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History and Sociology (BA)

Queen's University Belfast

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The award
BA

How long you will study
3 years

Domestic course fees
find out

How you will study
full-time

Course starts
September

International course fees
find out

All study options

About History and Sociology at Queen's University Belfast

This joint programme equips students in identifying historical and contemporary patterns of social change, divisions, diversity and inequality. The undergraduate History programme spans a long chronological period from Ancient History through to the Contemporary History of the late twentieth century. The modules on offer to undergraduates also cover a wide geographical area that includes Ireland, England, Scotland, Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. Students can choose modules that focus on gender, social and cultural history, politics, religion and economic change. Sociology is a scientific discipline concerned with the explanation of social life and human behaviour of all kinds. It equips students with the skills to understand the breadth of social practice, ranging from the global (including conflict, security, climate change and social justice) to individual experiences (such as the body, beliefs and mental health).

History and Sociology Degree highlights

Global Opportunities

  • We have a solid tradition of students undertaking study abroad through Erasmus schemes across Europe.

Career Development

  • Tailored careers advice and study guidance are available to all students

World Class Facilities

  • Sociology at Queen's is 9th in Guardian Ranking for Sociology 2016.
  • Sociology at Queen's is NSS Student Satisfaction 2016 equal 5th with Cambridge.
  • History at Queen's is in the QS World University Rankings top 150 History departments in the world for 2016.
  • Sociology programmes meet the highest standard in Ireland and the UK for undergraduate training in research methods and their application. We are one of only 15 Q-Step Centres in the UK.
  • A programme of international interest and global connectivity, from study abroad to Erasmus schemes as well as visiting international students.
  • We are a research-intensive university, which means that what you taught is directly linked to the latest discoveries and innovations.

Internationally Renowned Experts

  • You will be assigned a personal tutor during induction. This member of academic staff will provide one-to-one support and mentoring throughout your studies at Queen's.
  • History and Sociology staff nominated for Teaching Excellence awards annually.

Student Experience

  • We offer a peer-mentoring scheme for History & Sociology students, with the support of staff and the Centre for Educational Development.
  • We offer a high quality, supportive, student-centred learning experience in a top Russell Group University as evidenced by our excellent NSS student satisfaction rates.
  • Opportunity to develop substantive knowledge and research skills through collaboration in Northern Ireland's vibrant community sector, including fieldtrips, summer work placements, internship opportunities, guest lectures and workshops.
  • Queen's is an historic campus university in the heart of Belfast, ranked one of the most affordable universities in the UK.
 'Modules are thought-provoking and challenge common perceptions of ourselves and our social world. All the skills I have learned are transferable to the world of work and give you a solid basis for employability.'
Deborah Murphy, Northern Ireland BA Sociology graduate (2014) Current postgraduate student (Deborah was also a 2014 Winner of the Lockheed Employees' Prize)

Careers

Career Prospects

Introduction
This degree at Queen's will assist you in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates are found in a range of occupations, including management, communication, marketing, careers in the media and publishing, charities and the voluntary sector, healthcare, social services and education. They are particularly suited to careers with a high level of public interaction, social engagement and cultural awareness. Sociology develops the ability to gather and evaluate evidence, to understand complex situations, as well as human behaviours and organisations. Graduates are equipped with a comprehensive skills in Research methods, which are highly transferable and marketable and needed across a range of sectors - academia, government, charities and business. While some graduates enter in a wide range of careers, others build on the degree and opt for studies at the post graduate level, for instance by choosing from a range of master programmes within Queen's University.

Employment after the Course
Typical career destinations of graduates include:
Administration:
Skills from a social science degree centre on the ability to locate, interpret and apply complex data. The degrees we offer in our School provide particular skills in data analysis that are rare among other social science graduates. These types of skills, combined with an ability to communicate clearly and solve problems, mean that our graduates do well in advanced positions of administration and management. Many such jobs can be found in spheres relating to local administration and public policy.

