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Sociology

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,B

Specific subjects excluded for entry: Critical Thinking and General Studies.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

We require 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 (or equivalent). Applicants may be required to meet additional subject-specific requirements for particular courses at Durham.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

D3,D3,M2

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

36

With 665 in higher level subjects.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H2,H3

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DDD

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A,B

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,B,B

Departments will normally make offers based on Advanced Highers. In the absence of 3 Advanced Highers, where these are not offered by the applicant’s school, offers comprising of Advanced Highers and Highers or a number of Highers may be made on a case by case basis.

At Durham we welcome applications from students of outstanding achievement and potential from all educational backgrounds.  We will consider applicants studying T level qualifications for entry to many of our courses. Where a course requires subject specific knowledge and this is not covered within the T level being studied, you may need to supplement your T level studies with a suitable qualification to meet this requirement, for example at A level.  Where this is needed this will be clearly stated in our entry requirements. Detailed entry requirements can be found on individual course entries on our courses database. https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/courses/l300/#entry-requirements-1237449

UCAS Tariff

136-160

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Sociology

Sociology aims to understand the relationships between individual people and the wider cultural and institutional contexts within which they live. It is concerned with the nature of what we refer to as "society", how it shapes the way in which we live and, in turn, how it is shaped by our individual and collective action.

As a student of Sociology, you will join a dynamic learning and research community, which includes internationally recognised experts actively involved in collaborative projects focused on local, national and international issues. We are defined by our curiosity about the issues that impact the world around us and our drive to use our work to bring about positive social change.

Drawing on this expertise, this course explores key social issues that affect our everyday lives including education, employment, health, criminality, race and digital technologies. Alongside these kinds of topics, you will learn about historical and contemporary concepts that define sociological thought and place them within their social and political contexts.

You will also learn how to design and carry out sociological research through research projects carried out in the second and final year of study. We offer the option to undertake a placement with a local community organisation to deploy your knowledge in an applied setting. And we also offer the opportunity to study in conjunction with Durham's local prisons through our renowned Inside Out Prison exchange programme.

Modules

Year 1
Core modules:
Classical Sociological Theory will introduce you to key sociological concepts and ideas that form the basis of a sociological perspective for understanding the world. Starting with classical sociological work from the 19th and early 20th centuries, the module demonstrates how sociological ideas have developed over time through refinement, evaluation and critique.

Social Research Methods examines the concept of social research and practice-based inquiry. You will learn how to produce and analyse different kinds of data and develop some basic practical skills in designing and carrying out social research yourself.

Societies in Transition offers a formative examination of modern societies and aspects of contemporary social life. It provides the tools to reflect upon the dynamic nature of societies, including the bases for social transformation and change.

Critical Scholarship in the Social Sciences supports the transition to university-level study by helping you develop the foundational academic skills that are needed throughout your degree. Through it you will learn key academic conventions and skills, for example: reading and evaluation; writing and argument; presentation and discussion; and so on.

Year 2
Core modules:
Modern and Contemporary Sociological Theory engages with contemporary theoretical perspectives and issues in the field of sociology. In doing so, you will learn to develop evaluations and critiques of sociological thought grounded in both conceptual discussion and empirical observation.

Research Methods in Action supports your development of applied research skills. At the core of the module is a group-based research project you design and carry out on a topic of your choosing. In addition, you will learn a range of methods and techniques for analysing both quantitative (statistics) and qualitative (textual / verbal / visual) data.

Examples of optional modules:
Communities and Social Justice
Contemporary Criminological Theory
Crime, Power and Social Inequalities
Policing and Police
Self, Identity and Society
Sociology of Education
Sociology of Health and Medicine
Violence and Abuse in Society.
Year 3 (Year 4 if undertaking a placement year or year abroad)
In your final year, you will design and carry out an Dissertation project on a topic of your choosing, in the area of Criminology, Sociology or Social Policy. Your final 10,000-word dissertation thesis comprises one third of your final-year mark and is an excellent opportunity to develop expertise in a topic of personal interest or relevance to a future career area.

Examples of optional modules:
Community Placement
Cyberculture and Cybercrime
Drugs and Society
Feminist Anti-Violence Activism: Theory in Action
Globalisation and the Sex Industry
Inside Out: Issues in Criminal Justice
Justice, Violence and Abuse
Race, Racism and Social Justice in Britain
Sociology of Reproduction and Parenthood
The Body as Data: Technology, Power and Human Rights
Youth in Crisis: Young People, Crime and Justice.

Assessment methods

Assessment is largely coursework-based, with work such as essays, reports, portfolios, reflections and presentations accounting for approximately 80% of your final grade. Assessments aim to assess your knowledge and understanding in an authentic manner, as well as helping you develop your skills in critical thinking, analysis and communication.

There are also regular opportunities for practice and feedback, for example: practice essays; essay plans; one-to-one and group tutorials; and so on.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£24,750
per year
International
£24,750
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course locations:

Durham City

College allocation pending

Department:

School of Applied Social Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

84%
Sociology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Sociology

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
94%
Staff are good at explaining things
89%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
80%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

69%
UK students
31%
International students
21%
Male students
79%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Sociology

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
89%
low
Employed or in further education
43%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

16%
Business, research and administrative professionals
15%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
15%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

We have quite a lot of sociology graduates, although numbers fell last year. But graduates still do pretty well. Most sociology graduates go straight into work when they complete their degrees, and a lot of graduates go into jobs in social professions such as recruitment, education, community and youth work, and housing. An important option for a sociology graduate is social work - and we're short of people willing to take this challenging but rewarding career. Sociology is a flexible degree and you can find graduates from the subject in pretty much every reasonable job — obviously, you don't find many doctors or engineers, but you do find them in finance, the media, healthcare, marketing and even IT. Sociology graduates taking further study often branch out into other qualifications, like teaching, law, psychology, HR and even maths, so don’t think a sociology degree restricts you to just one set of options.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Sociology

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£22k

£22k

£27k

£27k

£31k

£31k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Higher entry requirements
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Nearby University
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here