About our BSc (Hons) Sociology Programme

Sociology at the University of Sunderland has a long history and we are fast approaching our 40th anniversary! Over the last two years our programme has undergone a major revalidation, to ensure that our programme is accessible and inclusive, in response to growing demands placed upon students outside of university.

Our programme covers a vast range of sociological issues such as globalisation, social policy, social divisions, stigma and inequality. The BSc Sociology route is ideal if you are seeking a broad understanding of social problems, issues, inequalities, social research and social policy; however we have introduced specialist routes for those who want to focus their studies in a specific area.

BSc (Hons) Sociology: Gender and Inequality.
BSc (Hons) Sociology: Research and Social Policy.
BSc (Hons) Sociology: Research in Practice.

We pride ourselves on our reputation for student support, whether you want to progress to postgraduate study or teaching, or if you have a particular career path you wish to pursue.

About Our Team

We have an awarding winning team!

Dr Shelia Quaid: winner of a National Teaching Fellow Award 2021.
Drew Dalton: winner of the Vice Chancellors Teaching Fellowship 2020-2021
Dr Wendy Podd: winner of the Vice Chancellors Teaching Fellowship 2021-2021

... and we are going places!

100% for Student Satisfaction in the NSS 2020 & 2021!
31st in the Guardian Good University Guide for Sociology, up 69 places 2022.
38th in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, highest increase in rank by 41 places for 2022!

Programme Structure

Given the growing demands upon students outside of university e.g., work, being a carer or child care, we have streamlined our programme so you only have timetabled teaching two days a week. This moves to two and half days at level 5 & 6.

This streamlined approach makes it much easier for you to organise your studies, around existing commitments. That is not to say you cannot come in everyday!

We have adopted a four hour workshop approach to teaching and learning, over 10 week semesters, while increasing face to face contact time.

This approach is proving extremely popular with our students and is unique to our university!

Placement Opportunities

Given the importance of work based experience and the growing demands upon students, we offer two placement opportunities. You can do one at level 5 or 6, or both. This will depend on your existing commitments.

The development of employability skills is something we take very seriously, therefore these are embedded in every module and assessment, at each level of the degree.

There are opportunities to work with staff, like Sociology NORTH, and we have a bespoke Student Development Programme, which is run online at each level of the degree.

Sunderland Futures also provide regular updates to assist students in accessing graduate opportunities.

Types of Assessments

All of our assessments seek to equip you with the skills, knowledge & tools you need for the world of work or for further study.

What our Students Say

Why Sociology?

“The skills you learn in sociology are marketable and having it on your CV shows that you understand the world around you. Sociological theory helps you to become a critical thinker […] and with so much political and ethnic strife at the moment, having an informed sense as to why this is happening will help you engage with many different kinds of people. Take these skills, together with your insights into the workings of society and it is not surprising that more and more employers see a sociology degree as highly desirable”.

For More Information

https://www.britsoc.co.uk/