Undergraduate BSc (Hons)
Social Sciences
Gain the skills to better understand the world you live in.
You study key issues such as class, poverty, inequality, health, crime, and urban change and are encouraged to think of innovative ways to tackle them. You'll learn to understand how society works and how social change happens from different disciplinary perspectives.
This flexible course allows you to study what interests you most. Choose from a range of modules without specialising, or focus your studies by following one of our pathways
You gain work experience in a professional setting and can put the theory you have learnt into practice. It is also gives you the chance to develop networks and contacts in your area of interest. Employers greatly value, and seek evidence of, relevant work experience when selecting candidates for posts.
It's also possible to spend a year or a term abroad at one of our partner institutions.
Kent Career Mentoring pairs Kent alumni with undergraduate students to help them gain an insight into professional life.
Kent is ranked 2nd for research quality in The Complete University Guide 2023.
Our extensive professional connections will benefit you as you pursue a career with real world impact.
Our graduates are highly sought-after. 95% of our graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating (Discover Uni).
Our typical offer levels are listed below and include indicative contextual offers. If you hold alternative qualifications just get in touch and we'll be glad to discuss these with you.
Typical entry requirements for 2023 entry courses remain published on the UCAS course search website. These provide a rough guide to our likely entry requirements for Clearing and Adjustment applicants.
During Clearing (after 5 July), our entry requirements change in real time to reflect the supply and demand of remaining course vacancies and so may be higher or lower than those published on UCAS as typical entry grades.
Our Clearing vacancy list will be updated regularly as courses move in and out of Clearing, so please check regularly to see if we have any places available. See our Clearing website for more details on how Clearing works at Kent.
This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation:
The lectures will give a brief history and overview of the discipline, followed by an examination of different approaches to explaining human behaviour. Different areas of psychology (such as social and cognitive) will be explained and examples of topics in these areas examined as illustrations. The focus will be on the nature of psychology as a discipline, the types of methods and approaches used in psychology, and how it compares and contrasts with other disciplines in the social sciences.
Perspectives examined in the course will include:
- biopsychology ( the nervous system, including structure, functions and effects of damage)
- evolutionary principles and their relevance to behaviour
- behaviourism (principles of learning through conditioning)
- cognitive psychology (e.g. memory, decision-making)
- social psychology (e.g. group membership)
- clinical issues (anxiety disorders)
This module introduces students to the politics of social policy. Students will explore the role of politicians, pressure groups, the media and public opinion in shaping responses to social problems, and the party-political and ideological approaches to policy-making. Students will explore the tensions between welfare and the economy and the main tensions between individualism and collectivism in the political environment of the contemporary welfare state. Students will be introduced to the role of politics in social policy making to understand the different value positions political parties hold. Students will examine these issues through reference to different policy sectors, such as employment, social security, health, housing, and education.
This module introduces debates about the nature of social research methods principally in sociology, criminology, social history and psychology, with reference to social policy, politics and other social sciences. It will introduce students to social research from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will develop key study and research skills for research methods module in Stage 2 and the dissertation in Stage 3.
This introductory course in criminology and criminal justice will introduce students to the ways in which images and notions of crime are constructed and represented, including the links between crime and the key social divisions of age, gender and ethnicity. They will be introduced to the workings of the criminal justice system and its key agencies. Students would cover the measurement of crime, media representations of crime, the aims and justifications of punishment and the structure and operation of the criminal justice.
This module introduces students to the history of Britain in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, through an exploration of changes and continuities across three themes:- the political world; the economy, and social life. The political world theme engages with the creation of a mass democracy in 1918, the varying fortunes of the political parties and Britain's changing place in the world. The economy theme explores the impact of depressions and recoveries, industrial relations, affluence and globalization. The social life theme draws out the human scale of such experiences, looking at changing social conditions, the experience of war and shifting social attitudes to gender, sexuality and religion. Students will consider the range of primary sources that historians use to analyse past events and processes, building skills in documentary analysis.
