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About University of Galway
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Guiding Breakthrough Research at University of Galway
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Community Engagement
Community Engagement
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Social Science
Course Overview
Do you see yourself at the forefront of tackling some of the most crucial and pressing social, ecological and economic issues of our times? Do you regard yourself as ambitious and driven, with a strong disposition towards leadership, innovation and thinking and acting differently about local, national and global issues? Then the contemporary and innovative BSc (Social Sciences) Degree programme is for you!
“It’s a mark of our humanity that we want to understand how we live in society!”
The BSc (Social Science) programme is aimed at motivated school leavers and mature students who have a strong penchant for the study of some of the most fundamental issues and concerns for modern society and the environment. The programme strongly focuses on the applied nature of the Social Sciences and will equip students with practical research skills, in addition to focussing on career development and readiness, and further educational opportunities. There is an international fieldtrip in year two, a significant workplace internship in year three, and dissertation or research project component in year four, giving students practical real-world experience and knowledge of working in areas of Social Scientific inquiry. The growth in interdisciplinary study and research is building crucial knowledge and supporting the national capacity to respond to complex societal challenges by providing new solutions that cannot be provided by one discipline alone. This pioneering interdisciplinary Social Sciences degree programme draws on key strengths of Schools and Disciplines right across the College of Arts, university-wide Research Institutes and Centres, and innovation and entrepreneurial programs right across the University. Supporting and advocating the value and need for social scientific research to key decision-makers and policy designers, in addition to community activism and advocacy, forms an intrinsic part of the Social Sciences programme ethos.
Watch our introductory video from our May 2021 Virtual Open Day
Applications and Selections
Who Teaches this Course
Requirements and Assessment
Key Facts
Entry Requirements
Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Grades in the Leaving Certificate including Irish, English, another language, and three other subjects recognised for entry purposes.
Additional Requirements
Duration
4 years
Next start date
September 2023
A Level Grades (2022)
universityofgalway.ie/alevels
Average intake
40
QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes
Closing Date
NFQ level
Mode of study
ECTS weighting
Award
CAO
GY123
Course code
Course Outline
Curriculum Information
Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.
Glossary of Terms
- Credits
- You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
- Module
- An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
- Subject
- Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
- Optional
- A module you may choose to study.
- Required
- A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
- Required Core Subject
- A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
- Semester
- Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.
Year 1 (60 Credits)
Required SP1125: Introduction to Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 1Required SP1120: Practicing Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required EC1110: Introduction to Economic Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required TI1100: Geography in Practice - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required TI150: Principles of Human Geography - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required BSS1100: Digital Citizenship - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required BSS1101: Introduction to the Study of the Social Sciences - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required SP1126: Introduction to Sociology - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required SP1121: Practicing Sociology - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required TI151: Principles of Physical Geography - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required BSS1102: Digital Skills for the Social Sciences - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Year 2 (60 Credits)
Optional SP2116: Sociology of Health - 5 Credits - Semester 3Required SP235: Social Issues and Policy Responses - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required SP216.I: European Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required TI2102: Introduction To GIS - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Required TI251: Theory & Practice in Geography I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required BSS2103: Introduction to Sustainability 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required TI229: Political & Cutural Geography: Identity, Race & the Nation - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional SP212: Classical Social Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional SP215.II: Modern Political Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required BSS2101: Cooperative Learning and Group Research Methods - 10 Credits - Semester 4
Required TI252: Theory & Practice in Geography II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required SP220: Methods For Social And Political Science - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Year 3 (60 Credits)
Optional TI254: Space, Place and the Irish Landscape - 5 Credits - Semester 5Optional EC267: Economics of Public and Social Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Optional TI235: Biogeography - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Optional SP404: Development And Change - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Optional TI216: Aimsir Agus Aeraid/ Weather And Climate - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Optional SP3195: Equality, Diversity and Collective Action - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required BSS3100: Professional Skills and Pathways for Social Scientists - 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required MG3113: Megatrends - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Optional BSS3101: Work Placement for Social Scientists - 30 Credits - Semester 6
Optional BSS3103: Research Placement for Social Scientists - 30 Credits - Semester 6
Optional BSS3102: International Work Placement for Social Scientists - 30 Credits - Semester 6
Optional BSS3105: Global Engagement Module - 5 Credits - Semester 6
Year 4 (60 Credits)
