Course summary

Our Social Sciences degree gives you the skills to better understand the world you live in. You study key issues such as class, poverty, inequality, health, crime, and urban change and are encouraged to think of innovative ways to tackle them. The Social Sciences degree at Kent offers an exciting opportunity to understand how society works and how social change happens from different disciplinary perspectives – sociology, psychology, social policy, history, and criminology. You acquire the key methodological tools to undertake social science research and analyse issues such as social class, poverty, health, crime, urban change and identity, understanding them through applying interdisciplinary insights. The programme is flexible and enables you to study what interests you most. You can choose from a wide range of modules without specialising, or focus your studies by following one of our pathways: • Psychology and Criminology • Sociology and Psychology • Sociology and Social Policy • Sociology and Criminology Between Stages 2 and 3, you can choose to spend a year in professional practice as part of your degree. This enables you to develop workplace skills and to build essential contacts and networks. In your second and final years, you further develop your research skills and can then select modules dependent on your interests. Modules are wide-ranging and currently cover areas such as the history of policing, forensic psychology, politics and power and drugs in their cultural context. It is possible to spend a year or a term abroad at one of our partner institutions. You don’t have to make a decision before you enrol at Kent but certain conditions apply to taking the year abroad. It is also possible to take a year in professional practice between your second and final year. You gain work experience in a professional setting and can put the theory you have learnt into practice. It is also gives you the chance to develop networks and contacts in your area of interest. Employers also greatly value, and seek evidence of, relevant work experience when selecting candidates for posts. The School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research is one of the best in the country for teaching and research. Our academics are internationally recognised for their expertise and challenge you to develop your own opinions and ideas, encouraging you to become an independent thinker. We offer high levels of support and our staff are friendly and accessible.