This module follows on from Foundations in Social and Criminological Research 1 in developing students' skills in research and critical thinking. The emphasis in this module is on quantitative methods: evaluating the use of quantitative research in 'real life’ contexts, and developing skills in analysing quantitative data. Students will explore descriptive statistics, the evaluation of research designs and learn how to use SPSS to handle quantitative data.
The module will discuss classical and contemporary sociological perspectives (including Marxism, Weberianism, feminism and Bourdieusian), examining how they address key sociological debates, such as modernity, social order, conflict, agency and power. The module will also discuss key sociological concepts (such as class, gender and 'race'), explaining how they are used to understand social practices and structures in everyday life.
The module will discuss a range of substantive topics (e.g., families, deviance, economy and cities), examining how they address key sociological issues, such as agency, power and culture. The module will also discuss the implications of social practices and institutions for understanding everyday life and social change, explaining how class, gender, ethnicity and other social inequalities are significant concepts in shaping people's lived experiences. Classical and contemporary macro- and micro-theoretical perspectives (such as Marxism, feminism and postmodernism) will be employed to understand and explain social practices and institutions.
The teaching in social sciences modules really great. Gaining some practical experience in classrooms helped me in my role working with young people.Ravi Vyas
Philosophy of science; approaches to research; levels of measurement; reliability and validity; research design; descriptive statistics; analytical tests (chi-square, t-tests and non-parametric alternatives, ANOVA and non-parametric alternatives, correlation, regression) ; using SPSS; reporting research; critical evaluation of research; and surveys.
This module introduces students to the use of qualitative methods for research in the social sciences in the interpretive tradition. It builds on the Stage 1 module, Foundations of Social and Criminological Research SAPO3130 and prepares students for sociological and socio-historical dissertations at Stage 3 SOCI5510. The module looks in detail at how sociologists and social historians do research. It contextualises the evolution of their research methods in relation to different schools of thoughts and critical perspectives, e.g. feminism. It exposes students to different tools of research including semi-structured and oral history interviews, focus groups, archival work and documentary analysis, ethnography, and visual, sensory, mobile and material methods.
This module will concern issues relating to mental health and psychopathology. Controversies in defining 'abnormality' will be examined from different perspectives. Methods of diagnosis and different approaches to explaining psychological disorders will be discussed along with approaches to treatment. We will also consider ethical and social issues relating to a diagnosis of psychological abnormality. Topics will include:
• Controversial issues in defining normality and abnormality.
• Critical evaluation of current diagnostic and classification systems.
• Comparison of different approaches to explaining abnormality.
• Developmental, anxiety, mood, personality and psychotic disorders.
• Controversies in evaluating different approaches to therapy and effectiveness
This module concerns the application of psychological theory and research to issues in criminal justice. We will consider psychological research and application in areas such as offender profiling and investigative psychology, detecting deception, confessions and false confessions, jury decision making, and eyewitness testimony. Recent psychological findings will be emphasised. Students will be encouraged to take a critical approach to assessing the validity of theories and applications. Students should gain an understanding of the potential and limitations of psychology's contributions to criminal justice.
This module explores core areas of social psychology, concerning how our thoughts, feelings attitudes and behaviours are affected by the presence of other people and by our memberships of social groups. The module will introduce the methods, techniques in the study of social psychology and explore key findings and debates in the discipline.
This module addresses many of the issues that have shaped the modern practice of policing in recent times. It traces the way in which landmark events have served to mould and shape the daily practice of policing, and the implications that these have for police discretion. The module encourages students to think critically about these issues and to analyse the repercussions that their legacies have had for the routine, everyday social world of police officers and the communities that they serve. Topics include: police-race relations; stop-and-search practice; police cultures; corruption allegations; policing of riots and public disorder; policing of gendered and sexual violence; the rise of police privatisation and vigilantism and the development of performance based cultures.
