Sociology (Placement Year) Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Studying Sociology helps you make sense of how society works - and why it doesn’t work in the same way for everyone. On this course, you will explore different ways of understanding some of the most pressing global issues of our time.

You’ll learn how sociologists work with theories to interpret contemporary social issues, how data can be mobilised critically to reveal social problems in new ways, and how sociological insights can be communicated to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives. By the end of the degree, you’ll have the confidence and skills to carry out your own sociological research and to apply critical, sociological thinking across careers in the public, private, and third sectors.

Why Lancaster?

* Study a course committed to understanding and addressing social inequalities, grounded in critical sociological research and engagement with real-world social issues at local, national, and international levels


* Learn from leading sociologists whose research informs public debate, policy discussion, and contemporary sociological scholarship, including through advisory work, public engagement, and media appearances

* Develop advanced skills in analysis, communication, teamwork, and research design, supported by expert teaching and a strong emphasis on research-led learning

* Engage in lively debates and undertake your own sociological research on topics that matter to you - building towards an independent final-year dissertation on your topic of choice

Thinking sociologically

Questions about inequality, migration, health, or environmental change are shaped by histories, institutions, power relations, and everyday practices all at once. On this course, you’ll be encouraged to study social issues in this connected way - learning to see problems from multiple perspectives and to understand how local experiences are shaped by wider social processes.

A world-leading centre for Sociology

Our teaching is shaped by sociological research that examines how social inequalities are produced, experienced, and challenged in everyday life and across different social contexts. We bring our ongoing research directly into the classroom engaging you with contemporary debates, methods, and findings as they are being developed.

You will explore these big ideas, not as abstract issues, but as lived experiences that are governed, contested, and researched in specific social contexts. You’ll learn how sociologists frame questions, work with theories to interpret evidence, and draw on data to reveal patterns, inequalities, and social consequences that are not always immediately visible.

Tailor your studies to your own interests

You will build your critical thinking by working with issues that matter to you, drawing on your own interests and experiences while developing a rigorous sociological approach that develops your theoretical, methodological, and analytical skills.

You’ll gain confidence in reading and evaluating evidence, constructing arguments, and communicating sociological ideas clearly and persuasively.

You will be supported throughout this process by an academic supervisor with relevant expertise, who will guide you in refining your research questions, methods, and analysis. You’ll then have developed the research skills to design and carry out your own sociological investigation culminating in an independent research project where you explore a topic that genuinely matters to you.

Your Placement Year\
Sometimes known as a year in industry, your placement year will take place between your second and final year of study and this will extend your degree to four years. You'll spend your third year in a graduate-level position, where you’ll work for between nine and twelve months in the type of role that you might be considering for after you graduate.