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Swansea University

UCAS Code: MLGA | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,B,B-B,B,B

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Grade C or 4 in Mathematics and English or Welsh (first language) is required.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

International students must achieve 4 at Higher Level English Language and/or Literature, or 5 at Standard Level English Language and/or Literature.

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

H3,H3,H3,H3,H3,H3

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

DDM

UCAS Tariff

120-128

Swansea University accepts the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time including placement abroad | 2025

Subjects

Sociology

Criminology

Our integrated Criminology and Sociology degree brings together two exciting and complementary social science disciplines. You will study the development of Sociological and Criminological perspectives and learn why these matter so much in contemporary society. Alongside this, you will gain an in-depth knowledge of crucial social and crime-related matters, such as substance use, housing and poverty.

Throughout your studies, you will develop a range of transferable skills which are relevant to future employment, both in social science-related professions, as well as far broader.

Based at the School of Social Sciences, you will benefit from being part of a lively and diverse environment.

Criminology at Swansea is ranked:
- Top 15 in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2024)

- 10th in the UK for Career Prospects (Guardian University Guide 2024)

- Top 20 in the UK Overall (Guardian University Guide 2024)

- 92% of graduates in work &/or study 15 months after leaving Swansea University (HESA 2023)

Sociology at Swansea is ranked:
- Top 5 in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2024)

You will spend a year abroad between your second and final year, broadening your skills and experience. Our partner institutions span the globe, with opportunities varying each year. If you wish to receive more information, please get in touch with us on [email protected]

Modules

Your first year of study is made up of compulsory modules covering a range of themes. Compulsory modules are studied by all students on the programme, meaning you are automatically enrolled. Examples of compulsory modules include:

• Individuals and Society
• An Introduction to the Criminal Justice System
• The Sociological and Criminological Imagination

In your second year you will study a mixture of compulsory and optional modules, with your third year comprising entirely optional modules from an expansive range of subject areas. Examples of optional modules in recent years have included:

• Crime, Drugs and Alcohol
• Poverty and Social Justice
• Philosophy, Mental Health and Illness
• An Introduction to Policing in England and Wales
• Understanding Terrorism & Violent Extremism

Your final year will include an optional independent dissertation project.

For the full programme structure and module breakdown, please visit our webpage at: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/social-sciences/criminology-sociology-social-policy/bsc-criminology-sociology/

Assessment methods

We offer a variety of assessment methods within our programmes. In addition to traditional examinations and essays, examples of alternative assessment include:

• Blog and poster writing
• Creating a vlog
• Personal reflections

Throughout your undergraduate Criminology and Sociology degree, you will develop excellent research and analytical skills and learn to present your ideas effectively both verbally and in writing.

For full breakdown of course structure and assessment please visit our course page: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/social-sciences/criminology-sociology-social-policy/bsc-criminology-sociology/ or get in touch with us at [email protected]

The Uni

Course location:

Singleton Park Campus

Department:

College of Arts and Humanities

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.

89%
Sociology
89%
Criminology

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

83%
Staff make the subject interesting
91%
Staff are good at explaining things
88%
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

74%
Library resources
86%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
66%
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?

92%
UK students
8%
International students
26%
Male students
74%
Female students
76%
2:1 or above
14%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
D
C

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
100%
high
Employed or in further education
33%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

19%
Protective service occupations
13%
Business, research and administrative professionals
13%
Other administrative occupations

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.

£17k

£17k

£20k

£20k

£27k

£27k

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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Same University
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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