Business:
Social scientists and historians are capable of explaining processes of wider social change; they are also equipped to research consumer trends in detail. The ability to analyse evolving customer needs and opportunities and to critically understand consumer culture is one that is valued by businesses. A career in the private sector can also include roles in human resources or in equality offices, drawing on social scientist's training in cultural sensitivity and social inequalities.

Education:
Teachers and educators with social science and historical training are aware of the factors that shape a young person's environment and, therefore, behaviour. They are aware of how social disadvantage can effect a pupil's educational attainment. Social science graduates understand the social context of teaching and are uniquely placed to promote equal opportunities. This gives them the tools and confidence to help overcome many of the unique challenges faced in education institutions today.

Journalism:
History and Sociology graduates are interested in the world around them - in the global trends, the national shifts, the local changes. Newspapers and media outlets employ our graduates to help understand the kinds of stories that engage readers, viewers and listeners. Graduates are trained to get a more rounded, thorough and critical perspective on stories that helps shape the best type of reporting.

Public relations
By reviewing market research data and understanding historic trends, social science graduates who truly understand the motivations of customers can effectively diffuse problems by responding to the public's concerns with carefully composed solutions. Public Relations Officers seek to manage and enhance the public image of their client(s) through understanding the marketplace in which their clients operate. A grounding in social science provides public relations professionals with a unique understanding of the social world and its organisations leaving them well placed to represent their clients effectively.

Research
Most government agencies, non-profit institutions and outreach organisations increasingly rely on up to date knowledge and evidence to inform and support their work. Some social science and history graduates, particularly those with postgraduate degrees, carve out careers as independent research consultants, examining trends in human behaviour. Alternatively organisations will recruit in-house policy and research professionals to communicate key message to the public and other key stake holders.

Additional Awards Gained(QSIS ELEMENT IS EMPTY)

Prizes and Awards(QSIS ELEMENT IS EMPTY)

Degree plus award for extra-curricular skills

In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Degree Plus. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.

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Study options for this course

Notes about fees for this course

Fees and Funding

Tuition Fees

The tuition fee rates for undergraduate students who first enrol at the University in the academic year 2018-19 have not been agreed. Tuition fees for 2019-20 will be based on 2018-19 levels, normally increased by inflation and these are set out below.

Northern Ireland (NI)£4,160England, Scotland or Wales (GB)£9,250Other (non-UK) EU£4,160International£15,550

Tuition fee rates are calculated based on a student's tuition fee status and generally increase annually by inflation. How tuition fees are determined is set out in the Student Finance Framework.

Additional course costs

All Students

Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies.

Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library.

If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. A programme may have up to 6 modules per year, each with a recommended text.  

Students should also budget between £30 to £75 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges.  

Students undertaking a period of work placement or study abroad, as either a compulsory or optional part of their programme, should be aware that they will have to fund additional travel and living costs.

If a final year includes a major project or dissertation, there may be costs associated with transport, accommodation and/or materials. The amount will depend on the project chosen. There may also be additional costs for printing and binding.

Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen.

There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.

History and Sociology costs

In Year 2 students can apply for a number of optional history exchanges with institutions in the USA. The cost will vary depending on the institution and length of exchange and can range from £500 - £6,000. Students are responsible for funding travel, accommodation and subsistence costs.

How do I fund my study?

There are different tuition fee and student financial support arrangements for students from Northern Ireland, those from England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain), and those from the rest of the European Union.

Information on funding options and financial assistance for undergraduate students is available at http://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/Undergraduate/Fees-and-scholarships/.

Scholarships

Each year, we offer a range of scholarships and prizes for new students. Information on scholarships available.

International Scholarships

Information on scholarships for international students, is available at http://www.qub.ac.uk/International/International-students/International-scholarships/.

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements

Entrance requirements

A level requirements
BBB

Irish leaving certificate requirements
H3H3H3H3H4H4/H3H3H3H3H3

Access/Foundation Course
Successful completion of Access Course with an average of 65%.

All applicants
There are no specific subject requirements to study History and Sociology.

Selection Criteria

In addition, to the entrance requirements above, it is essential that you read our guidance notes on 'How we choose our students' prior to submitting your UCAS application.

