Social Sciences

Social sciences is one of the broadest and most intellectually varied areas of academic study, bringing together disciplines that share a commitment to understanding human society through systematic inquiry. Sociology examines social structures and inequalities. Psychology investigates mental processes and behaviour.

Economics analyses decision-making and markets. Politics studies power and governance. Anthropology examines culture and human diversity across societies.

Each discipline has its own methods, theories, and questions, and studying them in combination develops a genuinely multidisciplinary capacity to understand the complex realities of social life.

At the Open University you will study this programme part time through distance learning, making it fully accessible regardless of where you live or what other commitments you have. The distance learning format is particularly well suited to social sciences, where much of the learning comes from reading, reflection, and writing rather than from laboratory sessions or specialist equipment, and many students find that engaging with the material while living and working in the social world they are studying adds a layer of richness and motivation to the work. You will engage with core concepts and debates across the social science disciplines, developing your ability to analyse social phenomena, evaluate evidence, and construct arguments.

Research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, are taught throughout the programme.

The skills developed through a social sciences degree, including critical thinking, evidence evaluation, clear writing, and the ability to understand complex social systems, are valued across a remarkably wide range of careers. Graduates work in the civil service, local government, NHS management, social work, education, journalism, business, human resources, research, the voluntary sector, and policy organisations. Many Open University graduates are already working in one of these fields and use the degree to deepen their knowledge and improve their career prospects.

Further study in any of the constituent social science disciplines is also a natural route for those who wish to specialise.