Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: See fees section below
International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year) -
How long will I study?
3 / 4 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
L300
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
Where will I study?
Course summary
- Gain an understanding of deviance, order, protest, inequality, identity and religion.
- Take on real-world projects with hospitals, the police, schools, councils, charities, and community associations.
- Develop an expert approach to producing life-changing research in the future.
- Tailor your course to your interests with elective modules, live projects and work placements.
- Gain membership of the Social Research Association (SRA).
Human social behaviour and our society is becoming more diverse and intricate. Join us to delve into the challenges of privilege and disadvantage, investigate ethnicity, class, sexuality, age, disability, gender, and religion, and explore social movements for equality in a global context.
By studying Sociology at Sheffield Hallam University you will learn, you will become independent, and you will build a career that affects the world around you.
Employability
90% of our graduates are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating (2021/22 Graduate Outcomes Survey).
Teaching quality
Your lecturer’s view
Watch course leader Ian Woolsey talk about the BA Sociology course at Sheffield Hallam University.
Student View
Watch student Evelyn Boakye talk about what it’s like to study on this course.
How you learn
At Sheffield Hallam, all our courses are designed to engage you with the world and challenge you to think in new ways. You’ll get to collaborate with others, and you’ll be taught in a supportive environment where you can thrive.
Our staff are experts in their fields – bringing their research-based knowledge to all the teaching and learning activities on the course. With their support you’ll develop confidence, champion diversity and make a difference in communities – all in a safe, green and affordable city. You’ll challenge your understanding of the social world through lectures, seminars, workshops,and tutorials.
You’ll also discover new knowledge and ideas through a variety of field trips, events and guest speakers arranged throughout the year. You’ll develop your skills by working with others in small groups, as well as by creating your own independent learning style.
You learn through:
- Workshops
- Tutorials
- Field trips
- Events
- Guest speakers
- Group learning
Key Themes
From day one, you’ll learn how to research, gain independence, benefit from invaluable work placements, and become a confident, competent professional. You’ll explore core sociological knowledge and skills before progressing onto specialised interests and employability skills – working on live projects and putting your skills to the test in real-world situations.
You will develop your knowledge and skills in a range of modules on topics such as Education, Health and Disability, Drugs, Crime and Society, and Gender, Sexuality, and Culture.
Course Support
Community is a huge part of this course – both in and out of the classroom. You’re part of a large, safe academic community that helps you thrive. You’ll help to champion diversity in an accepting environment, with societies, charities and other extracurricular activities to help you along the way.
You will be supported in your learning journey towards highly-skilled, graduate-level employment through:
- Access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development.
- Access to our Skills Centre with one-to-one, webinars, and online resources.
- Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opportunities.
Course leaders and tutors
Ian Woolsey
Senior Lecturer In SociologyFormer Faculty Research Fellow: College of Social Sciences and Arts. Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Applied learning
On this industry-focused course, you’ll learn things you can apply to the real world. For example, previously our students have undertaken research with various charities. They have also worked collaboratively online with students from the University of Dallas. There are always opportunities outside of the classroom – we’ve even recently seen a level 4 student deliver a speech to the United Nations.
Live Projects
You’ll undertake live projects as part of your degree, getting a taste of how to use the skills you learn on the course in the real world. For example, working on a project brief for a local charity – undertaking desk-based research, helping them while also forming the basis for your assessment.
You’ll further boost your CV by undertaking more demanding commissioned projects – working in a team to meet the needs of local organisations. These could include research and development departments, charities, human resources, community-based support, businesses and service providers.
Field Trips
During the course, you can take a field trip at no additional cost. In recent years these have included a visit to Liverpool, Edinburgh, Dublin and Belfast. You get to immerse yourself in places and contexts of sociological importance and interest. For example, previously students have visited the Slavery museum in Liverpool/the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh.
There are also additional away days and conferences to help build more external knowledge.
Work Placements
In the second year, many students opt to go on an eight-week work placement. This gives you real-world experience to prepare you for your future career. Previous students have worked on projects under the direction of a supervisor in workplaces such as hospitals, police service, schools, council departments and community associations.
Alternatively, you can study abroad for 12 weeks at a university in Europe, Australia, USA or Canada. This is a brilliant chance to learn about different cultures and learning styles and travel to new places and meet new people.
Networking Opportunities
As a Sociology student, you’ll be enrolled as a member of the Social Research Association (SRA) – funded by the university. The SRA is a membership organisation for social researchers working on poverty, health, crime and other social issues you’ll encounter on your course. You’re able to access extensive networks that can support your studies and career development – with amazing networking and research opportunities during your studies and beyond. It also provides access to a wealth of past and present research for you to refer to.
The Sociology society is also a great chance to meet with your fellow students. You can network and socialise with students from your course or different courses – anyone who shares an interest in social issues and the development of society.
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
Future careers
The skills you’ll develop during this flexible degree will enable you to successfully transition into a much more comprehensive range of potential career paths.
This course prepares you for a career in:
- Health and related areas
- Education
- Police, prison, and probation
- Local and national government
- Drug and alcohol services
- Social and policy research
- Human resources
- Civil service
- Trade unionism
- Business management
- Victim support work
- International consultancy
- Journalism
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
The university is investing £250 million in new facilities over the next five years. This means students have access to new, innovative, and flexible spaces to study and relax in, making their student experience even better.
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 112 -120
This must include at least 64 points from two A levels, or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- BBC-BBB at A Level.
- DDM in BTEC Extended Diploma.
- Merit overall from a T Level Qualification
- A combination of qualifications, which may include AS Levels, EPQ and general studies.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language at grade C or 4 or equivalent
- Mathematics at grade C or 4 or equivalent
• Access - at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits from level 2 from a relevant Open College Network accredited course.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent
We consider other qualifications from the UCAS tariff. Applicants with alternative qualifications or a combination of qualifications and work experience are also considered. We welcome applications from people of any age. Please contact us for further advice.
Meeting the qualifications on the entry criteria does not guarantee you a place. You should ensure that you submit a personal statement and reference as these are considered as part of the selection process. Guidelines on personal statements and references can be found on the UCAS website.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Deviance, Order And Protest
Researching Society
Sociology – The Big Issues
The Sociological Imagination
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Applied Research Methods
Inequality, Identity And Intersectionality
Theorising Modernities
Elective modules
Sociology – Real-World Application
Study Abroad - Social Sciences
Work Placement (Politics And Sociology)
Year 3
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Compulsory modules
Drugs, Crime And Society
Education, Health And Disability
Gender, Sexuality, And Culture
Sociology Dissertation
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fees for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2025/26 are regulated by the UK government and are yet to be confirmed. For an indication, our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences (PDF, 141.3KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
Student success story
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