This module will introduce students to the utility of criminal psychology within the criminal justice context. It will introduce students to various topics such as the history of criminal psychology, how the field has been shaped, theories, the emergence, persistence and desistence of offending. The module will help students develop an understanding of criminal psychology and its importance in criminal justice contexts from different perspectives.
This module is concerned with contemporary issues, developments, practices and research in criminal justice. In line with current policy developments it will address the connections between criminal justice policies and other policy developments and critically examine 'new' policy initiatives including such measures as community crime prevention; developments to involve and protect the victims of crime; moves towards broader conceptualisations of justice, including reconceptualisations of crime as social harm. The module examines contemporary policy developments in sentencing, hate crime, racism in criminal justice practices, amongst other issues.
This module provides students with an understanding of the contested cultural meanings underpinning crime. It examines how media representations propagate particular perceptions of crime, criminality and justice and contrasts these to the lived experience of offending. The module explores these contradictions in a world where crime, control, consumerism and the media saturate everyday life. It examines the late-modern society where criminality inspires great fear and resentment, whilst at the same time generating the cultural raw material to inform entertainment and sell a range of consumer goods. Students will become familiar with cutting edge research and theory in the fields of Cultural Criminology, Visual Criminology and Media and Crime
This module will cover key criminal justice agencies, contestability, and privatisation; the contested purposes of prisons; offending behaviour programmes in prison and probation; 'alternative' models of offender rehabilitation such as democratic and hierarchical therapeutic penal regimes and the ‘good lives’ model; practice skills in working with offenders; parole, risk, and resettlement; and desistance from crime.
This module will cover: The history of youth crime and youth justice; the age of criminal responsibility; theoretical debates surrounding youth crime; the media construction of youth crime; the politics of youth crime; the structures and technologies of the youth justice system; restorative youth justice; and the relationship between the youth justice system and other branches of social policy.
Restorative justice has emerged in recent years as a new way of thinking about how we should view and respond to crime. Restorative approaches are making significant inroads into criminal justice policy and practice and this module provides students with an opportunity to engage in an increasingly dynamic and interesting field in contemporary criminal justice. The main aim of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of restorative justice. It explores key values, issues and debates in restorative justice set in the context of theoretical arguments and criminal justice policy and practice.
The module will open with the concepts and theoretical underpinnings of restorative justice and go on to explore restorative justice and offenders, restorative justice and victims, emotions in restorative justice, the role of the community and the role of the state. It will close with critical issues and debates in restorative justice and future directions.
This module will be divided into three parts: the first will offer an analysis of current and potential methods of drug control; the second will explore cultural contexts of illicit drug use within modern society; the third will consider and evaluate practical issues facing drug policy makers of today. Each will be considered in a global context. Particular emphasis will be placed on theoretical arguments underpinning the major debates in this field and up-to-date research will be drawn upon throughout.
The module is intended to increase awareness of continuity and change in patterns and perceptions of crime and the responses to it by the legal system and other agencies over the period from 1750 to the present day.
Students will study historical perspectives on the history of crime and punishment – Whig, Marxist, revisionist etc.
They will have a chance to undertake critical evaluation of the sources of crime history and learn about change and continuity in the criminal justice system over the period covered.
For much of its history criminology has been concerned with the offender and the victim was largely absent from criminological discourse, research and the criminal justice process. It was not until the early 20th century that criminologists [re] discovered the victim and began to consider the role they played in the commission of crime. From these initial investigations, the victim became the central focus of academic scholarship from which the discipline 'victimology' emerged. The victim is no longer considered to be ‘a bit part player’ in understanding crime. They are deemed to be central to crime detection and the prosecution of criminal acts. This module charts the birth and growth of victimology and considers some of its major theoretical concepts. It will explore the nature and extent of criminal victimisation in society and critically examine it from a number of different perspectives. The module will also examine the changing role of the victim within the criminal justice system.
This module encourages students to take an international view of social policy, beyond the nation state, and to develop understanding of the global links and comparisons that can be used to consider welfare in this way.
