BA Sociology with Year Abroad
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with Year Abroad, a sociology degree focused on the study of social structures and institutions. Core topics include Social & Cultural Analysis, Research Methods, and Data Analysis. The course includes a dedicated year abroad taken between the second and final years. The first year covers core themes through Discovering Social Problems, The Sociological Imagination, and Social Research I. The second year builds theoretical and methodological grounding through Modern Sociological Theory and Social Research II, alongside optional topics such as Gender and Sexuality and Media and Society. The third year is spent studying abroad. The final year involves an independent Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology Dissertation and advanced options like Mental Health and Society and Quantitative Data Analysis.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A Level: ABB To include.... IB: 6,5,5 at Higher Level with a minimum of 32 points overall.. BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma, Diploma and Subsidiary Diploma are all considered.. T Level: all subjects considered; Standard offer: Distinction overall with A in the Core Component.
What students say
Based on about 98 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 89%
- Learning opportunities: 89%
- Assessment and feedback: 83%
- Academic support: 92%
- Organisation and management: 94%
- Learning resources: 92%
- Student voice: 88%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 90%
- Left higher education: 10%
What graduates do next
Based on about 48 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 72%
- Working and studying: 8%
- Further study: 6%
- Unemployed: 4%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 15%
- Elementary occupations: 12%
- Teaching Professionals: 11%
- Sales occupations: 9%
- Administrative occupations: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 70%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 60%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 35%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 65 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 2%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 2%
- East Midlands: 2%
- West Midlands: 42%
- East of England: 15%
- London: 23%
- South East: 9%
- South West: 5%
- Wales: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 225 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 97%
- Other HE qualification: 1%
- Other qualifications: 2%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Bronze for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Discovering Social Problems
- Sociology of Everyday Life
- The Sociological Imagination
- Crime, Justice and Society
- Introduction to Social Divisions
- Social Research I
- Modern Sociological Theory
- Social Research II
- Race and Racism
- Gender and Sexuality
- Poverty, Class and Inequality
- Media and Society
- Prisons, Punishment and Penality
- Histories of Criminal Justice and Empire
- Housing, Home and Place: Issues in Policy
- Education, Policy and Social Justice
- Enterprising Solutions to Social Problems
- Social Psychology
- Youth, Crime and Justice
- Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology Year Abroad
- Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology Dissertation
- Mental Health and Society
- Selling the Self? Sex, Gender and Consumer Culture
- Technology & Society
- Power, Control and Resistance
- Drugs: Society, Politics and Policy
- Sociology of Success and Spectacle
- Crime and the City
- Social Policy, Inequality and the Life Course
- Contemporary Social Theory
- Genocide and Mass Atrocities
- Policing Migration: victims, villains and global border regimes
- Professional Development
- Harmful Societies: Crime, Social Harm and Social Justice
- Children as Citizens
- Quantitative Data Analysis
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Sociology with Year Abroad at University of Birmingham earn?
The median salary is £29,000 after 15 months, £24,500 after 3 years, £31,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £25,500 and £39,000. The £31,000 median after five years is £4,500 more than the UK median for Sociology.
What do graduates of BA Sociology with Year Abroad at University of Birmingham do next?
87% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Sociology with Year Abroad at University of Birmingham?
89% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Sociology with Year Abroad at University of Birmingham?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 132 UCAS points.
Does BA Sociology with Year Abroad at University of Birmingham include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Sociology with Year Abroad at University of Birmingham?
90% of students continued into their second year, and 10% left higher education.