Sociology BSc (Hons), sandwich with work placement

University of Portsmouth

United Kingdom, Portsmouth

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Home/United Kingdom/Portsmouth /University of Portsmouth/Sociology BSc (Hons), sandwich with work placement

University of Portsmouth

United Kingdom , Portsmouth

Key Facts

Program Level

Bachelor

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

Mix

Course Code

L300

Campuses

London

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake DeadlinesSeptember-2026

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 4 year(s)

Tuition Fee

GBP 17,900 / year(s)

Next Intake September-2026

Sociology BSc (Hons), sandwich with work placement

About

Understand how and why society is changing on this BSc (Hons) Sociology degree course.

Step into critical debates on social issues and global inequalities, including topics such as education, work, media and generation. Sociology is more relevant than ever in today’s world; our courses provide a toolkit to make sense of what’s going on in the world, why it’s happening, and what we can collectively do about it.

On this BSc (Hons) Sociology degree, you’ll learn how to apply sociological ideas to the world we live in and the topics that most inspire you. You'll be taught and supported by a dynamic, caring and inclusive team of experienced educators and active researchers who are dedicated to helping you achieve your personal, professional and academic potential.

As you work towards your choice of final research project, you'll explore a wide range of cutting-edge topics relevant to the world we live in such as consumerism, migration, nationalism and climate crisis.

You'll graduate with transferable skills sought after by employers across many sectors, including communication, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, evaluation and analysis, decision-making and organisation. You will gain the confidence, knowledge and methods to enact positive change within a broad range of exciting careers. Benefit from opportunities for enrichment, careers and employability guidance throughout, strong links with organisations, guest speakers, placements and studying abroad.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements

Entry requirements (September 2026 start)

Typical offers for BSc (Hons) Sociology

A levels - BBC-BCC
UCAS points - 104-112 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent (calculate your UCAS points)
T-levels - Merit
BTECs (Extended Diplomas) - DMM
International Baccalaureate - 24

You may need to have studied specific subjects or GCSEs - see full entry requirements and other qualifications we accept.

English language requirements

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.

See alternative English language qualifications

We also accept other standard English tests and qualifications, as long as they meet the minimum requirements of your course.

If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Worried about your grades?

If you're not sure you meet the entry requirements, or need some help to get uni-ready, then we offer BSc (Hons) Sociology with Foundation Year through our partners at ICP to bring you up to speed. When you successfully finish, you'll get a guaranteed place on BSc (Hons) Sociology.

Find out more about our foundation years with ICP

Typical offers for BSc (Hons) Sociology with Foundation Year

UCAS points - 32 tariff points at A level, or equivalent (calculate your UCAS points)

You may need to have studied specific subjects – find full entry requirements and other qualifications we accept.

English language requirements

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 5.5 with no component score below 5.5.

See alternative English language qualifications.

We also accept other standard English tests and qualifications, as long as they meet the minimum requirements of your course.

If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Please note this foundation year with ICP isn't currently open to EU or International students.

We look at more than just your grades

While we consider your grades when making an offer, we also carefully look at your circumstances and other factors to assess your potential. These include whether you live and work in the region and your personal and family circumstances which we assess using established data.

Explore more about how we make your offer

Sociology Graduate Samantha Byrne's career journey

Samantha shares her journey, from studying Sociology at Portsmouth to becoming an employment advisor and making a tangible difference in peoples' lives.

Samantha: My name is Samantha Byrne and I am an Employment Advisor at Maximus UK.

Before going to university, I really wasn't a big fan of education. I didn't really get on at school or at college and then I started studying sociology at college and I discovered something I really enjoyed. I discovered feminism and that kind of led to my journey of going to Portsmouth.

I think the thing that stood out the most for me at the University of Portsmouth was the lecturers. The effort they put in and the support they gave was genuinely second to none. I don't think I would have achieved what I did without their support and them pushing me and telling me and affirming me that I could do what I managed to do. I wouldn't have been able to see things probably as well beyond my own perspective if I didn't learn about other people's lived experiences and how they come into play in sociology.

I wasn't originally going down this career path when I left university. I went to see a careers adviser and he gave me some skills assessments to do. The top result on all of them was an employment adviser and about three to four months later I got my first employment adviser role and I've been doing it for about four years now.

I think my proudest moment is recently, I had a woman on my caseload. She's a single mother and has had some really difficult times in her life and she got offered a job. She realised she wasn't able to do the work because she couldn't afford the childcare. Recently we were able to fund two thousand pounds worth of childcare for her so she can start work in August.

I think in this job, that's probably the most proud I've been, to be able to be part of that. I am not saying this to exaggerate but I genuinely don't think I would be where I am today without the University of Portsmouth. I think if I hadn't have gone to university, I think I would have accepted the bare minimum. I would have just not pushed myself, not really thought I could achieve much. It really did change where everything in my life has gone.

English Program Requirements

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.

See alternative English language qualifications We also accept other standard English tests and qualifications, as long as they meet the minimum requirements of your course. If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Career

Studying sociology encourages you to engage critically with the world around you, ask questions about the social world and challenge things we often take for granted.

You'll develop your analytical skills and practice how to communicate ideas effectively. These are transferable skills that are valuable to any employer, which means you'll have lots of career options when you graduate.

You could also continue your studies to a PhD or other postgraduate qualification, following in the footsteps of your lecturers.

What sectors can you work in with a sociology degree?

Many of our sociology graduates go into people-focused roles, or in roles that allow them to do research, shape social policies or bring about social change.

