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Psychology and Sociology

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,D

English required and Maths preferred at GCSE grade C or 4.

Various Access courses are considered, such as: Access to Community, Education & Humanities Access to University Study Access to Arts, Social Sciences & Primary Teaching Access to Languages, Arts and Social Sciences Access to Languages with Business Access to Humanities/Primary Education Access to Degree Studies Access to Arts & Social Science Access to Humanities Access to Social Sciences Access to Teaching

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

English required and Maths preferred at Standard level

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

H3,H3,H3,H3

English required and Maths preferred at Ordinary level O4 or Higher level H5.

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

MMM

Suitable subject areas include Humanities or Social Science).

Scottish HNC

Pass

HNC Social Science HNC Social Services HNC in Child Care (Early Education & Child Care) Pass at grade C in the graded unit

Scottish HND

Pass

Preferably HND Social Sciences or HND Social Services with CB in the graded units

Scottish Higher

B,B,C,C

English required and Maths preferred at National 5 grade C.

UCAS Tariff

88-96

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

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Psychology

Sociology

Who are we, and how do we shape our world? On this course you will explore the nature of the individual and society. You will learn the critical thinking skills that discerning employers are looking for in a variety of fields including business, health, media, education, social care and management.

Why QMU?
- We offer a stimulating environment in which students can develop the intellectual and professional edge needed for working with 21st century society, and in which our staff work on outward-facing, innovative and cross-disciplinary research.

- Our course is student-focused and research-informed. It offers students the opportunity to work closely with staff on current, real-world projects and collaborations.

- Our class sizes are smaller compared with some universities, so you have closer and more personal support and guidance from our staff.

- We came top amongst UK universities for 'overall student satisfaction in social sciences' in the National Student Survey 2021.

- Through the unique integration of sociology and psychology teaching through combined ‘hybrid’ modules, we have developed a highly innovative and unique joint degree which is aligned to QMU’s strategic goal to provide distinctive, accessible and high quality education.

On this course you will:
- Learn to use social scientific methods and evidence to make sense of human behaviour.

- Learn how to think and write critically, giving you skills that can be valuable in many fields.

- Have opportunities to go into communities and apply your skills and knowledge in a real-world context and reflect upon the ways that psychological and sociological knowledge can effect real change in people’s everyday lives.

Are you fascinated by human nature, by who we are and how we interact? Do you want to understand what impacts the shape of society around us and how it could be changed for the better? Then you will enjoy our joint course in psychology and sociology as it provides a challenging and stimulating environment for exploring these questions around the individual and society.

Studying psychology and sociology will allow you to explore a large and fascinating world, the fundamental nature of human beings and how that nature shapes our social environment. You will engage with debates about the practical, theoretical and ethical issues associated with the use of different methodologies, paradigms and methods of analysis applied in each of the disciplines, and their relevance and value for different communities and publics.

Modules

Year One

Introduction to Psychology 1
Foundations of Psychology: Core Concepts and Practices
Introduction to Academia
The Sociological Imagination 1 – Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theories and Concepts
Introduction to Psychology 2
The Sociological Imagination 2 – Diversity, Identity and Wellbeing

Year Two

Current Debates in Sociology
Material Culture
Exploring Research
Self & Identity
Individual Difference, Wellbeing and Ethical
Practice
Biological and Cognitive Psychology

Year Three

Interaction & Social Order
Sociology of Knowledge & Science
Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Sociological and Psychological Approaches to
Social Movements
Research Skills

Year Four

Dissertation (in Psychology, Sociology or both)
two Sociology option modules
two psychology option modules

Sociology option modules:

Sociology of Liberation
European Policy and Politics
Queer Theory, Gender and Sexual Politics
Gender Justice and Violence
Feminist Approaches

Psychology option modules:

Eyewitness Testimony
Evolutionary Psychology
Volunteering and Community Engagement
Psychology of Pain

• The modules listed here are correct at time of posting (Feb 2022) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2023. Please check back here for any updates.

Assessment methods

You will be taught in lectures, seminars, practical workshops and laboratories. Outside these timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning through self-study. Your work will be assessed using a number of techniques, including essay writing, presentations, report writing, critical reflections and examinations.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
International
£8,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Queen Margaret University

Department:

School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management

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.

78%
Psychology
82%
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.

Psychology (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

78%
Staff make the subject interesting
78%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
63%
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

75%
Library resources
86%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
48%
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?

81%
UK students
19%
International students
18%
Male students
82%
Female students
74%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
B

Sociology

Teaching and learning

86%
Staff make the subject interesting
82%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
63%
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

69%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
40%
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?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
22%
Male students
78%
Female students
66%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
B
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.

Psychology (non-specific)

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.

£16,000
low
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
35%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

13%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
13%
Childcare and related personal services
10%
Health professionals

20 years ago, this was a specialist degree for would-be psychologists but now it is the model of a modern, flexible degree subject. One of the UK's fastest-growing subject at degree level, and the second most popular subject overall (it recently overtook business studies), one in 23 of all graduates last year had psychology degrees. As you'd expect with figures like that, jobs in psychology itself are incredibly competitive, so to stand a chance of securing one, you need to get a postgraduate qualification (probably a doctorate in most fields, especially clinical psychology) and some relevant work experience. But even though there are so many psychology graduates — far more than there are jobs in psychology, and over 13,800 in total last year — this degree has a lower unemployment rate than average because its grads are so flexible and well-regarded by business and other industries across the economy. Everywhere there are good jobs in the UK economy, you'll find psychology graduates - and it's hardly surprising as the course helps you gain a mix of good people skills and excellent number and data handling skills. A psychology degree ticks most employers' boxes — but we'd suggest you don't drop your maths modules.

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.

91%
low
Employed or in further education
23%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

18%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
11%
Welfare professionals
8%
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.

Psychology (non-specific)

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

£19k

£19k

£19k

£19k

£25k

£25k

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.

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.

£16k

£16k

£18k

£18k

£26k

£26k

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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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?

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