How we choose our students

Applications are dealt with centrally by the Admissions and Access Service rather than by individual University Schools. Once your on-line form has been processed by UCAS and forwarded to Queen's, an acknowledgement is normally sent within two weeks of its receipt at the University.

Selection is on the basis of the information provided on your UCAS form, which is considered by the Selector for that particular subject or degree programme along with a member of administrative staff from the Admissions Service. Decisions are made on an ongoing basis and will be notified to you via UCAS.

For last year's intake, applicants for this BA programme must have had, or been able to achieve, a minimum of five GCSE passes at grade C or better (to include English Language). Performance in any AS or A-level examinations already completed would also have been taken into account and the Selector checks that any specific entry requirements in terms of GCSE and/or A-level subjects can be fulfilled.

Offers are normally made on the basis of three A-levels. Two subjects at A-level plus two at AS would also be considered. The offer for repeat candidates is set in terms of three A-levels and may be one grade higher than for first time applicants. Grades may be held from the previous year.

Applicants offering two A-levels and one BTEC Subsidiary Diploma/National Extended Certificate (or equivalent qualification), or one A-level and a BTEC Diploma/National Diploma (or equivalent qualification) will also be considered. Offers will be made in terms of performance in individual BTEC units rather than the overall BTEC grade(s) awarded. Please note that a maximum of one BTEC Subsidiary Diploma/National Extended Certificate (or equivalent) will be counted as part of an applicant's portfolio of qualifications. The normal GCSE profile will be expected.

Applicants offering other qualifications, such as BTEC Extended Diplomas, Higher National Certificates and Diplomas, the International Baccalaureate, Irish Leaving Certificate or an Access course, will also be considered.

The same GCSE profile is usually expected of those candidates taking a BTEC Extended Diploma or a Higher National Certificate (HNC).

The current entrance requirements for applicants offering a BTEC Extended Diploma are successful completion of the BTEC Extended Diploma (180 credits at Level 3) with 100 credits at Distinction and 80 credits at Merit. For applicants offering a HNC, the current requirements are successful completion of the HNC with 8 Merits.

For those offering a Higher National Diploma, some flexibility may be allowed in terms of GCSE profile but, to be eligible for an offer, the grades obtained in the first year of the HND must allow the overall offer to be achievable. The current entrance requirements are successful completion of the HND with 9 Merits and 7 Passes overall. Any consideration would be for Stage 1 entry only.

Candidates offering Access/Certificate in Foundation Studies courses will be considered individually on their own merits. Where offers were made last year, the standard set was an average of 65%.

The information provided in the personal statement section and the academic reference together with predicted grades are noted but, in the case of BA degrees, these are not the final deciding factors in whether or not a conditional offer can be made. However, they may be reconsidered in a tie break situation in August.

A-level General Studies and A-level Critical Thinking would not normally be considered as part of a three A-level offer and, although they may be excluded where an applicant is taking four A-level subjects, the grade achieved could be taken into account if necessary in August/September.

Candidates are not normally asked to attend for interview, though there are some exceptions and specific information is provided with the relevant subject areas.

If you are made an offer then you may be invited to an Open Day, which is usually held in the second semester. This will allow you the opportunity to visit the University and to find out more about the degree programme of your choice and the facilities on offer. It also gives you a flavour of the academic and social life at Queen's.

If you cannot find the information you need here, please contact the University Admissions Service (admissions@qub.ac.uk), giving full details of your qualifications and educational background.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country.

English Language Requirements

An IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each test component or an equivalent acceptable qualification, details of which are available at: http://go.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - FOUNDATION AND INTERNATIONAL YEAR ONE PROGRAMMES

INTO Queen's offers a range of academic and English language programmes to help prepare international students for undergraduate study at Queen's University. You will learn from experienced teachers in a dedicated international study centre on campus, and will have full access to the University's world-class facilities.

These programmes are designed for international students who do not meet the required academic and English language requirements for direct entry.

INTO - English Language Course(QSIS ELEMENT IS EMPTY)

Foundation and Pathway Courses at other institutions

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Location of Queen's University Belfast

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