Sociology

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class honours degree in Sociology or other relevant subject.

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

Months of entry

January, September

Course content

Overview

Sociology helps us understand how society works, connecting the dots between individual lives and the structures they live in.

Studying a Master's in Sociology can completely change the way you view the world around you, developing you as a skilled researcher, excellent critical thinker, robust theorist and agent for change.

On this MSc Sociology degree, you'll explore all aspects of social life, because it all matters. You'll cover topics such as identity, intimacy, wellbeing, popular culture, consumption, colonialism, global inequalities, social media, feminism, racism and sustainability.

You don't need to have studied sociology before, but we hope you'll have a passion for understanding social issues and a desire to make a difference. You'll use qualitative and quantitative research methods to generate reliable data and insights, and ultimately deepen your knowledge on these issues.

Once you graduate, you'll have skills and awareness to succeed further in a huge range of careers, such as social research, policy making, law, social work, charity or community work, marketing, advertising, teaching or human resource management.

Course highlights

Study with a Sociology team whose research has helped make us the top modern UK university for research quality and research power in Area Studies - Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Discover how to use data and research to explore social issues and widely-held societal beliefs, across topics such as poverty, gender and the climate crisis

Learn from active sociological researchers, in areas including trans and non-binary inclusion at work (included in guidance from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), and the sociology of migration (resulting in free legal advice and casework on complex immigration applications)

Develop sustainable and durable critical thinking and problem-solving skills you can apply in your career

Have the opportunity to take part in short placements supporting staff research activity, such as in immigration advice and migrant homelessness

Become ready to take the next steps in your career with a deep understanding of the structural basis of inequality in contemporary society and gain insight into how to address some of our more pressing social injustices.

Careers this Master's prepares you for

In an increasingly polarised world, studying sociology empowers us with the knowledge and evidence to confront challenges in contemporary society.

Sociology is a subject with huge social and economic value. It can improve public policy by providing evidence on trends and public opinions, helping governments, charities and businesses make informed decisions. It can enable charities to serve their communities more effectively by researching their needs. It can help businesses to enhance their operations through analysing consumer beliefs, tastes and decision making.

Sociologists themselves occupy vital occupations within educational institutions, social services, business and non-profit organisations.

While a sociology degree might not necessarily lead you automatically into a specific field of work, it equips you with a wide variety of skills that are easily transferable to a number of different sectors. Rather than closing down options, this degree opens them up.

Our Sociology team has developed resources and expertise to support your career. So, our guidance doesn't focus just on academic work, but also on your holistic professional development.

Graduates of this course can go on to have a positive impact on society in ways such as:

• informing fairer teaching or admissions policies in education
• pioneering hiring initiatives to dismantle bias in recruitment and HR
• providing insights into wellbeing, welfare and safety online
• supporting community organisations to obtain funding for local initiatives by writing research proposals

Graduates of this course can go on to work in areas such as:

• policy development
• social research
• youth work
• community development
• local government
• marketing or advertising
• market research
• charities and fundraising
• diversity and inclusion
• human resources

Career planning

During your course you'll have expert career support from your tutors and from our Careers and Employability Centre, which you can access for 5 years after you graduate.

• Networking events
• 1-to-1 appointments
• CV and cover letter advice
• Interview preparation and practice
• Workshops to enhance your employability skills
• Recruitment events including the Student and Graduate Opportunities Fair
• Support starting your own business