Social Science BA(Hons)

Course in brief

Social science is a broad term for subjects that explore human society and the relationships within it, subjects from politics and social policy to psychology and sociology.

Our Social Science degree programme is a highly flexible course that allows you to choose modules from across these areas. You can tailor the degree to your own interests and career aspirations, with the freedom to specialise in a particular discipline or to maintain a more general approach throughout.

There are opportunities for you to put your new knowledge into context in the workplace or abroad. The optional community engagement module enables you to undertake a community-based voluntary work placement, and the international exchange programme is a chance to study social science in other countries.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code L540

Full-time 3 years

Clearing 2017

Places are available on this course for UK, other EU and international students.

Read our Clearing guide

Applying for 2018: read our guide

Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BCC–CCC (104–96 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

We will generally make you an offer if your predicted grades are at the top of this range. If your predicted grades are towards the lower end of this range we may still make you an offer if you have a good GCSE (or equivalent) profile or relevant non-academic achievements.

International Baccalaureate
27 points.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. Level 3 units in social sciences are preferred. At least 45 credits at level 3, with 18 credits at merit or above.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least three subjects including English language and maths or science, social science or humanities. Functional Skills will not usually be accepted but may be considered where the applicant has an otherwise good spread of GCSEs.

Foundation degree/HND/HNC
May enable you to start the course in year 2 or 3 provided content is relevant.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

Other
Relevant professional experience.

International equivalencies

International equivalencies by country

Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For academic preparation courses.

Course in detail

Course structure

The three-year Social Science BA(Hons) consists of compulsory modules covering the foundations of theory and research, and option modules which allow you to specialise in areas of your choice. Your options can focus on one area, for example politics or psychology, or they can span across the social sciences.

Opportunities are available for exchange study in Spain or Sweden.

Year 1

Year 1 will introduce you to the theoretical background of sociology, which is at the heart of the social sciences. You will also learn about how social scientists conduct their research and further the knowledge base of their respective disciplines.

Modules

Contemporary Social Inequalities
Foundations of Sociology
Introduction to Research Methods
Sociological Imaginations

Options*

Social Policy and Social Welfare
Introduction to Politics
Developmental Psychology
Psychology of Wellbeing
Social Policy: Needs and Problems
Comparative European Political Systems

*Option modules listed are indicative and may be subject to change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Year 2

The second year allows you to choose your direction of study through optional modules that span the social sciences.

Community Engagement: Theory into Practice gives you the chance to do a voluntary work placement with a local organisation. It is an opportunity to put your knowledge and skills into practice and to gain insight into working life.

Modules

Researching Social and Cultural Life
Researching Social and Cultural Life (for students going on Erasmus exchange)
Theorising the Social World

Options*

Community Engagement: Theory into Practice
Critical Analysis
Critical Analysis (for students going on Erasmus exchange)
Psychology, Cognition and Social Worlds
History and Social Policy
Sociology and the Life Course
Social Justice, Welfare and Wellbeing
Political Movements
Political Ideas
Psychology, Mental Health and Distress

*Option modules listed are indicative and may be subject to change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year

The final year dissertation will give you a chance to analyse a topic of interest at length. The rest of the curriculum consists largely of optional modules to allow you further room to specialise.

Environmental Politics introduces you to green ideas such as anthropocentrism, ecocentrism and animal liberation. It looks at environmental philosophy, green political parties and the greening of mainstream parties. You also examine the ways in which the state and the market can respond to the environmental crisis, for example through sustainable development and ecological modernisation.

Global Social Policy is designed to help you learn about contemporary developments and challenges for human wellbeing on a global level. Drawing on concepts and theories from across the social sciences, it covers three main themes: globalisation and welfare; globalisation and social problems; and governance and solutions.

Sociology Topic 1 and 2 allow you to choose from the final year options of the Sociology BA(Hons).

Modules

Dissertation
Sociology Topic 1

One from*

Policy Analysis
Critical Community Psychology
Sociology Topic 2
Politics in the Middle East
International Relations
Critical Addiction Studies
Global Social Policy
Care Ethics and Social Policy
Psychology, Nature and Ecological Crisis
Cyberpsychology
Mental Disorder and Anthropology
Politics Topic
Politics and Policy in the EU
Politics in Latin America
Sexualities

*Option modules listed are indicative and may be subject to change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great opportunity to develop your vocational skills and gain practical work experience while contributing to the wider community. Our award-winning Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp) can pair you up with a local organisation and find a volunteering placement that is right for you.

The optional Community Engagement module in year 2 allows you to incorporate volunteering in your degree programme. It involves 30 to 50 hours of work with a not-for-profit or community organisation that reflects your academic interests and career aspirations.

Previous students have had volunteering roles including:

activity volunteer for CCHF All About Kids
centre volunteer for the Centre for Ecotherapy
communication supporter for Connect
listening and support volunteer for the Samaritans
support volunteer for the MS Society
volunteer for Fresh Start
volunteer befriender for the Alzheimer's Society.

Cupp is an award-winning project that aims to tackle disadvantage and promote sustainable development through partnership with local organisations

Staff profile

Stephanie Fleischer Course leader

"I am a great believer in bridging the gaps between subjects, and in the social sciences we refer to various disciplines, theories and perspectives which highlight the complexity of social issues.

"I have been teaching research methods for many years, which are a central part of the social science degree: findings not only provide answers to phenomena in society but also raise new questions about the world we live in."

Careers and employability

A variety of careers are open to social science graduates, depending on which areas they specialise in. Potential areas of work include educational psychology, health psychology, occupational psychology, social work, local government and management.

