Course details

Summary

If you want to study how the modern world came to be the way it is, what is happening and why, and what alternatives are possible, Sociology is for you.

The raw stuff of Sociology is human experience. Sociology is where human experience, both individual and public, singular and collective meet. These public and private stories make up the sociological imagination and this results in many different social realities.

We all exist within ever-changing social worlds, forces, groups, ideologies and institutions that make up what is called society. Sociology is the study of these ever-changing social realities and the sociological imagination that gives rise to them. Sociology is where you research, argue and critique the social world in all its fullness.

Sociologists investigate the structure of societies, organisations and groups. Their subject matter ranges from the intimacy of the family, the criminal gang, activities at the rugby game and rock festival, through to divisions of ethnicity, gender and class. All of these and many more areas, including globalisation, music, cities, technologies, environment, health and death, are included in the Sociology programme taught at UC.

This postgraduate diploma is ideal for graduates wishing to undertake advanced study in a humanities or social science specialisation. Like its sister programme, the Postgraduate Certificate in Arts, the PGDipArts is very flexible; students can choose between a number of course combinations, and it offers a convenient taught pathway to other postgraduate study opportunities.

A graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts will have an advanced level of knowledge in one discipline or area of specialisation cultivated over a full year of study or equivalent. During this time they will have developed such skills as:

• the ability to analyse and evaluate academic literature in that area
• the ability to synthesize information and communicate their findings in both oral and written form
• self-directed learning and intellectual independence.

Qualification structure and duration

A student must complete at least 120 points from taught courses, as approved by the Head of Department and the Dean of Arts.

Further study

Postgraduate Diploma in Arts graduates are well positioned to continue their studies. Subject to the approval of the Dean of Arts (and provided the courses fall within the time limits for the higher award), a student may transfer PGDipArts courses passed with a B grade or higher to:

the Bachelor of Arts with Honours

the coursework section of a master's degree (there are a number of taught master's operated by the College of Arts).

UC also offers a research-based Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy.

Career opportunities

Sociologists are employed in a diverse range of occupations in the private and public sectors of the economy. Their skills are drawn on in private sector research organisations, consultancies, social policy, criminal justice, media firms and a wide range of social movements or community development projects.

They also carry out research for government departments on topics such as the distribution of income and wealth and gender and ethnic equality. Employment in government departments can also involve policy development and analysis, drafting new legislation and analysing the benefits and costs of different social policies.

Sociology graduates make for good teachers and researchers in universities, polytechnics, continuing education providers and schools.

Entry criteria

Candidates must have qualified for a Bachelor of Arts or an equivalent degree and satisfied the prerequisites for the subject concerned. Prerequisites vary between departments, but normally good grades in 300-level courses in that subject are required.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum B+ grade; CAE or CPE score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 64 and no PTE communicative skills score below 58.