Sociology and Social Policy - BSc (Hons) Degree

This degree can be studied as a three-year full-time degree or a four-year full-time degree that includes a year of foundational study. Our foundation year is intended to prepare you for your subsequent years of studying, offering you the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence.

The foundation year will be relevant to:

1. Students who aspire to enrol onto the first year of a social science-based honours degree programme, who have not achieved the standard entry requirements to enter at year one of the chosen degree.
2. Students who have not studied subjects that provide the necessary background within the scientific disciplines required to enter at year one of the chosen degree.

Find out more about the foundation year.

Please note: You will need to apply ​using a specific UCAS code if you wish to undertake the 4 years including foundation. Please refer to Key Course Information at the bottom of this page.

The Sociology and Social Policy degree is structured around three key sociological themes. Together, these will develop your knowledge to enable you to address complex social issues in a practical, effective, way.

There are three modules aligned to each theme at Level 4, 5 and 6.

Theme 1 – Individuals, Society and Power. Why do societies change? What causes conflict? What is the role of the individual? In the first year you will be introduced to key ideas. In the second year you will explore different approaches, with a focus on ethnicity and race. In the third year you will look at how these different ideas operate within institutions and the workplace.

Theme 2 – Identity, Difference and Inequality. How are identities formed? What is the relationship between difference and inequality? What causes social inequalities and what can we do to address them? In the first year you will be introduced to the key ideas, including poverty and exclusion. In the second year we focus upon gender and sexuality to explore these ideas further and in the third year you will look at employment and social.

Theme 3 – Space, Place and Justice. How does where we live affect our lives? What is sustainability and why is it important? Can we meet everyone’s needs without harming the environment? In the first year you will look at how where we live makes a difference to our lives. In the second year you will look at land and food and how these affect life chances. In the third year you will look at the effect of losing your home and having to leave your community.

What you will study

Modules

All modules are 20 credits, except for the Independent Evidence Based Project which is 40 credits.

Year One (Level 4)

• Introduction to Social Science
• Individuals, Institutions and Society
• Academic and Employability Skills
• People, Place and Power
• Poverty and Justice
• Conflict, Change and Difference

Year Two (Level 5)

• Work-based Learning
• Land, Food and Justice
• Stigma, Difference and Exclusion
• Social Research Methods
• Race, Ethnicity and Power
• Gender, Sexuality and Inequality

Year Three (Level 6)

• Research and Employability
• Applied Entrepreneurial Skills
• Work, Welfare and Inclusion
• Displacement, Migration and Homelessness
• Individual Evidence Based Project (40 credits)

Course Delivery

We use a range of teaching and learning approaches, in order to accommodate a range of learning needs and ensure that you are equipped with practical as well as theoretical knowledge of social sciences. You will have the opportunity for work experience relevant to social science careers, and for relevant field- based experience.

Contact Hours

Each 20-credit module has approximately 200 hours of study attached to it, delivered over a semester. Typically, 36 of these hours will be delivered in taught sessions such as lectures, seminars, and workshops, usually scheduled as 3 hours per week (per module). Approximately 52 hours are assigned for directed study and preparation tasks which are set weekly as part of the taught sessions and the remaining 100 hours are self-directed study, where you undertake the reading required for the module and complete their required assessment. As the Cardiff Met degree in Sociology and Social Policy is taught over two semesters per academic year, you will study three 20-credit modules, side-by-side, per semester.

Support

Every student is assigned a personal tutor when they begin the course, and this tutor supports them for the entirety of their degree. There are scheduled tutorial meetings that students attend, but tutors are also available to students outside the scheduled meetings.

The University has well-established student support provision for students who have additional learning needs and is equipped to deal with any issues that arise during a student’s studies.

Technology and Facilities

The modules are supported using the University’s Virtual Learning Environment, Moodle, which is web based and so is accessible anywhere via the internet. All course-based material is held here, including lecture and seminar presentations, assessment information and additional reading or resources. Tutors also use Moodle to email students with information and updates.

Staff

All staff are research active, and you will benefit from this directly through teaching and supervision of your L6 independent project.