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 13,920 GBP

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18. Tuition fees are payable for each year that you study with us.

Where UK/EU students are subject to regulated fees, the annual fee increase cannot exceed the UK government’s maximum regulated tuition fee limit set for the relevant year. For all other students, ie those not subject to regulated fees, tuition fees are subject to a maximum annual increase of the higher of 5% or RPI.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Forward-thinking and welcoming, the city of Brighton & Hove is a community of creative and diverse people who share values like sustainability and inclusivity – just like its university.

Miles of pebble beaches, hundreds of bars, restaurants and clubs, a packed calendar of culture, music and sport and great independent and high street shopping attract visitors from all over the world. By the end of your course you’ll still be finding new things to enjoy about the city.

The Brighton Festival, England’s largest arts festival, takes place every May – as does the Great Escape Europe’s leading industry showcase for new music, 300 bands perform over three days at venues across the city. Major events celebrate Pride, digital culture, cinema, photography, food and the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate show is a highlight, turning the university into the largest exhibition space in the south east as we celebrate the outstanding creativity of our students.

As a student here you’ll have a unique opportunity to experience what the city has to offer. Volunteering and placement opportunities enable you to play your part in the events, organisations and communities that make Brighton such a compelling place to be.

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Surrounded by the South Downs National Park and just five miles from the centre of Brighton, our Falmer campus has benefited from over £60million of investment over the past 10 years. 7,000 students are based here, studying subjects including English, education, social science, nursing and medicine.

Recent developments include the Falmer Sports Centre – with its fitness suites and sports hall – and the innovative Checkland Building, which has natural ventilation systems and an insulating green roof.

Falmer has also recently installed more than 600 solar panels, which reduce the campus’s carbon emissions by more than 80 tonnes. The renovation has made us one of the top universities in the UK for on-site renewable energy production.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Grand Parade is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance.
Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus.
Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence.
Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field.
Varley Park and Falmer are around four miles from Brighton centre; there are good public transport services nearby.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

Find out more on our Brighton accommodation webpages and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field

Moulsecoomb Place

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Falmer campus and Brighton and Sussex Medical School map

Unistats

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats is an organisation that collects specific data about university courses in the UK which enables you to compare information that is important in your decision-making when choosing a university. All universities publish Unistats data on their online course pages.

Wherever we can we have provided extra information here to help put the data into context so that it is as useful as possible when you are making decisions.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the official university document for each course. They are updated each year, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification

Find out more

Social science and politics news

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Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

Visit the School of Applied Social Science blog.

Student views

Rozelin Yilmaz

"My favourite aspect must be the multifaceted nature of the course. Studying social science here resembles choosing your own toppings for a pizza instead of choosing from the menu. In this case, it is possible to create your own way of studying social science, by giving weight to the modules of your choice.

"Teaching and administrative staff have been really influential on finding my true potential. I believe it is because the support and encouragement I've been given always felt genuine. I feel genuinely supported and encouraged all the time, for issues of any kind and scope, and more importantly I know the efforts of the staff are solely for my own future.

"I would recommend the University of Brighton as a place to study social science. Strengths of the course and of the teaching staff are coming from the university's genuinely harboured libertarian student and student benefits-focused values. With this mentality, you don't only learn what has been out there, but you also create your answers by analysing those critically."

Kamala Sandrapragas-Bryant

"As someone who was never sure which route they wanted to go down, I thought this course was perfect.

"When I began university I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to specialise in, so social science was a really good option as it gave me the opportunity to pick and choose different modules across the degrees in the School of Applied Social Science, tailoring the degree to my interests. Throughout the years I began to realise which disciplines were my favourite and that I could focus more on those. It made me feel more confident in my choices as I had tried and tested them all.

"There have been some really inspirational lectures and teaching sessions. Towards the end of second year and in third years, there were more intimate classes, and positive encouraging lecturers that helped us to nurture our ideas and confidence.

"As I have always been interested in people, society, individuals, this course really enabled me to explore all these aspects. I am confident that when I leave university I can impress future employers with the diverse, tangible skills and perspectives this course has allowed me to develop. It means that I am not just a one trick pony."

Robin Corker

"I loved the course; I can unashamedly say it has changed my life and future for the better. There were many positive aspects, including some exceptional teaching, inspiring modules, wonderful administrative support and tutor guidance.

"Now that I have completed my degree with first class honours, I am going to do the Masters in Public Administration at the University of Brighton. Having spoken to my forthcoming masters tutor, I am also beginning to plan my future PhD application to ultimately become a lecturer in social policy."

Sam Mallender

Sam took the Community Engagement module in year 2 and speaks below about her experience.

“My placement was in a private household working with a four-year-old autistic girl. She was non-verbal and I ran one-to-one sessions with her, encouraging her to talk.

“I went to her parents’ house for two hours a week between October and May, which added up to the 50 hours required to complete the module. It was fantastic to see the progress she made from being completely non-verbal to acknowledging me by the time we finished. I had not done anything like that before. I really loved it and have learnt a lot from the experience.

“I’m still in contact with the family. I had been thinking of entering teaching when I complete my degree but because of the experience on my placement I am now considering specialising in special needs teaching.”

Virginia Silberberg

"The best part of the course is that it covers such a wide range of subjects. I especially enjoyed the applied psychology module I completed last term, which demonstrated how psychological theory is implemented in everyday life.

"I also liked doing my research project earlier this year. We had the freedom to choose which area we wanted to look at, and I chose to focus on body image. I know it sounds geeky but I really did enjoy reading lots of journals and strengthening my knowledge in that area."