Sociology with a Foundation Year BSc (Hons)

Swansea University

Key Course Facts

Student Satisfaction	89%
Salary after 15 months	£22000
Unemployment Rate	2% unemployed Proportion of students of this particular course unemployed and not studying 15 months after their course ended. Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
Student Dropout Rate	7% Proportion of students of Sociology with a Foundation Year BSc (Hons) who are not continuing into their following year of study or have not been awarded a qualification in either of the two comparison years. Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
Duration	4 years - Full-time
Campus	On campus - Singleton Park Campus
Degree	Bachelor of Science (Honours), BSc (Hons)
Subject	Sociology

Admission advice for international students

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 185 graduates of Sociology with a Foundation Year BSc (Hons) and other courses in Sociology at Swansea University for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Sociology.

Overall student satisfaction

89 /100

185 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

	Sociology with a Foundation Year BSc (Hons) and other Sociology courses of Swansea University	Average review score among all Sociology courses in the UK
Explanations	91	93
Interesting courses	79	81
Intellectually stimulating	82	84
Challenged to do my best	81	82
Depth of concepts	79	85
Builds on previous learnings	86	85
Joined ideas from different topics	81	84
Balance directed/independent study	72	75
Applicability of course content	75	75
Clear criteria in markings	81	76
Fair assessment	80	79
Tests reflected your learning	79	82
Timely feedback	76	79
Helpful feedback	72	70
Approachability of teachers	81	83
Support from teachers	78	82
Organisation of courses	74	78
Communication of changes	70	76
IT facilities	84	83
Library	89	91
Course specific resources	88	87
Student feedback opportunities	82	79
Student feedback valued	72	74
Student's feedback acted upon	50	58
Work of student union	75	73
Mental wellbeing services	63	70
Overall satisfaction	89	75

Source: National Student Survey NSS 2023. The Overall student satisfaction data point is from 2022 (latest available year). The Office for Students made the unfortunate decision to discontinue collecting overall student satisfaction data points per course.
All Sociology courses of Swansea University

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Sociology at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£22000	£20500	£24000
25-75 percentile range	£20000 - £24000	£16000 - £23500	£18500 - £28000

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology courses of Swansea University

Salary of all UK Graduates of Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£23013	£20757	£24208
25-75 percentile range	£19989 - £26124	£15689 - £25435	£18599 - £30307

Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
All Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology courses in the UK

Course Description

Studying a Sociology degree will equip you with the essential theoretical foundation to understand people's behaviour as social beings, as well as the wider social, cultural, political and economic factors influencing our constantly changing society.

The foundation year of this four-year course will introduce you to the key concepts and knowledge you need to progress to the BSc in Sociology. Following successful completion of the Foundation Year, students will progress onto Year 1 of the BSc.

In your foundation year, you will explore what it means to be human – studying a range of humanities and social science topics to prepare you for the degree itself and you will complete a project supervised by an expert in the field of education.

The foundation year (level 3) will be delivered by The College, Swansea University (TCSU). Years 2-4 (levels 4-6) will be delivered by the School of Social Sciences.

Sociology at Swansea is ranked:

• Top 10 in the UK for Overall Satisfaction (NSS 2022)

Top 15 in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2023)
Top 15 in the UK for Overall Satisfaction (Times Good University Guide 2023)
Top 15 in the UK for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2023)

You will learn how to generate new knowledge and information using a variety of qualitative and quantitative social research tools, from large social surveys interpreted through statistics through to in-depth interviews with individuals and small groups.

Throughout the course, you will develop excellent research, communication and presentation skills, together with the ability to analyse and critically evaluate evidence and construct arguments around the complex societal issues that affect us all.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

What graduates are doing after 15 months

	All Swansea University graduates of undergraduate studies in Sociology	All UK graduates of undergraduate studies in Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology
Total respondents	80	1580
Unemployed	2%	3%
Studying	20%	11%
Working	54%	67%
Both studying and working	16%	11%
No information	7%	5%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Sociology courses of Swansea University

Current jobs

Job in line with future plans

Utilise skills from studies

Work is meaningful

	Agree or strongly agree	Disagree
Job in line with future plans	60%	40%
Utilise skills from studies	50%	50%
Work is meaningful	90%	10%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All courses of Swansea University

Required skill level of job after 15 months

% Skilled jobs

	% Skilled jobs
Highly-skilled jobs	45%
Non highly-skilled jobs	50%
Skill level unknown or unclassified	5%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Sociology courses of Swansea University

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Sociology with a Foundation Year BSc (Hons) at Swansea University

15%	Business and public service associate professionals
10%	Sales occupations
10%	Managers, directors and senior officials
10%	Teaching Professionals
5%	Customer service occupations
5%	Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
5%	Media Professionals
5%	Finance Professionals
5%	Administrative occupations
5%	Business and public service associate professionals

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023

We offer a variety of assessment methods within our programmes. In addition to traditional examinations and essays, examples of alternative assessment include: **• Group-based tasks** **• Presentations** **• Personal Reflections ** Throughout your undergraduate Sociology degree, you will develop excellent research and analytical skills and learn to present your ideas effectively both verbally and in writing. For full breakdown of course structure and assessment please visit our course page https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/social-sciences/criminology-sociology-social-policy/bsc-sociology/ or get in touch with us at [email protected]

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Sociology

Average UCAS Tariff Score 138

Tariff score	% of students accepted for courses in Sociology
<48	0
48-63	1
64-79	3
80-95	6
96-111	13
112-127	15
128-143	18
144-159	14
160-175	12
176-191	10
192-207	6
208-223	1
224-239	0
>240	0

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
All Sociology courses of Swansea University

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

- 6.5
- All Degrees

Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Sociology with a Foundation Year, BSc (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent	£518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home)	£50
Supermarket shopping	£81
Clothing	£35
Eating out	£33
Alcohol	£27
Takeaways / food deliveries	£30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food)	£24
Holidays and weekend trips	£78
Transport within city	£17
Self-care / sports	£20
Stationary / books	£13
Mobile phone / internet	£13
Cable TV / streaming	£7
Insurance	£51
Other	£95

Average student cost of living	£1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

Source: Own research based on surveys and university data

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of Swansea University in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of Swansea University in related subject specific rankings.

Social Studies & Humanities

- #2
- #183
Social Sciences

NTU Rankings by Subject
[Published 11 July, 2023]
- #2
- #251
Social Sciences

THE World University Rankings by Subject
[Published 19 October, 2023]
- #2
- #23
Sociology

CUG The Complete University Guide - By Subject
[Published 08 June, 2023]

See all 29 university rankings of Swansea University

About Swansea University

Swansea University was established in 1920 and is located in the large city of Swansea, in Wales. There are two campuses, the flagship campus is located between Singleton Park, with its green parkland and botanical gardens, and Swansea Bay beach. The more recent Bay Campus on the other hand is located on an extensive beachfront property on the eastern side of town, past the marina. Apart from a vibrant academic life, students can attend the numerous yearly festivals that take place in Swansea, guaranteeing plenty of opportunities for getting out and about in your free time.

List of 442 Bachelor and Master Courses from Swansea University - Course Catalogue

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