BA (Hons) Politics and Sociology Bachelor's degree at the University of Sheffield
BA (Hons) Politics and Sociology at University of Sheffield. Politics and Sociology sit naturally together, since neither discipline fully makes sense without the other: personal attitudes, identities and everyday experiences are shaped by wider political structures, and vice versa.
About this course
This is the perfect course if you’re looking to understand how personal attitudes and experiences relate to wider issues in politics. You'll be able to explore modules from both disciplines, which means you can analyse key topics such as globalisation, migration and gender from a political perspective and then exa From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Politics and Sociology is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at the University of Sheffield, based in Main Campus. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Sociology graduates from this provider, 100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 60% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £25,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Politics & International Relations, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 100% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 95% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
First year 10 modules
- Political Analysis 1: An Introduction to Research and ScholarshipCore20 credits
Module details
The first part of three key modules taken throughout your degree, Political Analysis 1 will introduce you to the study of politics as an academic discipline. You will discover different ways to research the dynamics of different political worlds and acquire the foundational knowledge and skills needed to build, test and evaluate rigorous accounts of political problems.
- Thinking Politically: Key ConceptsCore20 credits
Module details
Introduces a range of core concepts that inform the study of politics and international relations in the twenty-first century: politics, the state, authority, power, democracy, rights, justice, freedom, nations, and populism. You will discover how these concepts shape our understanding of the political world around us, and learn how to engage in conceptual analysis.
- Introduction to Social TheoryCore20 credits
Module details
Introduces you to major interventions and advances in social theory in the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. It focuses on a variety of crucial theories of social relations, conditions, and processes, such as social conflict, exchange, power, and resistance.
- Theories of SocietyCore20 credits
Module details
Aims for in-depth investigations of decisive advances in sociology's theoretical inquiry into social relations, conditions, and processes. You will receive guidance in interpreting key concepts and ideas in a range of different contributions to social theory.
- Understanding and challenging inequality: Sociological and policy debateCore20 credits
Module details
Aims to develop your understanding of societal inequalities and divisions, and of societal debates and actions to challenge and transform societal discourses, relations and structures that underpin social inequalities and divisions. Explores issues including social welfare, childhood, migration, crime, the digital world, and decolonisation.
- Gender PoliticsOptional20 credits
Module details
Aims to interrogate the role of gender and sex in shaping world politics. Asks how notions of masculinity and femininity shape our institutions, how gender might influence the political problems we prioritise and whose voices are taken seriously.
- British PoliticsOptional20 credits
Module details
Introduces the key concepts and debates that have shaped British politics with an emphasis on history, institutions and culture. Provides key employability skills and practice based knowledge through a focus on the theory and practice of political decision-making processes.
- Global Political EconomyOptional20 credits
Module details
Investigates the interaction between political and economic forces in contemporary and historical capitalism. Consider key mainstream and critical theories and major processes of trade, production and exploitation.
- Western Political ThoughtOptional20 credits
Module details
Introduces political theory as a distinctive way of thinking about politics. Engages with some of the most influential and renowned thinkers from the history of Western political thought, critically analysing questions of power, justice and legitimacy.
- World PoliticsOptional20 credits
Module details
Serves as an introduction to International Relations as a discipline. Engages in key international relations concepts and discussions, including migration, climate change, poverty and global inequalities, sexual violence and armed conflict.
Second year 1 modules
- Sociological Theory and AnalysisCore
Module details
Builds upon your understanding of sociological theory by encouraging you to explore its relevance to key themes and issues in contemporary society. Explores major theoretical works in critical social theory, feminist social thought, the critique of colonialism, and cultural theory.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
Across the degree you'll build up from core theory in both politics and sociology, giving you the conceptual grounding to make sense of debates on power, inequality, identity and the state. Alongside this sits a strand on research and methods, where you learn how political and sociological knowledge is actually produced, how to design a study, gather evidence and interpret it critically, skills that carry into whatever you do afterwards. Applied practice modules push you to take theory out of the seminar room and apply it to real political and social issues, while specialist options let you angle your final years towards the topics that interest you most, such as globalisation, migration or gender, viewed through both disciplinary lenses. An independent project gives you the chance to pursue a question of your own choosing in depth, working with the support of a supervisor, and there's also a professional skills strand aimed at translating academic ability into the kind of communication, analysis and organisation that employers value. Together these elements mean you're not just accumulating knowledge but learning how to construct an argument, test it against evidence, and defend it, skills that both disciplines share but arrive at differently.
