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Why choose the School of Applied Social Sciences
Our sociology courses rank in the UK top 10 in their subject field for student satisfaction (CUG, 2025).
95% of our sociology students were satisfied with their course's learning opportunities and how well it developed knowledge and skills for the future (NSS, 2024).
Our sociology courses rank UK top 10 in their subject field for teaching quality and student experience (Times GUG, 2024).
About the course
Delivering the most up-to-date theory and practice, this course reflects both national and international developments in these ever-changing fields. It gives you the critical thinking skills and confidence to develop your own position on such important issues as individual and social responsibility; crime and punishment; and global social dilemmas. Your second and third years give you the opportunity to take optional units in areas of interest such as youth and crime; the politics of migration; and crime and the media.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Four-storey library with an extensive range of physical and digital resources
- Specialist labs, lecture theatres and bespoke group study spaces
Your student experience
- ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ with expert staff from a variety of social science backgrounds including forensic psychiatry; policing; offender management; social work; and youth justice.
- All staff are actively involved in research in areas such as human rights; safeguarding; policing; social justice; public policy; youth crime and violence; and offender management.
- Gain specialist knowledge thanks to subject-relevant field trips, most recently including a visit to The Old Bailey and Royal Courts of Justice.
- See theory in action through voluntary work and simulated crime scenarios embedded into the course units.
- Personalise your degree with optional units and the choice of a final-year dissertation that is based on either research or community work experience.
- Interact with local charities, policymakers and community influencers with our #SASS Change Maker initiative, which aims to increase awareness of and response to topical societal issues.
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
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with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
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Course Leader - Deborah Spring
I have been teaching sociology, criminology, psychology and criminology and child and family studies in a number of educational settings since I qualified with a degree in Sociology and Criminology and a master’s degree in Criminology in 2015. I developed a keen interest in many areas such as the family, mental wellbeing, crime issues and I have been involved in important research to human trafficking.
Course Leader - Deborah Spring
I have been teaching sociology, criminology, psychology and criminology and child and family studies in a number of educational settings since I qualified with a degree in Sociology and Criminology and a master’s degree in Criminology in 2015. I developed a keen interest in many areas such as the family, mental wellbeing, crime issues and I have been involved in important research to human trafficking.
What will you study?
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ing our Criminology and Sociology BSc (Hons) course will introduce you to the broad knowledge and skills in criminology and sociology. Our curriculum will reflect core elements of criminology and sociology. You will be given an Introduction to Criminology and the criminal justice system that will cover theoretical approaches used to explain crime, deviance and offending behaviour and institutions. You will develop the skills to analyse and evaluate crime, and explore crime control mechanisms from diverse interpretative frameworks in our Theorising Crime, Punishment and Justice. In our Urban Crime unit, you will have the opportunity to explore contemporary developments in cities across the world in relation to crime and criminal justice responses. You will gain a critical understanding of sociological theories, its practical applications to its implication in a contemporary society in our Understanding Societies, Identities and Structures unit. Furthermore, you will explore political structures, institutions, governance and the society to develop your understanding of the state, its activities and a range of political and social issues in our Modern Political Thoughts and Governance unit. Similarly, you will explore the concept of power, how it shapes our social world and influences key social issues at the core of social relations in our Power in Political Thought unit.
This course offers a range of optional units that opens avenues into a range of career paths and specialisations that you will be able to pursue. Childhoods in a Global Context will allow you to critically reflect on the study of childhoods in the UK and internationally to identify how to improve services for vulnerable children, young people and families. Bringing together elements of criminology and sociology, you can also learn to support the diverse needs of mentally disordered offenders based on mental health legislation in our Forensic Mental Health unit. If you are interested in studying offending among young people, our Gangs and Serious Youth Violence unit will allow you to explore the nature, extent and impact of this issue and how to respond effectively using policy, strategy and intervention. You may also want to consider the complex needs of offenders and how to effectively manage the prevention of reoffending in our Rehabilitation of the Offender unit or analyse the ideologies that motivate individuals and groups to resort to terrorism in our Terrorism in a Global Context unit. More interestingly, you can develop a theoretical understanding of addictive behaviours in our Addictions and Society unit such as gambling, gaming, substance misuse, pornography, food and more; or discuss voluntary or forced contexts of migration and displacement of people across the globe in our Refugees, Displacement and the Politics of Migration unit.
