BA Sociology

Our BA Sociology (including Foundation Year) could be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entry requirements for a three-year version of our social sciences courses and you want a programme that improves your skills to support your academic performance.

Open to UK and EU applicants, this four-year course includes a Foundation Year (known as Year Zero) which is delivered by our Essex Pathways Department followed by a further three years of study in our Department of Sociology and Criminology.

During Year Zero you will study on our Social Sciences Pathway which will cover topics such as Analysing the Social and Political World, and People and Society. At the end of Year Zero all students who pass the Social Sciences Pathway will have a choice of which course to progress with. As well as BA Sociology students on the Social Sciences Pathway could also study BA Politics or BA Childhood Studies, amongst other courses.

From Year One of BA Sociology you will investigate what connects people with each other, as well as what divides them. You can study topics such as digital media and society, psychiatry and mental illness, sexualities, crime, childhood, and the art, film and personal testimony of war.

We are a large and friendly department, offering a range of diversity of specialisms including:

• Social divisions, inequality, the nature of work and commercial culture
• Culture, identity and subjectivity
• Public policy regarding health, the environment, crime and aging
• Citizenship, multiculturalism and human rights
• Receive training in sociological methods – how to design a survey, conduct an interview, and use quantitative analysis from basic statistic to big data – in order to ask the difficult questions

We are 2nd in UK for research power in sociology (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021) and we’re ranked 73rd globally and top 15 in the UK for sociology in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.

Our expert staff

Our Essex Pathways Department is a gateway to the University of Essex, helping students without standard entry requirements to grow in confidence, unlock their potential, and nurture their ambitions so they can progress in academic study.

With our Department of Sociology and Criminology, our world-leading academics have their fingers on the pulse of modern society; whether it's the battle between Apple and Spotify or the exploitation of female bodybuilders, we embed our innovative and sometimes controversial research into your course.

As well as publishing bestselling books, our academics have appeared in radio and television broadcasts such as Professor Mike Roper on the BBC World Service broadcast, London: The Psychology of War and Professor Pam Cox in the BBC TWO series Shopgirls: The True Story of Life Behind the Counter and Servants: The True Story of Life Below Stairs.

Core staff on this programme include:

• Dr Tara Mahfoud

  Trained in sociology and anthropology, Dr Tara Mahfoud's research explores the cultural, social and political contexts and implications of developments in the neurosciences. She has worked with scientists to develop responsible research and innovation practices, and her research has been used to inform international policy on neurotechnology.

• Professor Michael Halewood

  Professor Michael Halewood works at the intersection of sociology and philosophy. His recent work has looked at language, psychedelics, and aesthetics. More recently, he has focussed on questions of morality and sociality. His current project asks whether Sociology is a Moral Science? In addressing this question, he wants to think about whether Sociology can or should try to influence how people act.

• Dr Maitrayee Deka

  Dr Maitrayee Deka's research focuses on Economic Sociology, Consumer Cultures and Social Theory. Maitrayee looks at alternative systems to global capitalism, stemming from her interest in global bazaar economies and her ethnography in Delhi's Electronic Bazaars. The other strand of Maitrayee's research looks at marginal cultural spaces, specifically young adults' social media use in the Global South.

• Dr Carlos Gigoux

  Dr Carlos Gigoux is the Deputy Director of our Centre for Migration Studies. He participates in the Essex Migrant Agency Forum that brings together organizations that supports Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrants in the East of England. He is a member the Sanctuary University Network and has also advised parliamentary bodies on refugee and asylum policy, most recently the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Specialist facilities

By studying within our Essex Pathways Department for your foundation year, you will have access to all of the facilities that the University of Essex has to offer, as well as those provided by our department to support you:

• We provide computer labs for internet research; classrooms with access to PowerPoint facilities for student presentations; AV facilities for teaching and access to web-based learning materials
• Our new Student Services Hub will support you and provide information for all your needs as a student
• Our social space is stocked with hot magazines and newspapers, and provides an informal setting to meet with your lecturers, tutors and friends

Our Department of Sociology and Criminology also offers excellent on-campus facilities:

• A unique Student Study Centre where you can get help with your studies, access examples of previous students' work, and attend workshops on research skills
• The common room is open all day Monday-Friday, has a hot drinks vending machine, water cooler and microwave as well as a small number of lockers available
• Links with the Institute of Social and Economic Research, which conducts large-scale survey projects and has its own library, and the UK Data Archive, which stores national research data like the British Crime Survey
• Our students' Sociology Society, a forum for the exchange of ideas, arranging talks by visiting speakers, introducing you to various career pathways, and organising debates

Your future

A good sociology course, especially one from a recognised centre of excellence like Essex, can open many doors.

Sociology students are in demand from a wide range of employers in a host of occupations, including local and central government, NGOs, social work, market research, project management, fundraising, auditing, marketing, case-work, youth and community work, voluntary sector management and lobbying.

Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies including:

• The Institute of Public Finance
• Guardian Professional
• United
• Synergy Healthcare Research

We also work with the University's Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Clearing entry requirements

We currently have places available in Clearing across a range of our courses with most offers at BBC-CCD (112 – 88 UCAS tariff points) or equivalent.  We consider each application individually and requirements may be lower for our courses with a foundation year, so please get in touch if your grades are below those outlined here.

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

English language shelf-life

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

Pre-sessional English courses

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Pending English language qualifications

You don’t need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.

If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk.

Additional Notes

If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Teaching

• From year 1, undergraduate students in the Department of Sociology and Criminology typically attend a one-hour lecture and a one-hour class for each module per week. There are some variations in place depending on the module.
• Your teaching mainly takes the form of lectures and classes, the latter involving about 20 students
• Lab sessions to improve technical research skills
• Any language classes involve language laboratory sessions
• Our classes are run in small groups, so you receive a lot of individual attention

Assessment

• Your assessed coursework will generally consist of essays, reports, in-class tests, individual or group oral presentations, and small scale research projects