Sociology and Psychology

Our BSc Sociology and Psychology degree will give you expert scientific training in the relationship between the mind, brain, and behaviour while equipping you with the essential theoretical foundation to understand people's behaviour as social beings.

You will study the psychological and neuro-scientific processes that underpin activities such as thinking, reasoning, memory and language, learn about the effects of brain injury, and discover ways to improve health-related behaviour. You will also explore people’s behaviour as social beings, as well as the wider social, cultural, political and economic factors that structure society.

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, critical analysis and presentation skills.

Based at our Singleton Park campus, overlooking Swansea Bay and on the doorstep to the stunning Gower Peninsula, Psychology at Swansea has an outstanding reputation both in the UK and internationally. We are proud to maintain both a strong research culture, with a record of translating science into real-world consequences, and a thriving learning and teaching environment.

This programme includes opportunities to undertake a Year Abroad, enhancing your learning and offering invaluable life experience, as well as studying the course part-time, to help balance study and life commitments.

You will also have the opportunity to take part in work placements to build on your skills and experience. These placements could include local authorities, businesses, healthcare settings, education settings and charities, depending on your interests and career goals.

If you’re worried about meeting our entry requirements, why not consider the BSc Sociology and Psychology with a Foundation Year. The Foundation Year gives you an exciting introduction to higher education, setting you up with the skills, confidence, and knowledge that you’ll need to be successful on your undergraduate degree. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after further education or are returning to education after a gap. The foundation year (level 3) will be delivered by The College, Swansea University (TCSU) on the Bay Campus. Years 2-4 (levels 4-6) will be delivered by the School of Psychology on the Singleton Campus.

In Year 1, you will typically study areas including: Introduction to Cognitive and Clinical Psychology; Academic Success: Skills for learning, skills for life; Sociology: The Classics; Understanding Inequality: Capitalism, Money and Power; Sociology: Contemporary Controversies; Introduction to Psychological Academic Skills, Methods and Analysis; Professional Development, Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology.

In year 2, you will typically study areas including: Social Problems; Brain and Behaviour; Cognition: Higher Level Processes; Education, Policy and Society; Contemporary Moral Controversies; Social Problems: Media, Myths and Moral Panics; Psychological Research Methods; and Culture as Deviance.

In year 3, you will typically study areas including: Social and Developmental Influences on Behaviour; Black Mirror Sociology: Technology and Society; Who’s, in, who’s out? Inclusion and Exclusion: Socio/Criminological Perspectives; Race and Nation; Psychology Work Placement Module; Systematic Reviews in Psychology; Contemporary Issues in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice; Evolutionary Perspectives on Psychology; Understanding Neurodiversity; Introduction to Environmental Psychology; Independent Research Project for Joint Honours; and many more.

You will develop excellent research, written, and critical analysis skills, as well as a high degree of numeracy and ICT ability.

Our approach to teaching, which includes lectures, personal tutorials, academic seminars, workshops, and practical research classes, encourages effective team-working and high-quality oral communication skills.

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.

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.

This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• British Psychological Society