Sociology BA
3 years
Sociology is the study of humans in society. It sounds broad because it is, but it will take you into the most fascinating areas of social existence, all around the globe and across every aspect of modern life.
Course information
Typical offer BBB
UK fee £9,250
UCAS code L300
International fee £19,700
Institute code L34
Taught by Sociology
Top 25 in the UK for sociology (Complete University Guide 2025)
Course description
Course description
There is no better city than Leicester to explore fundamental sociological concepts such as ethnicity, migration and social class. With a range of vibrant and diverse communities including Narborough Road, “the most diverse street in Britain”, Leicester offers the perfect environment to develop your sociological skillset via observation, participation and guided reflection.
Our BA Sociology course employs a cutting-edge, creative practice-based approach, which is highly innovative and distinctive to sociology at Leicester. Emphasising experiential learning, we utilise the most up to date pedagogic tools and techniques, to create inclusive and inspiring learning environments for all. Alongside this, the course will provide you with a thorough grounding in research methods, theory and a variety of substantive topics. Throughout your degree you’ll be getting to grips with topical issues in contemporary society – based on areas where our academics are conducting cutting-edge research. You will develop a range of transferable skills as well as more traditional academic competencies.
We provide many opportunities for you to enhance your degree. Under expert and supportive supervision, you can conduct a sociological research project on a topic of your choice. You will collect data in the field, analyse it and ‘write up’ the findings. You might opt for a more traditional dissertation, or you might choose to explore novel and highly effective ways of disseminating your research, through film or comics, for example.
You can also choose to study abroad; a great way of broadening your horizons and experiencing a different academic climate.
Our degree programme is informed by our world leading research. We were one of the first Sociology Departments to be established in the UK, and we now have an international reputation, a wealth of experience in teaching and an enviable research pedigree. Leicester Sociology ranked 1st in the UK in our most recent Research Excellence Framework. Particular areas of expertise in sociology at Leicester include:
- Race, sport and deviance
- Children, childhood and young adulthood
- Migration and citizenship
- Activism and social change
- Environmental sustainability
- Illness and risk
- Transitions, and the life course
- Happiness, mental health and well-being
- Higher education and learning experiences
- Autobiography, family and communities
- Substance use/misuse, micro dosing and addiction
Flexibility underpins our degree structure, which means that you will get to shape your degree to suit your own interests and career aspirations. Whichever direction you choose, you will be taught by enthusiastic scholars who are keen to share their expertise with you.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
- A/AS-levels: BBB. All subjects accepted. Two AS-levels considered in place of one A-level.
- EPQ with A-levels: BBC + EPQ at grade B.
- GCSE: English at Grade 4/C
- Access to HE Diploma: Pass Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3, including 24 credits at Distinction.
- International Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 28 points overall. Including grade 4 in English A or 5 in English B if not held at GCSE.
- BTEC Nationals: Pass Diploma with DDM.
Other official national and international qualifications considered from across the world. You can review some of the qualifications we accept on our countries page and English Language equivalencies.
If your qualification or country is not listed, please contact us for more information, including the name and result of the qualification you have studied.
Second Year Entry may be possible with suitable qualifications.
Contextual offers
The University of Leicester is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all applicants from all backgrounds. We make contextual offers to support students who may be impacted by the area they live in, their personal circumstances or who have completed one of our progression programmes. These offers are usually one or two grades lower than the standard entry requirements. To qualify for a contextual offer, you must apply for an eligible course and meet specific criteria – check if you’re eligible.
Selection Process
When considering your application, we will look for evidence that you will be able to fulfil the objectives of the course and achieve the standards required. We will take into account a range of factors including previous exam results.
Applicants are not normally interviewed. If you receive an offer you will be invited to visit the University.
English Language Requirements
IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. If you do not yet meet our requirements, our English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) offers a range of courses to help you to improve your English to the necessary standard.
International Qualifications
Find your country in this list to check equivalent qualifications, scholarships and additional requirements.
Countries ListFees and funding
Fees and funding
UK Students
Starting in 2024
- £9,250 in your first year. Tuition fees are subject to government regulations and may change in future years
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
International Students
Starting in 2024
- £19,700 per year
If you are resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.
From 2022 onwards, EU nationals will pay the International fee. If you are an EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme, you may qualify for the UK fee (subject to criteria).
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
Careers and employability
Careers and employability
Employability is embedded in our curriculum from our very first year, with ‘Sociology in Practice’, helping you begin to apply your sociological knowledge in new and different ways. In your second year, you have the opportunity to apply your learning in real world settings through ‘Live Sociology’. We also run specific employability modules, including 'Bringing Sociology to Work', which aims to prepare you for life after University - taking you through all stages of the employment process, from developing skills, to applying for roles. You will complete research modules each year which incrementally build this important skillset.
In your final year, you have complete ownership in delivering your own research project in ‘Real World Research’ – from creation to dissemination, with a great opportunity to showcase the development of your research skills and spend time on a topic you are passionate about.
We aim to provide you with a range of transferable skills that will give you a head-start in today’s competitive job market. Your capacity for imaginative, rigorous and critical thinking will be developed throughout the degree. Subject specific skills, such as knowledge about social processes, will be complimented by the type of transferable skills that are highly valued by employers in the graduate job market, including:
- Data analysis
- Information management
- Leadership
- Project management
- Intellectual confidence
- Creative and effective communication
The Career Development Service and Sociology work together to ensure you improve your employability, as well as recognising the skills you have acquired throughout your degree. You will regularly discuss career preferences with your personal tutors at each level of study, building up a profile of your optimum career pathways. You can use your own work experience as a focus for your third year research project, providing a more reflexive approach to thinking about future careers.