Introductory lectures and seminars will present the challenges and risks facing contemporary welfare regimes, including neoliberalism, globalisation and financial uncertainty, and the notion of mixed economies of welfare. Another block of learning will provide accounts of comparative approaches to welfare and explore histories and contemporary dynamics of welfare in the US and in mainland Europe. Finally, a series of welfare topics on migration, care, work and citizenship will be introduced in order to explore issues and policy responses within a global framework.
The module offers a broad overview of the changing socialities and conflicts in cities, from medieval to post-modern, alighting on a number of key arenas of social conflict and contestation. The module focuses primarily on the everyday life of Western cities, simultaneously noting the limitations of urban theories evolved in the metropolitan centres of the urban West.
The first half of the teaching presents broad theories of urban change, focusing on economic, cultural and political change in cities since the mid-20th century. Consumption is a particular focus. The second half of the teaching sessions focuses on particular groups in cities, including young people, ethnic minorities, homeless people and those with disabilities.
You have the opportunity to select elective modules in this stage.
The year in professional practice is taken between Stage 2 and 3 and is an opportunity to apply your social science learning in practice. You learn about the pragmatic contexts in which voluntary and public sector organisations operate and also develop your knowledge about employment opportunities in these areas. Not only does placement year help you to gain work experience and contacts, it also encourages you to look at your studies in a new light. Graduates from our degrees with a year in professional practice leave the School with the much sought after combination of the skills and competency gained through a university education, and the ability to demonstrate these in a practical work setting.
The option of a placement year is open to those students who have attained a good academic record at Stages 1 and 2, and have successfully completed an interview process. Read one student's experience of the placement year.
Alternatively, you can use our pathway options to specialise in two subject areas in Stages 2 and 3, and therefore graduate with a BSc (Hons) Social Sciences (Sociology and Psychology) or (Sociology and Criminology) or (Psychology and Criminology) or (Sociology and Social Policy).
Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.
You can apply to add a year abroad to your degree programme from your arrival at Kent until the autumn term of your second year. The year abroad takes place between Stages 2 and 3 at one of our partner universities. Places and destination are subject to availability, language and degree programme. For a full list, please see Go Abroad.
You are expected to adhere to any academic progression requirements in Stages 1 and 2 to proceed to the year abroad. The year abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and will not count towards your final degree classification.
This module will concern issues relating to mental health and psychopathology. Controversies in defining 'abnormality' will be examined from different perspectives. Methods of diagnosis and different approaches to explaining psychological disorders will be discussed along with approaches to treatment. We will also consider ethical and social issues relating to a diagnosis of psychological abnormality. Topics will include:
• Controversial issues in defining normality and abnormality.
• Critical evaluation of current diagnostic and classification systems.
• Comparison of different approaches to explaining abnormality.
• Developmental, anxiety, mood, personality and psychotic disorders.
• Controversies in evaluating different approaches to therapy and effectiveness
This module concerns the application of psychological theory and research to issues in criminal justice. We will consider psychological research and application in areas such as offender profiling and investigative psychology, detecting deception, confessions and false confessions, jury decision making, and eyewitness testimony. Recent psychological findings will be emphasised. Students will be encouraged to take a critical approach to assessing the validity of theories and applications. Students should gain an understanding of the potential and limitations of psychology's contributions to criminal justice.
This module explores core areas of social psychology, concerning how our thoughts, feelings attitudes and behaviours are affected by the presence of other people and by our memberships of social groups. The module will introduce the methods, techniques in the study of social psychology and explore key findings and debates in the discipline.
This module addresses many of the issues that have shaped the modern practice of policing in recent times. It traces the way in which landmark events have served to mould and shape the daily practice of policing, and the implications that these have for police discretion. The module encourages students to think critically about these issues and to analyse the repercussions that their legacies have had for the routine, everyday social world of police officers and the communities that they serve. Topics include: police-race relations; stop-and-search practice; police cultures; corruption allegations; policing of riots and public disorder; policing of gendered and sexual violence; the rise of police privatisation and vigilantism and the development of performance based cultures.
