14Jun
UndergraduateCourse summary
Studying a Sociology and Social Policy degree will equip you with the essential theoretical foundation to understand people's behaviour as social beings, as well as the wider social, cultural, political and economic factors influencing our constantly changing society. The foundation year of this four-year course will introduce you to the key concepts and knowledge you need to progress to the BSc in Sociology and Social Policy. Following successful completion of the Foundation Year, students will progress onto Year 1 of the BSc. The foundation year (level 3) will be delivered by The College, Swansea University (TCSU). Years 2-4 (levels 4-6) will be delivered by the School of Social Sciences. You will explore how society promotes the well-being of its members, examining themes and values such as social justice, equality, fairness, and citizenship, alongside specific policy focal points such as health, education, housing, disability, crime, poverty, and the family. You will learn how to generate new knowledge and information using a variety of qualitative and quantitative social research tools and throughout the course, you will develop excellent communication and presentation skills, together with the ability to analyse and critically evaluate evidence and construct arguments around the complex societal issues that affect us all. WHY SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL POLICY AT SWANSEA? Our Sociology and Social Policy degree programme has an enviable reputation; Social Policy at Swansea is ranked:
- 1st in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
- 1st in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2025)
- 7th in the UK for Student Voice (NSS 2024*)
- 11th in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Complete University Guide 2025)
- Top 20 in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Complete University Guide 2025)
- Top 25 in the UK Overall (Complete University Guide 2025)
Modules
In your Foundation Year, you will typically study areas including: Academic Writing; Critical Thinking; Interactive Learning Skills and Communication; Statistics; Principles of ICT; Applied Critical Thinking; The College Resilience module; Understanding Society; Business and Management; Globalisation; Foundations of Psychology; Welfare across the globe; and Biology. In Year 1, you will typically study areas including: Introducing Social Policy; Individuals and Society; Sociology: The Classics; Economics, Politics and Society; The History of Social Policy; and Sociology: Contemporary Controversies. In Year 2, you will typically study areas including: Social Problems I; Using Evidence for Research, Policy and Practice; Health Policy; Investigating Gender; Devolution, Policy Making and Social Change; Poverty and Social Justice; and Education, Policy and Society. In Year 3, you will typically study areas including Principles of Social Policy; The Family and Children: Ethics and Policy; Society, Science and Technology; Risk in Modern Society; Understanding the sex industry: Theory, policy and practice; Understanding the sex industry: Theory, policy and practice; Illegal Economies; Probation and Community Justice: Policy, Practice and Partnerships; Bodies in Society; and Race and Nation. You will also undertake a dissertation.
Assessment method
We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students. Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching. Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study. This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.
How to apply
29Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- L303
- Institution code:
- S93
- Campus name:
- Singleton Park Campus
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
If you are an International Student, please visit our International pages for more information about entry requirements: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/international/students/requirements/
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - 96 points
A level - CCC
WJEC Level 3 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)
English language requirements
For applicants whose first language is not English we require a minimum overall IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent) and no less than 5.5 in each component.
English Language Requirements at Swansea University
https://www.swansea.ac.uk/admissions/english-language-requirements/
Student Outcomes
Operated by the Office for Students
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
For the latest fee information, please check the individual course page on our website. Our full range of programmes are listed here: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/
Further information on tuition fees can be found here: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-and-funding/tuition-fees/
Provider information
Swansea University
Singleton Park
Swansea
SA2 8PP