The BA (Hons) Education and Sociology offers students with the opportunity to study Education and Sociology in equal proportions to Honours degree level (60 credits from each subject at each level). Students will combine the study of key issues facing contemporary societies, including globalization, the changing nature of work and the family, gender roles and multiculturalism, with the study of educational practices, processes and applications in a range of contexts and settings. In the second year of study, students will complete a placement module, which includes a two week vocational placement.

The Education Programme

In our Joint Honours Education Programme you will have the opportunity to study educational practices, processes and applications in a range of contexts and settings organised in four pathways which will equip you with academic knowledge of education as well as enable you to develop intellectual versatility and organisational flexibility.

• Psychology
  In the Psychology pathway, you will be introduced to key theoretical perspectives for studying the psychology of development.
• Policy and Philsophy
  In this pathway, you will explore different ideas about social justice and examine the ways in which education can sometimes promote aspiration, social mobility and fairness and also entrench divisions and inequalities in societies around the world.
• History and Sociology
  Structural relationships between education, social change and human development are examined in the History and Sociology pathway. The experiences of children and young people in contemporary and historical settings are explored and critical questions posed around the emergence of modern personalities and the taming of emotions.
• Applied
  In the Applied strand, you will have the opportunity to apply your knowledge and understanding to real world settings. Contemporary debates around education are reviewed and you can choose to develop your interest in a range of settings with special educational needs being a distinctive strength.

The Sociology Programme

The Sociology programme will provide you with a comprehensive and rigorous introduction to Sociology as a theoretically informed and evidence-based discipline. The programme has a strong theoretical core at each level which critically examines the major sociological traditions and perspectives as tools for understanding modern societies. This is paralleled by training in the analysis of empirical sociological research, the design of research programmes and the methods for collecting, interpreting and presenting sociological data.

You will be able to apply your core theoretical and empirical training to the critical and comparative analysis of major substantive sociological topics. These include the dynamics of multicultural societies, patterns of social divisions and how they relate to a global context. You will approach these issues by pursuing the distinctively sociological questions of the relationships between individuals, groups, institutions and wider social processes; the dynamics of stability and change and the distribution of power.

 Download the flier for the BA (Hons) Education and Sociology programme (PDF, 123KB)

You may also be interested in our other two undergraduate programmes:

• Education BA (Hons)
• Education and History BA (Hons)

As a Birmingham student you are part of an academic elite and will learn from world-leading experts. From the outset you will be encouraged to become an independent and self-motivated learner. We want you to be challenged and will encourage you to think for yourself.

Your learning will take place in a range of different settings, from scheduled teaching in lectures and small group tutorials, to self-study and peer group learning (for example preparing and delivering presentations with your classmates). To begin with you may find this way of working challenging, but rest assured that we’ll enable you to make this transition. You will have access to a comprehensive support system that will assist and encourage you, including personal tutors and welfare tutors who can help with both academic and welfare issues, and a formal transition review during your first year to check on your progress and offer you help for any particular areas where you need support. You will also have access to a wide range of dedicated e-learning, IT and library facilities within the School to support your studies.

The tutors in the School of Education and the School of Government and Society are experienced specialists and Professors teach both lectures and seminars at all levels of study. Our teaching and assessment strategy reflect this concern with the real world. As well as learning in lectures and seminars, students are asked to undertake a variety of enquiry based learning activities; undertaking small research projects, participating in public debates and working in groups to solve problems.

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CV’s and job applications will help give you the edge. 

Your Birmingham degree is evidence of your ability to succeed in a demanding academic environment. Employers target Birmingham students for their drive, diversity, communication and problem-solving skills, their team-working abilities and cultural awareness, and our graduate employment statistics have continued to climb at a rate well above national trends. If you make the most of the wide range of services you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

Graduates from our Joint BA (Hons) Education and Sociology degree will gain comprehensive knowledge of two disciplines and will allow you to develop a range of skills and practical experience which will enable you to pursue either educational or sociological study at a higher level or to secure employment as educationalists or sociologists. Reasoning, communication and organisational skills acquired from this programme, and practiced in the context of two disciplines, are readily transferable to a large number of professions and other careers. 

Transferable skills include: 

• written communication developed through writing essays; 
• oral communication skills gained through reasoned debates during seminars and presentations;
• ability to work as part of a team, through collaborative group work;
• research and analytical skills with the ability to judge and evaluate information;
• organisational and time management skills by prioritising tasks to ensure academic, social and work commitments are completed on time; 
• negotiation, informally with peers and formally with staff;
• problem solving; 
• IT skills.