Sociology

University of Portsmouth
Postgraduate MSc Full-time 1 Year Sociology

About this course

Overview Sociology helps us understand how society works, connecting the dots between individual lives and the structures they live in.

Studying a Master's in Sociology can completely change the way you view the world around you, developing you as a skilled researcher, excellent critical thinker, robust theorist and agent for change.

On this MSc Sociology degree, you'll explore all aspects of social life, because it all matters. You'll cover topics such as identity, intimacy, wellbeing, popular culture, consumption, colonialism, global inequalities, social media, feminism, racism and sustainability.

You don't need to have studied sociology before, but we hope you'll have a passion for understanding social issues and a desire to make a difference. You'll use qualitative and quantitative research methods to generate reliable data and insights, and ultimately deepen your knowledge on these issues.

Once you graduate, you'll have skills and awareness to succeed further in a huge range of careers, such as social research, policy making, law, social work, charity or community work, marketing, advertising, teaching or human resource management.

Course highlights

  • Study with a Sociology team whose research has helped make us the top modern UK university for research quality and research power in Area Studies - Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

  • Discover how to use data and research to explore social issues and widely-held societal beliefs, across topics such as poverty, gender and the climate crisis

  • Learn from active sociological researchers, in areas including trans and non-binary inclusion at work (included in guidance from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), and the sociology of migration (resulting in free legal advice and casework on complex immigration applications)

  • Develop sustainable and durable critical thinking and problem-solving skills you can apply in your career

  • Have the opportunity to take part in short placements supporting staff research activity, such as in immigration advice and migrant homelessness

  • Become ready to take the next steps in your career with a deep understanding of the structural basis of inequality in contemporary society and gain insight into how to address some of our more pressing social injustices

    Careers and opportunities In an increasingly polarised world, studying sociology empowers us with the knowledge and evidence to confront challenges in contemporary society.

    Sociology is a subject with huge social and economic value. It can improve public policy by providing evidence on trends and public opinions, helping governments, charities and businesses make informed decisions. It can enable charities to serve their communities more effectively by researching their needs. It can help businesses to enhance their operations through analysing consumer beliefs, tastes and decision making.

    Sociologists themselves occupy vital occupations within educational institutions, social services, business and non-profit organisations.

    While a sociology degree might not necessarily lead you automatically into a specific field of work, it equips you with a wide variety of skills that are easily transferable to a number of different sectors. Rather than closing down options, this degree opens them up.

    Our Sociology team has developed resources and expertise to support your career. So, our guidance doesn't focus just on academic work, but also on your holistic professional development.

    Graduates of this course can go on to have a positive impact on society in ways such as:*

  • informing fairer teaching or admissions policies in education

  • pioneering hiring initiatives to dismantle bias in recruitment and HR

  • providing insights into wellbeing, welfare and safety online

  • supporting community organisations to obtain funding for local initiatives by writing research proposals

    • Study Options

    This course is available in 2 study options:

    Full-time Shown above

    Duration: 1 Year

    Qualification: MSc

    Location: Portsmouth

    Part-time

    Duration: 2 Years

    Qualification: MSc

    Location: Portsmouth

    Career Prospects

    Graduates from this course typically go into the following occupations:

    2317 Teachers of English as a foreign language
    3417 Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators
    2319 Teaching professionals
    3416 Arts officers, producers and directors
    4112 Local government administrative occupations
    3415 Musicians

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    A-Levels

    BBB - BBC

    UCAS Points

    112 - 120 points

    Avg. Salary

    £26,000

    Course Details

    Qualification
    MSc
    Study Mode
    Full-time
    Duration
    1 Year
    Start Date
    2025
    Academic Year
    2025
    Campus / Location
    Portsmouth
    Scheme
    Postgraduate
    Subjects
    Sociology

    Offered by

    University of Portsmouth

    Portsmouth

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