Who it's for
This course suits someone who's curious about why people think and vote the way they do, and who wants to understand that curiosity from more than one angle. If you find yourself questioning why political debates around migration, gender or globalisation play out the way they do, and you're not satisfied with an answer that only looks at institutions, or only looks at individuals, this dual approach will feel like a natural fit. You'll need to be comfortable reading widely, forming your own view, and then being willing to revise it when a new argument or piece of evidence challenges it. Seminar discussion, essay writing and independent research all feature heavily, so an interest in debate and a willingness to write and rewrite your thinking are more useful than any single set of skills you already have. Most entrants arrive with A-levels or equivalent (around 95% of accepted students in recent years), typically within the 144–159 UCAS tariff band, though this reflects what students have generally held rather than a fixed requirement. If you're someone who enjoys connecting big-picture political questions to everyday social experience, and you want three years to explore that properly rather than settle for a single-discipline view, this is worth serious consideration.
Careers & job market
Nationally, across Politics & International Relations courses, 85% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating, and 60% of those in work are in roles classed as highly skilled. These figures relate to the field nationally rather than to this specific course or university, so treat them as context rather than a guarantee. On earnings, national data (Graduate Outcomes/LEO) shows starting salaries in the region of £24,000–£32,000 at 15 months, £21,675–£30,600 after three years, and £27,200–£38,400 after five years, again, national figures rather than figures specific to Sheffield graduates, and not a promise of what any individual will earn. Around 90% of students nationally continue past their first year, either still enrolled or having completed, which gives some sense of how manageable the transition into this kind of degree tends to be. The combination of political and sociological training is often relevant to careers involving research, policy, public affairs, journalism, the third sector or further postgraduate study, given the analytical and research skills built into the course.
University & format
You'll study full-time over three years at the University of Sheffield's main campus, working towards a BA (Hons) under UCAS code LL23. Sheffield is a public university and a member of the Russell Group, founded in 1905, and holds a Silver award in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 for teaching quality. All teaching is delivered in English, and the course sits within the university's recognised, nationally accredited degree-awarding provision.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Optional placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 95% |
| a Baccalaureate | 5% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code LL23). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at University of Sheffield →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Politics & International Relations graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £25,000 | £23,500 – £30,000 | 35 |
| 3 years after | £23,000 | £20,000 – £27,000 | 85 |
| 5 years after | £29,000 | £24,500 – £36,500 | 90 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in politics & international relations · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Politics & International Relations nationally
National figures for Politics & International Relations graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Politics & International Relations courses at the same study level.
Compared with 690 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 20% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
- Administrative occupationsSOC 2020 41 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,006
- Welfare and housing associate professionalsSOC 2020 322 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,937
- Legal professionalsSOC 2020 241 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £45,000
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 130; response rate: 62%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Politics & International Relations graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Politics & International Relations graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Government & civil service (FCDO)
- Think tanks
- NGOs
- Public-affairs agencies
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Politics & International Relations graduates.
Head of History & PoliticsProspero TeachingExaminer - GCE A Level Politics (2017 specification).PearsonA Level PoliticsBURNLEY COLLEGESocial & Audience Engagement Producer (Politics & World News)SkyHead of the School of Area Studies Sociology History Politics and LiteratureUniversity of PortsmouthHead of History and politicsCV-LibraryIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £25,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.3 out of 10: NSS 83.9% · in work or study 100% · continued 95%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Sheffield
Social sciences across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Main Campus
2,964 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Politics & International Relations right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Sheffield from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by University of Sheffield; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Sheffield’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Sheffield and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
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What are the entry requirements?
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What will it cost me?
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