Social Sciences

Social sciences is the collective term for the disciplines that study human societies, institutions, and behaviour through systematic enquiry, using empirical evidence, theoretical frameworks, and comparative analysis to understand social phenomena. A broad social sciences degree draws on sociology, psychology, economics, political science, and anthropology to provide a genuinely wide-ranging foundation in how human life is organised, how inequalities arise and persist, how political systems function, and how culture shapes identity and experience. It is a degree for people who want to understand the world in a comprehensive and intellectually serious way.

At Edinburgh Napier University, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study social sciences in another country and to engage with different national traditions of social inquiry. You will study the major social science disciplines and their interrelationships, developing skills in research methods, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, theoretical reasoning, and the communication of complex findings to different audiences. Edinburgh provides an exceptional location for the social sciences, with its devolved parliament, its diverse population, and its rich tradition of Enlightenment social thought giving real texture and relevance to the questions you study.

A typical entry tariff of 136 points makes the programme broadly accessible.

Social sciences graduates are valued across many sectors for their ability to understand social phenomena, analyse data, and communicate clearly about complex issues. Careers span the civil service, local government, research organisations, NGOs, the charitable sector, education, journalism, health, and the private sector in roles where social intelligence and analytical rigour are prized. The year abroad strengthens the international dimension of the graduate profile.

Further study at master's level in a specific social science discipline, or in social research, public policy, or social work, is a natural continuation.