Social Science

The social sciences offer some of the most powerful tools available for understanding the world we live in: why societies are structured the way they are, how inequalities persist and change, what drives human behaviour individually and collectively, and how institutions shape and are shaped by the people within them. For students who want to engage seriously with these questions but feel they need a stronger foundation before beginning a full degree, a social science foundation year provides exactly that: a well-supported introduction to university-level thinking and study.

At the University of Leeds this four-year, full-time programme places the foundation year at the start of a trajectory that leads into one of the university's social science degree courses. It is designed for students who feel they missed out on earlier educational opportunities and want to realise their potential, providing a firm grounding in the methods, concepts, and intellectual habits of the social sciences. You will develop your academic writing, critical reading, and analytical skills alongside an introduction to sociology, politics, economics, and related disciplines, building the confidence and competence needed to succeed in the degree years that follow.

Because the foundation year connects into a range of social science degrees at Leeds, the careers open to you after graduation depend on the specific discipline you study in the subsequent years. Social sciences graduates broadly move into careers in government, the civil service, education, social work, policy research, journalism, the third sector, business, and many other fields where the ability to understand human behaviour, analyse evidence, and communicate findings clearly is directly relevant. The foundation year route is a genuine and well-supported pathway into a full university education at one of the UK's leading social science departments, and it opens the same range of opportunities as any other entry route into those degrees.