Sociology

Students who achieve a strong result (2.1) in the MA in Sociology will be eligible to continue on to pursue PhD research if they wish.

The course will be of interest to students who wish to explore and understand societies in the 21^st century, through a focus on the themes outlined above.

Our graduates will acquire a range of subject-specific and transferrable skills. In terms of subject-specific skills, students will develop detailed knowledge of contemporary sociological theories and concepts. They will also develop knowledge of how to put research methods, particularly qualitative methods, into practice in order to generate data and evidence to inform policy and research. Students will also furthermore develop skills in public speaking in seminar presentations and seminar contributions; in time management; in being able to articulate their ideas clearly and with precision in their writing and research; and in terms of personal effectiveness and innovation, being able to design, implement and analyse a large scale research project in a defined amount of time.

Students who have taken this MA have gone on to a wide variety of careers, including research, banking, business, social media and technology companies, the civil service, charities/advocacy, and civil society organizations such as those working on environmental or housing issues. Most careers these days involve research and data acquisition and management in some form, and the research and transferrable skills that you acquire will be of use in many employment situations.

What our students say about this MA

Our student feedback on the MA in Sociology has been very positive. Feedback generally emphasises the positive nature of the class discussions, the comprehensive and in-depth nature of the lecture content, and the friendliness and engagement of the lecturing staff:

The discussions generated in class were highly engaging and the atmosphere created in the class by both lecturers was relaxed and open and thus encouraged people to get involved.

Excellent, both lecturers' warm and open style made the class a pleasure to attend which made the class one of the best this year as it encouraged people to get involved in discussions. The material used was really engaging and fresh. The tone set by lecturers is extremely important to the success of a class and both lecturers exemplified how it should be done.

Very effective lecturer, extremely knowledgeable, and great with bringing up an interactive discussion to get everyone involved.

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

• In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.
• Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.

English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.