BSc Sociology

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Exeter

Program Overview

If you want to understand society through a genuinely data-driven lens, this Q-Step-backed degree combines the critical thinking of sociology with real applied research and statistical skills. It suits students aiming for research-based or public-sector careers who want hands-on technical training alongside the theory, studying everything from social structures to digital society and health.

Curriculum Structure

Year One: You'll build a strong foundation in sociological theory and data skills through core modules like Social Analysis and Imagining Social Worlds, alongside Introduction to Social Data and Data Analysis in Social Science 1. It's designed to get you thinking critically about society while also becoming genuinely comfortable working with data from your very first term.

Year Two: You'll deepen your theoretical and methodological grounding through Theoretical Sociology and Research Design in the Social Sciences, while choosing from a wide range of options like Addiction, Digital Society, or Data Science in Society. This is really where the Q-Step technical training kicks in, sharpening your applied research skills alongside your sociological knowledge.

Placement Year (optional): If you choose the four-year route, you can either study abroad at one of Exeter's partner universities or complete a graduate-level work placement in the UK or overseas, putting your growing data and research skills to work in a real organisation.

Final Year: You'll complete a Quantitative Dissertation, giving you the chance to apply your research and analytical skills to a topic you genuinely care about, alongside advanced options like BioSocieties, Contemporary Capitalism, Critique and Resistance, or Data Visualisation. It's your opportunity to walk away with a substantial, technically strong piece of independent research.

Focus Areas: Sociological theory, quantitative and computational research methods, digital society, health and ageing, and contemporary social issues examined through both qualitative and data-driven approaches.

Learning Outcomes: Graduates come away with strong qualitative research skills, the ability to interpret and use quantitative data, research project design skills, and confident written and verbal communication. It's a combination genuinely sought after by employers in research, policy, and business.

Professional Alignment: This isn't a professionally-accredited degree, but it's run by the prestigious Centre for Computational Social Science, and Exeter is one of only 15 UK universities to host a Q-Step Centre. That gives students a level of applied data training that's directly relevant to careers in the public sector, policy development, and research-based fields. Students can also take part in schemes like the Exeter Award and Exeter Leaders Award, with additional support from dedicated Employability Officers.

Reputation: Exeter is ranked Top 10 in the UK for Sociology, coming in 10th in the Complete University Guide 2026, with a strong commitment to interdisciplinary teaching and research. 92% of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology graduates were in employment or further study 15 months after graduating, based on the HESA Graduate Outcomes survey 2022/23.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

BSc Sociology at Exeter puts real applied research training at the center of your degree. This is a Q-Step-backed programme, meaning you're taught genuine statistical and data analysis skills alongside traditional sociological methods, not just sociology in theory. You'll have access to the Computational Social Science Lab on Streatham Campus, an optional paid work placement with real industry partners, and a wide range of research modules that let you build technical skills employers actually look for. Here's what that looks like in practice:

Computational Social Science Lab: the Q-Step Centre for Computational Social Science has a state-of-the-art lab with individual PCs for up to 30 students, where you train in coding, data analysis, and data visualisation.
Fieldwork: assessment on this course includes field work notebooks, meaning you'll be applying sociological research methods, like observation and focus groups, in real settings rather than only writing essays.
Paid work placement: you can take an optional work placement typically lasting 3 to 6 weeks with a wide range of organisations, receiving a work experience bursary of up to £2,000 to put your data skills to use in the real world.
Quantitative and qualitative research training: modules like Data Analysis in Social Science 1, 2, and 3 and Data Visualisation build genuine technical skills in statistics and interpreting complex data, alongside interview techniques and focus group methods.
Quantitative Dissertation: your final year centres on an independent Quantitative Dissertation, letting you design and carry out your own original research project using the technical skills you've built throughout the degree.
Group work and tutorials: regular small-group tutorials with your personal tutor let you discuss and refine written and oral assignments in a supportive setting.
Study abroad and Employment Experience: the four-year variants let you either study at one of Exeter's partner universities worldwide or spend a full year in a graduate-level placement, in the UK or abroad.
Interdisciplinary research environment: the Q-Step Centre connects Sociology with Criminology and Politics and International Relations, giving you access to a genuinely broad, industry-connected research community.

Progression & Future Opportunities

A BSc Sociology from Exeter opens doors across research, policy, and business, thanks to the genuine data skills you build through the Q-Step programme alongside your sociological training. Past graduates have gone on to roles as management consultants and business analysts, IT professionals, legal associate professionals, and teaching professionals. Here's how Exeter helps you get there:

Careers support: you'll have access to careers skills sessions, employer-led events, and one-to-one advice from dedicated Employability Officers, plus the Career Zone's ongoing programme of careers fairs and skills workshops.
Employability schemes: many students take part in the Exeter Award and Exeter Leaders Award, combining workshops, volunteering, and work experience to strengthen your CV as you study.
Employment stats: 92% of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology graduates were in employment or further study 15 months after graduating, based on the HESA Graduate Outcomes survey 2022/23.
University-industry partnerships: the Q-Step work placement gives you the chance to gain real experience with industry partners and receive a work experience bursary of up to £2,000, and past graduates have gone on to organisations including KPMG and the Bodleian Libraries.
Long-term reputation: Exeter is ranked Top 10 in the UK for Sociology, coming in 10th in the Complete University Guide 2026, and is one of only 15 UK universities to host a Q-Step Centre, giving the degree genuine long-term standing with employers.
Broad graduate outcomes: past graduates have gone into roles as actuaries, economists and statisticians, archivists and curators, insurance underwriters, police officers, prison service officers, and youth and community workers, among many others.

Further Academic Progression: If you want to keep building on this degree, plenty of Exeter graduates go straight into further study, including MRes and PhD programmes funded through ESRC studentships, an MSc in Research Methods, or specialised routes like an MA in Gender Studies or MA in Philosophy and Sociology of Science. If you want to deepen the data and computational skills you built through Q-Step specifically, the Centre for Computational Social Science also offers an MSc Applied Social Data Science, letting you take your quantitative training even further. And for those interested in branching out, past graduates have gone on to postgraduate study in fields like International Relations, Marketing, and even a Graduate Diploma in Law, showing just how flexible this degree really is as a launchpad.