What you will study: Sociology at the University of Surrey is taught within our interdisciplinary School of Social Sciences, which enables students to learn about related topics in criminology and media and communication during their degree and to shape their course to suit their interests through optional modules. Our sociology degree aims to provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of how people shape, but are also shaped by, the world around them. Studying a Sociology degree at Surrey you’ll develop a detailed and critical understanding of societies and the social processes and relations that link individuals, groups and institutions, such as the family, education, the economy, criminal justice, the media, health, community and the welfare state. Your studies will help you to develop your sociological imagination, challenge common assumptions and analyse current issues in a new light. In an increasingly unstable and rapidly changing world, you will focus your thinking on big questions concerning inequalities and social justice, such as those relating to social class, gender, ethnicity, age, disability, religion and sexuality, and social challenges at both the local and global level, including major issues like the effects of international migration, the impact of artificial intelligence, the abuse of human rights, and responses to the environmental crisis. Through research methods training from your first year onwards, you will gain an understanding of qualitative and quantitative methods which is valued by many employers. Our degree in sociology also provides opportunities for you to reflect on how sociological approaches can address contemporary problems in society and how you can enact positive, sustainable improvements. You’ll graduate ready to positively impact policy, organisations and society at a local, national and global level. Foundation yearIf you don’t meet our entry requirements, you might still be able to apply for this degree with a Social Sciences Foundation Year. This is an extra year of study to develop your skills and make it easier for you to get started at university. On successful completion of your foundation year, you’ll be ready to progress to the first year of your degree. To see what modules you’ll be studying, refer to the foundation tab in the 'course structure' section.