Our graduates go on to work in a variety of job roles*, including:
- Communications Director
- Compliance Manager
- Group Operations Director
- Head of Learning and Development
- Housing Director
- Learning Disabilities Teacher
*Alumni Centenary Census, 2022*
Get career-ready at Leicester with guidance from our award-winning Careers and Employability Service. We're here to give you a lifetime offer of support, even after graduation. Our team of specialist careers advisers and mentors will help you every step of the way. From supporting you with CVs and interviews, to volunteering opportunities and placements, we're here to help you reach your professional goals.
Related courses
Related courses
Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals
We are committed to providing skills and knowledge to help prepare you tackle global challenges. We have mapped our undergraduate degrees for learning which aligns to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This degree includes learning which relates to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
- Goal 5: Gender equality
- Goal 10: Reduced inequalities
Course structure
Year 1
Year 1
In your first year you will gain a solid foundation in the principles of sociology through six core modules covering a mixture of theoretical ideas and substantive topics.
Modules
- Sociology in Practice
- Power, Privilege and Diversity
- Race, Ethnicity and Racisms in Britain
- Society in Transformation
- Interpreting Key Texts
- Ways of Researching
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Year 2
Year 2
You will gain more freedom to shape your degree and follow your interests and career objectives in your second year, when you can choose three option modules to make your learning experience more individual.
Core modules
- Bringing Sociology to Work
- Doing Qualitative Research
- Using Numbers in Social Research
- Sociological Theory Explored
Option modules
Choose one option module from:
Then choose one option module from:
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Year 3
Year 3
In your final year you will carry out a supervised main piece of work, conducting research in an area of your choice.
Core modules
Option modules
Choose two option modules from:
Then choose two option modules from:
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Why Leicester?
Our academic staff have written or edited dozens of books and publish regularly in major national and international journals. Where other people only get to read what our experts think, you will be working directly with them, learning from them in lectures and questioning them in seminars.
The annual Neustadt Series of sociology lectures is a chance to hear from major names talking about contemporary issues in Sociology. The annual Scarman Series of criminology lectures is a chance to hear from major names in law, policing and politics. Previous speakers have included Keir Starmer, Shami Chakrabarti and David Lammy.
Our teaching goes beyond traditional methods to emphasise active engagement and practical application. You’ll take part in a variety of hands-on activities such as creating media and real-world field trips.
The 'Live Sociology' module specifically encourages critical reflection on local communities and institutions, preparing you to apply your knowledge beyond your degree.
Teaching and learning
You will take three modules in each semester. The modules you take are taught using a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars and tutorials. Lectures provide you with the foundational knowledge needed to study the subject area, while the workshops give you the opportunity to discuss key ideas with your peers and your workshop leader. Seminars are an opportunity for smaller/deeper group discussions on topics and reading relating to the module. Tutorials in our first year offer support with skills development.
Leicester Sociology applies a creative practice based approach to teaching and learning. Focusing on experiential learning and the most up to date pedagogic insight and techniques, in all of our teaching sessions you will be active agents in your learning journey. You will take part in a range of activities and tasks that will help deepen your knowledge and confidence in how to apply sociology in creative ways, with convincing arguments and evidence. You will also have the opportunity to participate in fieldtrips.
In addition to this you will be given a personal tutor who can provide one-to-one support on a range of academic and personal issues, a weekly ‘drop-in’ help-desk to ask any questions supported by teaching staff, and all the teaching staff in the School have regular ‘office hours’ sessions where you are able to discuss any problems you may have.
Assessment of each module normally takes place at the end of each semester. Our assessment strategy allows you to develop a range of academic and transferable skills throughout your degree. You will be assessed in a wide range of ways, depending on the modules you choose. Our assessments include field work diaries, blogs, mindmaps, photovoice, short films, creative adverts, policy analysis, skills logs, portfolios, essays, reflective reports, presentations and exams. You will have the opportunity to produce creative and authentic, real-world forms of assessment.
During the remainder of your study time you are able to access our excellent learning resources provided by the Library and Sociology at Leicester. As well as traditional written material, a selection of multimedia resources will enrich your learning experience.
Independent learning
When not attending lectures, seminars or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. To help with your independent learning, you can use our student study spaces in the School, access the Library and our social study spaces in halls of residence.
Academic support
Our Centre for Academic Achievement provides help in the following areas:
- study and exam skills
- academic writing
- presentations
- dissertations
- numerical data skills
- referencing sources
Our AccessAbility Centre offers support and practical help for students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, including physical, mental health or mobility difficulties, deafness, or visual impairment.
Teaching staff
You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. PhD research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Our teaching is informed by the research we do. You can learn more about our staff by visiting our staff profiles.
Apply now
| Course | Qualification | Duration | UCAS Code | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course Sociology | Qualification BA | Duration 3 years full-time | UCAS Code L300 | Availability How to apply |
Data about this course
In lectures and seminars we are encouraged to share our views and opinions. Being able to shape our own learning is truly amazing.