students can apply for a placement year or study abroad.

Placements and Study Abroad

Students may have the opportunity to add an optional placement year as part of their course, converting the three-year course to a four-year Degree with Placement Year. There are also opportunities for placements taken as a module or over the summer, and students can apply to extend their course with a year abroad.