You may also want to explore the interaction between society, individuals, health and illness in our Sociology of Health and Illness unit that include topics such as end-of-life care, genetics, experiences of chronic illness and stigma. If you are passionate about human rights, our Human Rights and Global Governance unit will allow you to explore the role of governance and pressing issues in the field of human rights. In addition, you may also choose to explore the complex world of Cybercrime including issues such as cyber terrorism, cyberbullying and cyber hate; or examine the multifaceted relationship between the media, crime and culture with reference to crime journalism, novels, movies and TV dramas in our Crime and the Media unit. If you are passionate about the environment, then our unit in Green Criminology: Environmental Crime and Ecological Justice will allow you to explore a wide range of challenges around crimes against the environment and emerging discussions on sustainability.
Moreover, you will be able to explore the relationship between work, welfare and our daily lives including areas of health and social care, education, housing and pensions in our Work and Welfare in the 21st Century unit. If you are passionate about childcare, then our Childhoods in a Global Context unit will allow you to critically reflect on the study of childhoods in the UK and internationally to identify how to improve services for vulnerable children, young people and families.
Finally, you will have the choice of completing a SASS Change Maker Project Dissertation or Research Dissertation where you will develop and demonstrate academic and professional skills. In the project-based dissertation, you will have the opportunity to work with a community-based organisation to deliver a project while building on your research, presentation and project management skills. If you choose to undertake a research dissertation, this gives you an opportunity to develop a research proposal, consider the ethical implications of your work and conduct an in-depth, focused research enquiry around an area of professional interest. To equip you with the research skills in the field of social sciences, you will explore debates and theories in social research, identify quantitative and qualitative data research methods, and learn to interpret and analyse this data across different levels of your study with our units in an Introduction to Research and Social Enquiry, Research Methods 1: Collecting Data and Research Methods 2: Exploring Data.
To prepare you for your career, our unit in Career Planning for Social Scientists will support your career development journey by allowing you to identify your transferrable skills and articulate them in a confident, meaningful and positive manner. You will be able to apply these skills in The Social Sciences at Work unit where you will undertake relevant work experience with an organisation to gain insight into the professional workplace and the desirable knowledge and skills you need going into graduate employment. In addition, you will also be able to undertake a Professional Practice Year (Applied Social Studies) that will allow you to gain industry experience while also developing your professional skills.
How will you be assessed?
The diversity of assignments will enable students to practise and demonstrate their acquisition of knowledge skills and abilities. Assessment methods used across the course include: Written essay assignments - Oral presentations - Examinations - Viva Voce - Poster presentations - Application exercises - Reflective accounts Dissertation A range of formative assessments (ungraded) will take place to allow students to practice and receive feedback. At the end of the course success in the assessments will demonstrate the student's ability to analyse evaluate and synthesise knowledge and to communicate that knowledge in both written and oral presentational formats. They will be able to demonstrate sought after transferable critical skills by employers as evidenced in the course learning outcomes. The support mechanisms in place for students personal and academic developments are personal and academic tutors peer assisted leaders and the universitys student support services.
Careers
Because of the subject specialist knowledge and transferable skills gained you will be able to function effectively in any of the sectors indicated below:
Youth work Social work Early intervention Special needs education Teaching assistant Residential work Youth custody Migration/asylum support Third sector organisations Family support worker Learning mentor Youth Justice Residential work Policy advisor Probation service Victim support worker Research Substance Misuse Worker Teacher/Lecturer/Education Roles Equality and Diversity Officer Victim Care Officer MI5/ MI6 Counter terrorism Crown Prosecution Service Immigration centre Private security Human resources Local Govt Civil Service Private Sector Housing sector Advocacy and advice roles Forensic science Journalism Care delivery/management Prison Psychologist Customs and Border Roles Intelligence Analyst International Aid/Development Worker Legal Careers Counselling and Mental Health Roles etc.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
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International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
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International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.