This module will introduce students to the utility of criminal psychology within the criminal justice context. It will introduce students to various topics such as the history of criminal psychology, how the field has been shaped, theories, the emergence, persistence and desistence of offending. The module will help students develop an understanding of criminal psychology and its importance in criminal justice contexts from different perspectives.
This module is concerned with contemporary issues, developments, practices and research in criminal justice. In line with current policy developments it will address the connections between criminal justice policies and other policy developments and critically examine 'new' policy initiatives including such measures as community crime prevention; developments to involve and protect the victims of crime; moves towards broader conceptualisations of justice, including reconceptualisations of crime as social harm. The module examines contemporary policy developments in sentencing, hate crime, racism in criminal justice practices, amongst other issues.
The aim of the Dissertation is to enable students to undertake independent research. In the course of their projects, students will deepen their critical understanding of research design and the application of specific techniques, and will further develop theoretical and practical understandings of the approaches of the relevant discipline.
This module provides students with an understanding of the contested cultural meanings underpinning crime. It examines how media representations propagate particular perceptions of crime, criminality and justice and contrasts these to the lived experience of offending. The module explores these contradictions in a world where crime, control, consumerism and the media saturate everyday life. It examines the late-modern society where criminality inspires great fear and resentment, whilst at the same time generating the cultural raw material to inform entertainment and sell a range of consumer goods. Students will become familiar with cutting edge research and theory in the fields of Cultural Criminology, Visual Criminology and Media and Crime
This module will cover key criminal justice agencies, contestability, and privatisation; the contested purposes of prisons; offending behaviour programmes in prison and probation; 'alternative' models of offender rehabilitation such as democratic and hierarchical therapeutic penal regimes and the ‘good lives’ model; practice skills in working with offenders; parole, risk, and resettlement; and desistance from crime.
This module will cover: The history of youth crime and youth justice; the age of criminal responsibility; theoretical debates surrounding youth crime; the media construction of youth crime; the politics of youth crime; the structures and technologies of the youth justice system; restorative youth justice; and the relationship between the youth justice system and other branches of social policy.
Restorative justice has emerged in recent years as a new way of thinking about how we should view and respond to crime. Restorative approaches are making significant inroads into criminal justice policy and practice and this module provides students with an opportunity to engage in an increasingly dynamic and interesting field in contemporary criminal justice. The main aim of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of restorative justice. It explores key values, issues and debates in restorative justice set in the context of theoretical arguments and criminal justice policy and practice.
The module will open with the concepts and theoretical underpinnings of restorative justice and go on to explore restorative justice and offenders, restorative justice and victims, emotions in restorative justice, the role of the community and the role of the state. It will close with critical issues and debates in restorative justice and future directions.
This module traces the way in which criminal justice and criminal justice policy have become increasingly politicised in recent years. It utilises topics such as terrorism, dangerous offenders, penology and capital punishment to highlight the interaction between popular opinion, research, policy formation and the criminalisation of particular groups within society. The module will analyse the manner in which crime has become such an important issue on the political agenda, as well as examining the important role that pressure groups (such as NACRO and the Howard League for Penal Reform) have played in mediating political rhetoric and policy.
This module will be divided into three parts: the first will offer an analysis of current and potential methods of drug control; the second will explore cultural contexts of illicit drug use within modern society; the third will consider and evaluate practical issues facing drug policy makers of today. Each will be considered in a global context. Particular emphasis will be placed on theoretical arguments underpinning the major debates in this field and up-to-date research will be drawn upon throughout.
The module is intended to increase awareness of continuity and change in patterns and perceptions of crime and the responses to it by the legal system and other agencies over the period from 1750 to the present day.
Students will study historical perspectives on the history of crime and punishment – Whig, Marxist, revisionist etc.
They will have a chance to undertake critical evaluation of the sources of crime history and learn about change and continuity in the criminal justice system over the period covered.
