Sociology

Sociology is the systematic study of human social life, examining how societies are organised, how they change, and how social structures shape the experiences and identities of the people within them. It takes seriously the question of why some people fare better than others, and it investigates the social forces, including class, race, gender, health, and family, that produce and reproduce inequality across the life course. Sociology asks big questions about the nature of modern societies and brings both empirical methods and critical theory to bear on them.

At the University of Plymouth, this three-year full-time degree engages with substantive issues including poverty, social hierarchies, health inequalities, gender and sexuality, family and kinship, postcolonialism, and the relationship between violence, ethnicity, and identity. You will develop an understanding of how social inequalities influence lived experience and how they are reproduced through cultural and institutional processes. The programme develops both qualitative and quantitative research skills alongside critical thinking and written communication.

A sandwich year, year abroad, and work placement opportunities are built in, giving you substantial professional and international experience alongside your studies. The typical entry tariff is 104 points.

Sociology graduates are valued across a broad range of careers. Many enter social research, policy analysis, public health, community development, education, social care, the voluntary sector, and journalism. The analytical and communication skills the degree develops are highly transferable, and employers in the civil service, third sector, health organisations, local government, and commercial research firms regularly recruit from sociology programmes.

Postgraduate study in sociology, social policy, social work, public health, or criminology is a natural continuation.