Teaching staff have a broad range of expertise in housing and homelessness, politics, sustainability, welfare rights, social policy, gender-based violence, gender and sexuality, geography, employability and law. All staff are committed to providing a high quality, supportive, learning environment.

Facilities

The Cardiff Met degree in Sociology and Social Policy will be taught across both the Llandaff and Cyncoed campuses, where students will benefit from a range of facilities.

Llandaff is a busy and bustling campus. With millions of pounds of recent investment, it offers state-of-the art learning facilities for our students.

Cyncoed is a busy campus that offers on-site accommodation, excellent sporting facilities and a purpose-built Campus Centre, including an on-site shop, coffee bars and refectory.

Assessments are interesting and varied and are closely mapped to the guidelines of the 2019 QAA Benchmarks in Sociology and the 2019 QAA Benchmarks in Social Policy.

Assessments are designed to provide authentic experiences for you to demonstrate the real-world competencies they would be required to use in professional contexts.

The assessments are completed in either an individual or group basis. Modules have integrated assessments: critical essays, exhibitions, portfolios and live scenarios. These all focus on developing your knowledge, understanding and skills, to demonstrate your ability to match the real-world competencies.

You are given the submission dates for assessments at the start of each module, as well as an assessment overview grid for the whole of the academic year to help you plan and manage your time effectively. You will receive individual feedback on your work to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

As a Sociology and Social Policy graduate at Cardiff Met, a wide range of career options are open to you. You will gain a broad-based understanding of social issues and practical skills in research, policy and practice. This means you will be well-equipped for careers where you will need to identify and address complex social issues.

You will be well placed for a career in local or national government, using your understanding of social issues, policies, and societal change. This might include social services, public health, education or the criminal justice system.

You might choose to work for a third sector organisation focusing on human rights, poverty or environmental sustainability. Your skills in research and analysis of complex social problems, and your ability to develop effective solutions, will be put to good use here.

Your training in research methods with dedicated modules at each level, will make you well-suited for a research career – in a research institution or think tank, or in a university (including competitive 1+3 doctoral training programmes and industry and national government fast track). The programme is designed to ensure that you are a competitive candidate for funded postgraduate programmes.

Your knowledge of social policy and your practical skills in policy analysis will be useful in many areas, including government, the third sector and consultancy. You could be involved in research, analysis and development of policies to address pressing social issues.

Further postgraduate study at Cardiff Met is available including the MRes Social Policy.

You might also be interested in working directly with communities to address the issues they face and improve their social outcomes. Social work, community development officer roles, teaching, and the housing sector, all offer excellent opportunities to use the skills and knowledge gained through studying the BSc (Hons) Sociology and Social Policy.

Typical Offers

​The following requirements are based on typical offers relevant to entering year 1 of the degree.

If you do not meet these entry requirements, we also offer a Foundation Year which allows progression to Year 1 upon successful completion.​

• Tariff points: 104
  
• Contextual offer: See our contextual offers page.
  
• GCSE: Preferably five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language, Mathematics / Mathematics – Numeracy.
  
• English Language Requirement: Academic IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in all elements, or equivalent.
  
• A level subjects: Minimum three A levels to include grades CCC. No specific subjects required. Welsh Baccalaureate – Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate considered as a third subject.
  
• BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMM
  
• T Level: Merit.
  
• Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects required.
  
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: No specific subjects required.
  
• Irish Leaving Certificate: 2 x H2. No specific subjects required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
  
• Scottish Advanced Highers: Grade DD. No specific subjects required. Scottish Highers are also considered, either on their own or in combination with Advanced Highers.
  

Combinations of the above qualifications are accepted if they meet our minimum requirements. If your qualifications aren’t listed, please contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Further information on Overseas qualifications can be found here.

If you are a mature applicant, have relevant experience or RPL that you would like us to consider, please contact Admissions.

How to Apply

Further information on how to apply can be found here.

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044, email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk or tweet us @CMetAdmissions.

For course specific enquiries, please contact Helen Taylor, the Programme Leader:

Email: htaylor@cardiffmet.ac.uk​