Social Policy and Sociology

Social policy and sociology together offer a compelling way to understand both the structural forces that shape society and the institutional responses societies make to the challenges those forces generate. Sociology provides the theoretical and empirical tools to analyse how contemporary societies are organised, how inequalities of class, race, gender and disability are produced and reproduced, and how social change occurs. Social policy examines the welfare state, public services and the political decisions that determine how resources and life chances are distributed, asking what works, for whom and at what cost.

At Bristol this three-year full-time programme includes a foundation year to develop the academic and analytical foundations you need before entering the main degree. You will engage with sociological theory from classical thinkers to contemporary frameworks, alongside quantitative and qualitative research methods that allow you to investigate social questions rigorously. The social policy strand takes you into the analysis of health, education, housing, welfare, criminal justice and social care, examining how different political philosophies approach these areas and what evidence says about the effects of different policies.

Bristol is a research-intensive university with strong traditions in both disciplines, and a typical entry tariff of 168 points reflects the programme's competitive character.

Graduates of social policy and sociology programmes are well prepared for careers in the civil service, local government, social research, health and social care management, public policy, the charitable sector, community development, education, journalism and international development. The combination of sociological analysis and policy knowledge is particularly valued by employers who need graduates who can both understand complex social problems and think clearly about institutional responses to them. Postgraduate study in social policy, sociology, public administration, social work or criminology provides routes for those who want to specialise further or pursue academic research.