
Program description
Human and Social Sciences
Our BSc in Human and Social Sciences provides a unique opportunity to study psychology as a distinctive specialisation within the social sciences.
Accredited by the British Psychological Society as the basis for graduate membership of the society, it allows you to build up a range of skills and knowledge on issues such as social change, gender, class and ethnicity, whilst developing a critical understanding of psychology.
The only course of its kind currently on offer in the United Kingdom, this course provides an integrated perspective on psychology, which emphasises its social, conceptual and historical aspects, along with a core of social research methods.
In additions to modules in Psychology and research methods, you will be able to choose from a range of modules in Education, Sociology, Social Analytics and Social Policy.
Distinctive features
- The only course of its type on offer in the United Kingdom.
- Recognised by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as the basis for graduate membership - the starting point for a career in psychology.
- The opportunity to study a credit-bearing placement module.
- Study in a School ranked 3rd in the UK for research quality in sociology and 5th for education in the 2014 Research Excellent Framework (REF).
- Research-active staff are involved in teaching this program.
- Emphasis on independent learning in a research-led environment.
- A wide variety of modules on offer in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary School.
- Option to extend to a four year program, spending Year Three on a professional placement or studying abroad.
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2020/21 academic year. The final modules will be published by September.
Admission requirements
Typical A level offer
ABB. Critical thinking and General Studies are not accepted
Extended Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard A level offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.
For more information about admission requirements, please visit the university website
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Learn moreProgram content
- Psychological Investigations
- Introduction to Social Science Research
- Key Ideas in Social Science
- Introduction to Social and Developmental Psychology
- Developing Scholarship through the Social Sciences
- An Introduction to Education
- Introduction to Social and Public Policy
- Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics
- Introduction to Sociology
- Social Research Methods
- Human Development
- Identity and Subjectivity
- Working Knowledge: Analysing and Experiencing Employment (with Placement)
- Contemporary Inequalities
- Secondary Data Analysis
- Evaluating Social Practice, Policy and Innovation
- Focus Groups and Interviews
- Sociology of Education
- Social Theory
- Real World Research (with Placement)
- Knowing the Social World - Online and Offline Surveys
- Poverty and Social Security in the UK
- Social Policy Analysis
- Gender Relations and Society
- Children and Childhood
- Migration, 'Race' and Ethnic Relations
- Ethnography and Everyday Life
- Sensory Methods
- Dissertation
- Issues in Social and Cultural Psychology
- Cognitive and Biological Psychology
- Personality and the Self
- Experiments in Knowing
- Radical Education
- Power, Politics and Policy
- Environment and Human Health
- Digital Social Research: Theory, Methods and Data
Scholarships & funding
For more information about scholarships, please visit the university website.
Qualification
What skills will I practise and develop?
Knowledge & Understanding
On successful completion of the program you will be able to demonstrate:
- An understanding of the key ideas, theories and concepts used in human and social science and their relationship to themes, theories and findings from cognate disciplines.
- An understanding of the main research methods used within the social sciences and the philosophical issues that inform their application and use in research settings.
- A critical and in-depth understanding of research and theory in selected sub-fields of human and social science and the relevance of this work to contemporary social debates, issues or problems.
- An understanding of the role empirical evidence plays in the creation and constraint of theory, and how theory guides the collection and interpretation of empirical data.
Intellectual Skills
On successful completion of the program you will be able to demonstrate:
- Critically evaluate existing knowledge, scholarship and research in human and social science and use this knowledge to reach a balanced judgement about the merits and relevance of competing claims and theoretical perspectives.
- Critically evaluate the use of evidence in social science disciplines and policy debates, drawing on both broad methods training and subject specific knowledge
- Utilise knowledge and skills to understand and explain social phenomena of interest to human and social science and apply this understanding to new or novel questions
Professional Practical Skills
On successful completion of the program you will be able to demonstrate:
- Design and use a range of data collection instruments needed to explore and understand the social world
- Critically evaluate, synthesise and interpret primary and secondary data generated using different methods, using specialist software where necessary
- Work both collaboratively and individually on theoretically informed and empirically-grounded projects that draw on appropriate and relevant research evidence
Transferable/Key Skills
On successful completion of the program you will be able to demonstrate:
- The capacity for problem-solving and originality in thinking by using knowledge and skills to tackle familiar and unfamiliar problems
- Academic and personal skills such as critical thinking, writing, oral presentations, problem solving, group work, time-management, and the use of information technology.
- The ability to communicate complex information in a variety of formats including reports, oral presentations, posters and dissertations
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About this institute

Cardiff University
Founded in 1883, Cardiff University combines a prestigious heritage with impressive modern facilities, on one of the most beautiful campuses in the UK. As part of the Russell Group, our students benefit from our outstanding research quality and reputation, while...
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Cardiff University
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