Applied Social Sciences

Year 1

The first year of this course is an opportunity to explore introductory social science theories and applications including elements of psychology, sociology, research methods and politics. Additionally you will develop generic academic skills such as writing reports, presenting and study skills.

Year 2

You will build upon the skills developed in year one, by exploring the topics in greater depth and introducing specialist modules. Academic skills will also be developed further.

Year 3

This year allows you to tailor your degree by choosing to study specialist modules of interest. There will be one core module that must be taken, and the other seven modules can be chosen from a range of psychology, sociology or politics modules.

Year 4

You will develop the knowledge and experiences built in previous years by again choosing modules that support your interests and future career. This year offers modules that investigate more complex personal and societal issues, along with how and why these can affect our lives and the world we live in. You will also complete a dissertation module (core).

Graduate Stories

Learning Methods

You will be taught through a wide-variety of teaching methods including formal lectures, seminar activities, group work, project work and directed reading.

In Years 1 and 2 everyone studies the same modules, however in Years 3 and 4 you are given the opportunity to specialise in psychology, sociology or politics by electing to study specific modules. You can choose to specialise, or continue with all three disciplines.

Activity Summary

The activity depends on the module and includes:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• e-Learning activities
• Directed and private study.
• Student led seminars.
• Practical work
• Class discussions

How long is a BA (Hons) Applied Social Sciences course?

The duration of an Applied Social Sciences degree is 4 years.

Independent Study

We encourage you to be an independent learner from the start of your course. Each module involves two to three hours of timetabled teaching each week, but you will have considerably more follow-up work beyond this.

Staff Delivering on This Course

Our class sizes are small and this, along with a high level of contact time with staff, enables us to provide a friendly and supportive learning environment.

Our team of academic staff are actively engaged in applied research which underpins the teaching in areas such as drug abuse, homelessness, Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, forensic psychology, the body and political violence. Such research activity ensures that our course is kept current and relevant.

Assessment

Assessment is through a combination of exams and coursework which may be a mix of essays, reports and presentations including:

• Written coursework
• Portfolios
• Exams
• Essays
• Oral presentations
• Case Studies
• Dissertation

Feedback

We aim to provide you with feedback within 20 working days of hand-in for all written exams, coursework and practical exams.

Job Prospects

Undertaking a course in the social sciences keeps your career options open and offers a wide variety of routes into employment.

Is Applied Social Sciences a good career choice?

Previous BA Applied Social Sciencesgraduates of Robert Gordon University have gone on to pursue the following careers:

• Health and social care management
• Human resources
• The Police
• Education
• Careers Guidance
• Marketing and PR

Many of our graduates also undertake postgraduate study, enabling them to specialise in a variety of areas including social work, teaching, management and postgraduate research. 95% of our students are in work or study six months after finishing the course (Unistats, 2018).