For much of its history criminology has been concerned with the offender and the victim was largely absent from criminological discourse, research and the criminal justice process. It was not until the early 20th century that criminologists [re] discovered the victim and began to consider the role they played in the commission of crime. From these initial investigations, the victim became the central focus of academic scholarship from which the discipline 'victimology' emerged. The victim is no longer considered to be ‘a bit part player’ in understanding crime. They are deemed to be central to crime detection and the prosecution of criminal acts. This module charts the birth and growth of victimology and considers some of its major theoretical concepts. It will explore the nature and extent of criminal victimisation in society and critically examine it from a number of different perspectives. The module will also examine the changing role of the victim within the criminal justice system.
This module encourages students to take an international view of social policy, beyond the nation state, and to develop understanding of the global links and comparisons that can be used to consider welfare in this way.
Introductory lectures and seminars will present the challenges and risks facing contemporary welfare regimes, including neoliberalism, globalisation and financial uncertainty, and the notion of mixed economies of welfare. Another block of learning will provide accounts of comparative approaches to welfare and explore histories and contemporary dynamics of welfare in the US and in mainland Europe. Finally, a series of welfare topics on migration, care, work and citizenship will be introduced in order to explore issues and policy responses within a global framework.
The module offers a broad overview of the changing socialities and conflicts in cities, from medieval to post-modern, alighting on a number of key arenas of social conflict and contestation. The module focuses primarily on the everyday life of Western cities, simultaneously noting the limitations of urban theories evolved in the metropolitan centres of the urban West.
The first half of the teaching presents broad theories of urban change, focusing on economic, cultural and political change in cities since the mid-20th century. Consumption is a particular focus. The second half of the teaching sessions focuses on particular groups in cities, including young people, ethnic minorities, homeless people and those with disabilities.
You have the opportunity to select elective modules in this stage.
We use a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, case study analysis, group projects and presentations, and individual and group tutorials. Many module convenors also offer additional ‘clinic’ hours to help with the preparation of coursework and for exams.
If you choose to take the placement year, you have the opportunity to spend 900 hours in a relevant professional setting, approved in advance to be suitable for your respective degree. Although you are responsible for obtaining your own placement, guidance is offered in the form of tutorial support and access to networks of providers developed and maintained by the School. You are visited once (where possible) during your placement, to ensure that the placement activities are suitable and achieving the programme learning outcomes. Assessment is on a pass or fail basis and the marks gained do not contribute to the final degree classification.
Assessment is by a mixture of coursework and examinations; to view details for individual modules click the 'read more' link within each module listed in the course structure.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
For programme aims and learning outcomes please see the programme specification.
Social Sciences is very interesting and you have a good choice of topics you can pick.
With recent developments in computing, automation, and artificial intelligence, many of today's jobs will give way to new types of careers and opportunities. This course will develop your critical, analytical, communication and research skills to prepare you for this contemporary, ever-changing world of work, giving you lots of career options when you graduate, and in the years beyond.
Many of our graduates take their concern with people, society and social justice into their career trajectory and move into roles that allow them to affect real-world impact. Our Sociology graduates are highly sought after and have gone on to enjoy careers in areas as diverse as:
Mid Essex Hospital, Patient Experience team
I have learnt a lot about thinking on my feet and it’s also been very rewarding to work closely with patients.
Placement with Hackney Council
My placement provided an invaluable experience of the policy working world.
Volunteering at a criminal justice charity
The work placement has opened up doors for me to pursue a career in this field..
The 2023/24 annual tuition fees for this course are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Fees for undergraduate students are £1,385.
Fees for undergraduate students are £1,385.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Feel welcomed and well-supported with your learning. You’ll find a reassuring range of schemes in place to help you succeed in your degree.
Student life
Kent ranked top 50 in the The Complete University Guide 2023 and The Times Good University Guide 2023.
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Kent has risen 11 places in THE’s REF 2021 ranking, confirming us as a leading research university.
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