Optional TI369: Geographical Perspectives on Rural Change - 5 Credits - Semester 7Optional SP219: Political Sociology - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional TI3113: Long-term Environmental Change - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional TI326: War & Representation: Spaces & Politics of the Media - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional TI3127: Critical Geographies of Children - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional SP3197: Thinking Politically: The Power of Ideas - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required TI335: Research Project Design & Development - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional SP3141: Socially-Engaged Art and Relations of Power - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP305: Comparative Public Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3137: Youth and Society - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3139: Comparative Government and Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional TI230: Economic Geography - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional TI311: Advanced Gis - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional TI3117: Migration, Mobility and Belonging - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional TI324: Urban Geography: Planning the Modern City - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP420: Sociology Of The Environment - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP618: Welfare Words: Key Words in Social Work & Social Welfare - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP721: Ocean and Marine Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SPL315.II: Smart & Liveable Cities and Suburbs - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP419: Marxist Theory - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3193: Introduction to Social Work - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3194: Theories of Nationalism - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3192: Sociology of Religion - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3129: Sexualities, Genders and Diversities - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional WS821.II: Thinking Differently: European Women's Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP405: Contemporary Social Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3144: Political Liberty - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3103: European Union: Political Theory and Pol. Economy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3198: Songs of Rebellion: Power, Resistance, and Affect - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3209: The Sociology of the Bioeconomy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3150: Teaching Methods for the Politics and Society Classroom - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3101: 'Community' - Significance and Change - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SPL304: Women, Men & the Economy: Critical Explorations of Theory & Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3133: The Northern Ireland Conflict - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required BSS4100: Research Seminar in Social Sciences - 20 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3134: Human Rights Advocacy: Concepts, Law and Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Further Education
Graduates of the BSc (Social Sciences) programme will be equipped with the talents, knowledge and experience to undertake a wide range of research-based or taught postgraduate programmes. With its strong focus on the applied nature of the Social Sciences, students undertaking the programme develop very practical contemporary skills that are immensely advantageous to the broad range of postgraduate opportunities currently available. The University offers an array of taught master’s degree and postgraduate diploma programmes of interest to Social Sciences graduates. In the past number of years, the College has also pioneered the development of structured PhD programmes which combine the traditional research dissertation of the PhD with generic and discipline-specific training modules designed to enhance students’ skills and employability. The work-based internship in year three of the programme will be an invaluable asset in the toolkit of graduates of the Social Sciences programme. Some suggested postgraduate courses on for Social Science graduates:
- Environment, Society, and Development (MA)
- Rural Futures Planning and Innovation (MA)
- Journalism (MA)
- Politics and Sociology (MA)
- Public Policy (MA)
- Social Work (MA)
- Digital Media (MA)
- Professional Master of Education (PME).
For a full list of further study options at NUI Galway please see: www.nuigalway.ie/courses/taughtpostgraduatecourses/.
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
The BSc (Social Sciences) programme offers clear pathways that lead to an array of career opportunities across a wide range of interests including governmental, agency and business and industry sectors. Guidance will be offered throughout the programme to ensure students are undertaking the most appropriate modules for their own personal career goals and development. Careers post-graduation include (but are not limited to); Irish and international NGO’s, Agencies and authorities at local, national, EU and international levels, Public Service, Politics, Irish Aid Programmes, Community Work, Security and Crime Prevention, Contemporary Urban Planning, Environmental & Sustainability Policy, International Development, Human Resource Management, Business and Industry, Marketing, Industrial Relations, Journalism, the media and an array of social research opportunities. With the emphasis on broad societal contemporary challenges, the programme also offers new and existing opportunities for students to develop careers in business, industry and commerce, working with private sector companies, SMEs and multinationals, by proving unique understandings of innovation and entrepreneur processes and practices.
Who’s Suited to This Course
Students who choose the BSc (Social Sciences) degree programme at NUI Galway are innovator and potential leaders seeking to understand and tackle the most challenging social, ecological and economic issues in contemporary society. They are frontrunners in informed decision-making pursuing accurate and feasible solutions to global issues and concerns based on fundamentally sound empirical evidence and research. The programme gives students the tools to address and tackle these grand societal concerns and problems and Social Science graduates offer a wide range of skills that are invaluable to present-day employers across the public, private and third sectors. These include the ability to understand complex issues in a holistic manner, on individual and cultural and societal levels; research, analyse and evaluate data critically; question flawed assumptions; understand people, institutions and their relationships; understand processes of change; make reasoned arguments; communicate concisely and clearly and solve pressing problems with ingenuity and a passion to do good.
Learning Outcomes
Transferable Skills Employers Value
Work Placement
Study Abroad
Related Student Organisations
Course Fees
Fees: EU
Fees: Tuition
Fees: Student Contribution
Fees: Student levy
Fees: Non EU
EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy €140 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.