Social Sciences (Politics & Policy/Sociology & Policy/Sociology)
University of the West of Scotland
UCAS Code: L310 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
University of the West of Scotland
UCAS Code: L310 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish HNC
Entry to Year 1 with HNC in one of the following titles: Social Sciences; Social Studies; Social Care/Services; Legal Services; Police Studies; Working with Communities; Applied Science; Childhood Practice Entry to Year 2 with HNC with one of the following titles, with a B in the Graded Unit: Social Sciences; Social Studies
Scottish HND
Entry to Year 1 with HND in Childhood Practice. Entry to Year 2 with HND in Social Sciences or Social Studies Entry to Year 3 with HND in Social Sciences or Social Studies with BB in the Graded Unit.
Scottish Higher
T Level
Pass (C and above)
UCAS Tariff
About this course
OVERVIEW
SOCIAL JUSTICE, POWER AND INEQUALITIES ARE THE CENTRAL THEMES OF THE UWS BA (HONS) IN SOCIAL SCIENCES.
The first two years of this programme equip you with a firm grounding in the essential disciplines of politics, policy and sociology. After this, you can choose to follow one of three specialist pathways:
• Politics and Policy
• Sociology and Policy
• Sociology
Investigating social and political change, you will explore both how we understand society and how we can change it for the better, developing your critical thinking alongside a wide range of research and transferable skills that are highly valued by the public, private and voluntary sectors.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
• You will investigate the driving forces behind and potential solutions to complex local and global challenges in society, using a range of theoretical lenses and research methods.
• Specialist pathways will provide you with the opportunity for in-depth exploration of social issues such as activism, migration, gender, nationalism, and international relations.
• You will develop your understanding and experience of social sciences as a creative problem solver, drawing on cutting-edge research, policy analysis and evaluation.
• You will work with expert academic staff by choosing your own preferred course theme, completing an in-depth independent research project in your Honours year.
CAREERS
Graduates from UWS’s BA (Hons) Social Sciences programme are equipped with highly sought-after skills, entering careers in:
• Politics, such as working as or with elected representatives
• Public services, such as housing and planning
• Policy and academic research
• Health and social care
• Private sector employment
• Teaching in primary and secondary schools
You will be well positioned to undertake further study at Masters level, including UWS programmes such as:
• MSc Applied Social Science
• Master of Public Administration (MPA)
• MSc Policy Analysis and Global Governance
Modules
Year one
Term 1:
You will be introduced to social science disciplines by developing your ‘sociology imagination’ and understandings of the key issues in modern society such as social class, gender identity and gender inequality, masculinity, health and race and ethnicity. You will also be introduced to research and academic skills and competences. Your modules will include:
• ASPIRE
• Introducing Sociology
• Introduction to Social Research
• Making the Modern World
Term 2:
You will learn about the world of social sciences research and will be introduced to the study of politics as well as the critical role of policy in supporting employment, health and education.
Your modules will include:
• ASPIRE
• Introduction to Social Research
• Democracy in the UK
• Development of Social Policy
Year two
Term 1:
In second year, you will deepen your engagement with the key debates in social sciences. Core modules will equip you with knowledge of comparative politics and the classical works of social and political thought. You will also develop your qualitative research skills and knowledge. Your modules will include:
• Foundations of Qualitative Research
• Comparative Politics
• Foundations of Social and Political Thought
Term 2:
The core modules will address questions of global society and will focus on the relationship between social policy and social change. You will further develop your research skills by undertaking foundations to quantitative research. Your modules will include:
• Global Society
• Social Policy and Social Change
• Foundations of Quantitative Research
Year three
Starting from Year 3, you can choose a specialist pathway in: Sociology; Politics and Policy; or Sociology and Policy. In addition, you will develop your research skills and knowledge to hone your research practice ahead of your final year dissertation.
Term 1:
You will be required to choose three modules from the following:
• Data Analysis for Social Science (we strongly advise students to select this module if they are planning to collect empirical data for their dissertation)
• Contemporary Issues and Policy Responses (Policy)
• Gender in Society (Sociology)
• Capitalism Culture and Celebrity (Sociology)
• Scottish Society (Politics and Policy)
• American Politics and Policy (Politics and Policy)
• Work, Welfare and Society (Sociology and Policy)
Term 2:
Designing Your Dissertation Project (core module)
You will be required to choose two modules from the following:
• Ethnicity, Racism and Social Relations (Sociology)
• Art, Culture and Society (Sociology)
• Environmental Damage, Policy and Justice (Policy)
• Democracy and European Political Parties (Politics)
• Contemporary German Politics (Politics)
*Please note that the selection of modules may occasionally change
Year four (Honours)
In your Honours year you will undertake your independent research project (a 40-credit dissertation). You will be supported by staff in using the methods skills that you have developed throughout the course to explore, in depth, the programme theme that has most interested you. In addition, you will increase the range of your specialist knowledge by choosing from a variety of electives.
Term 1:
Social Sciences Dissertation (40 credits; Term 1 and Term 2)
Plus two modules from:
• Social Activism and Social Justice (Sociology and Policy)
• Making Sustainable Cities (Policy)
• Education Politics and Policy (Politics and Policy)
• Participation and Democracy (Politics)
Term 2:
Social Sciences Dissertation (40 credits; Term 1 and Term 2)
Plus two modules from:
• Embodiment of Social Inequality (Sociology)
• British and Irish Political History since WW2 (Sociology and Politics)
• Migration, State and Society (Sociology and Policy)
• Nationalism (Sociology and Politics)
• Parliamentary Studies (Politics)
Assessment methods
The Social Sciences programme offers students a variety of formative and summative assessments, ranging from traditional exams and essays to case studies, group and individual presentations, real life scenarios (e.g. policy briefs, research proposals) or policy analysis and evaluation. These assessments allow you to demonstrate your development of the following: subject knowledge and understanding in politics, policy and sociology; applied knowledge, skills and understanding; generic cognitive skills; communication, ICT and numeracy skills; and autonomy, accountability and skills in working with others.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships
The Uni
Paisley Campus
Lanarkshire Campus
New College Lanarkshire
Education and Social Sciences
What students say
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How do students rate their degree experience?
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After graduation
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Social sciences (non-specific)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
This section covers a range of subjects that are often very different, so if you have a particular course in mind, the data here might not fully reflect the possible outcomes from your particular choice. Graduates from these subjects tend to do similar sorts of things to graduates from other social studies courses, so welfare and community roles are common, as are education, whilst graduates also often go into management, marketing and HR jobs and jobs in the police, and employment rates are good in general — but talk to course tutors and attend open days and try to get stats for the course you’re interested in.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Social sciences (non-specific)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
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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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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?
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