Areas you could go into include:

teaching and lecturing (with additional training or further study)
research and policy
health and social care
advertising, marketing and media
local government
careers advice, human resources and recruitment
charity work and community development

A global survey of 1000 business leaders by the Harvard Business Review [...] found that the skills most in-demand by employers are those in which Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts graduates specialise – from communication, problem solving and creativity, to research and analysis.

Ian Diamond, The British Academy

What jobs can you do with a sociology degree?

Roles our graduates have gone on to include:

refugee resettlement welfare officer
domestic violence project worker
criminal justice support worker
fundraising and project manager
equality and diversity inclusion coordinator
hr adviser
housing strategy and policy officer
social worker
trade union project officer
teacher
peer support and young person's service manager
business development manager
global events manager
senior research executive
marketing manager
data consultant
fraud analyst

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have worked for companies such as:

Washington Frank International
Kantar (data analytics and brand consulting)
Enham Trust (disability charity)
The Prince's Trust
NHS Foundation Trust
Youth Futures Foundation
Solent Mind
Chance UK
Strictly Come Dancing (production)
YouGov
Bank of England

What jobs can you do with a sociology degree?

Roles our graduates have gone on to include:

refugee resettlement welfare officer
domestic violence project worker
criminal justice support worker
fundraising and project manager
equality and diversity inclusion coordinator
hr adviser
housing strategy and policy officer
social worker
trade union project officer
teacher
peer support and young person's service manager
business development manager
global events manager
senior research executive
marketing manager
data consultant
fraud analyst

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have worked for companies such as:

Washington Frank International
Kantar (data analytics and brand consulting)
Enham Trust (disability charity)
The Prince's Trust
NHS Foundation Trust
Youth Futures Foundation
Solent Mind
Chance UK
Strictly Come Dancing (production)
YouGov
Bank of England

Ongoing career support – up to 5 years after you graduate

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Careers and Employability Service to help you find your perfect role.

Placement year opportunities and work experience

Taking an optional placement year after your second or third year of study will give you the experience you need to increase your chances of landing your perfect role. You'll get valuable work experience and the chance to grow your professional network and enhance your CV.

We'll work with you to identify placements, internships, voluntary roles and freelancing opportunities that will complement your studies and allow you to use the skills you've learnt. Our students also regularly work on research projects for the local community.

You could also choose to set up your own business, or take a voluntary placement.

Potential destinations

Previous students have taken placement roles at organisations including:

Portsmouth Abuse and Rape Counselling Service (PARCS)
Why Me? Restorative Justice
Volkswagen
SEK International School, Spain

Study abroad

You'll also have the opportunity to study abroad at one of our partner universities. Studying overseas is a fantastic opportunity to enhance your CV and experience a different culture as an international student.

Many of our students describe their time spent studying abroad as truly life-changing, as well as an excellent way to stand out to future employers.

Why study abroad?

Experience another culture. Learn another language. Develop a network of international contacts. There are so many reasons to study abroad as part of your degree.

Meet students from our Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, who have studied abroad in countries such as France, Japan and Senegal.

Zianne: There’s so many good things about studying abroad.

Tamarra: It's really hard to list all the skills and all the value that it brings because really it makes you such a well-rounded individual.

Sorina Toltica: All humanities and social sciences courses have got the option to study abroad. This includes the United States of America, France, Spain, Japan, Australia, and we are also developing some partnerships within the African continent.

Zianne: Through my year abroad, I was able to develop a lot of resilience and being able to adapt because when you're not speaking your own language, you kind of have to adapt every single day and you can't just give up. You just have to keep going.

Tamarra: There is a little bit of pressure, obviously, since we're in a new environment. I remember getting off the airplane and seeing the Czech language and I just thought to myself, How am I going to get through this? But in the university and here they offer Czech language courses for beginners. You meet other international students who are on the same boat as you. You guys can just come together and explore it yourself.

Zianne: I met loads of people from around Europe who are also on Erasmus, so now I have friends from Norway, Germany and Croatia that I probably would have never met if I wasn't in Salamanca at that particular time.

Tamarra: My flatmates are from France, Norway, from Belgium, Hungary. We've always had these monthly dinners together where we try out each country's cuisine and traditional foods.

Charlie: It's helped me to understand people better, it’s helped grow my confidence, helped grow my independence.

Bethan: The most valuable thing that it’s brought me has been an appreciation of a completely different way of thinking. You learn to appreciate that there is value and beauty in different ways of thinking, even if you don't agree with it.

Tamarra: You really have to immerse yourself into that country to get the full experience.

Bethan: I have always felt supported by the university. When I was abroad, I knew that I could contact my personal tutor. There are so many services there and I knew they’re always available.

Charlie: They helped me with the application. They helped me find the opportunities in the country that I wanted to study in.

Zianne: I also benefited from speaking to the wellbeing team whilst I was out there because that is still on offer to you, which I really appreciated.

Tamarra: All the students should study abroad because not only is it good for friendships and for memories, but in terms of the future in your careers, you can also get a lot more confidence.

Charlie: Coming out here you really realise how big the world is, how many people there are, how many different stories people have. I think it really just opens your eyes to the possibilities that you have available to you.

Sorina Toltica: One of the biggest differences in my students before and after they come from study abroad. It's their adaptability and resilience and knowledge of the world and their excitement about possibly going back.

Bethan: If I was to give some advice to someone considering going to study abroad, I would just say do it. Doing the year abroad with the University of Portsmouth has opened up so many career opportunities for me, and I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

Get credit towards your degree for work, volunteer and research placements

You have the option to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) module – getting credit from paid/unpaid work, volunteering, research placements, internships and other work related learning, including self-employment. You'll have the freedom to arrange your own activities, and we'll support your achievements through workshops, events and tutorials.