Our world faces unprecedented challenges, from the climate crisis, to rising inequality; from the automation of people’s jobs by computers and artificial intelligence, to a civil society divided by questions of what is true or false. There has never been a more pressing need for people to understand how society works, how people and groups interact, and how our social structures and institutions affect our everyday lives.
If you want to study a subject that employers respect, and that can make a difference in the world, then Kent Sociology is for you. We offer one the most cutting-edge Sociology programmes in the UK, where you will be taught by world-class experts researching the most pressing issues facing society today.
Reasons to study a Sociology degree at Kent
What you’ll learn
Sociology at Kent gives you the tools to understand society, social problems, and social change in order to make a positive difference in the world by providing you with:
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.
BBB
The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant subjects at merit grade or above.
Distinction, Distinction, Merit
30 points overall or 15 points at HL
Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 60% overall average.
The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.
If you are an international student, visit our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country, including details of the International Foundation Programmes. Please note that international fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.
Please note that meeting the typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee that you will receive an offer.
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you do not meet our English language requirements, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
Duration: 3 years full-time (4 with a year abroad), 6 years part-time (7 with a year abroad)
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.
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 Home undergraduates are £1,385.
Fees for Home undergraduates 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.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Search scholarshipsKent 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 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.
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.
The programme aims to:
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
You develop the following intellectual abilities:
You gain subject-specific skills in the following:
You gain transferable skills in the following:
Sociology at Kent is ranked 2nd for research quality and 32nd out of 105 overall in The Complete University Guide 2023.
As a result of computers and automation, many jobs that exist today will vanish over the next decade, and new jobs and careers are going to be created which don’t yet exist. The knowledge and development of your critical, analytical, communication and research skills gained with this course will prepare you for this contemporary, ever-changing world of work, giving you lots of career options when you graduate, and in the years beyond. 95% of our graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating.
Our world-class sociology team has excellent links with industry and a wide range of external organisations creating real-world application and impact with their research. These organisations include:
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:
If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can apply through UCAS or directly on our website if you have never used UCAS and you do not intend to use UCAS in the future.
Find out more about how to apply
Enquire online for full-time study
Enquire online for part-time study
T: +44 (0)1227 768896
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
Discover Uni is designed to support prospective students in deciding whether, where and what to study. The site replaces Unistats from September 2019.
Discover Uni is jointly owned by the Office for Students, the Department for the Economy Northern Ireland, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the Scottish Funding Council.
It includes:
Find out more about the Unistats dataset on the Higher Education Statistics Agency website.