Overview

The details

Course: Social Change

UCAS code: L400

Start date: October 2025

Study mode: Full-time

Duration: 3 years

Location: Colchester Campus

Based in: Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)

If you're looking to change the world, our BA Social Change is designed for you. With increasing awareness of global issues, there has never been a more vital time to contribute meaningfully to social change. In this course, you'll tackle issues from ethics to sustainability and gain a historical perspective on the forces that have shaped our multicultural and interconnected world.

On this flexible degree, you'll broaden your knowledge whilst acquiring the tools required to address today's pressing social problems, transform society and make a positive change in an increasingly globalised world. Through social action projects and by participating in group community projects, you'll gain practical experiences and develop the high-level transferrable skills required to make a real-world difference. Along the way, you'll build the skills needed to take on global challenges as an effective social change leader.

BA Social Change will equip you with the theoretical and practical skills required of a future change-maker. Throughout the course you'll cover key areas including but not limited to:

Community engagement
Sustainability
Human rights
Social justice
Individualism

Based within our School of Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, this course enables you to explore social change across multiple disciplinary perspectives. The flexible structure of this course allows you to choose a range of optional modules across sociology, philosophy, history, politics, human rights, literature and more.

Why we're great.

You can tailor your degree to suit your unique interests and goals by choosing from a range of modules.
Our courses can also be taken as a four-year option including a year of study abroad or a work placement.
You are taught by a team of international experts in a range of subjects.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond our University campus. We support you in this by providing the option of an additional year. The five-year version of our degree allows you to spend the fourth year studying abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the four-year course.

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to 糖心Vlog for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

Placement year

Alternatively, you can spend your third year on a placement year with an external organisation, where you learn about a particular sector, company or job role, apply your academic knowledge in a practical working environment, and receive inspiration for future career pathways. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our .

Our expert staff

We are a team of internationally recognised writers and lecturers with expertise across the arts, humanities and social sciences. You are taught by a highly qualified, enthusiastic team with wide-ranging research interests and a proven academic scholarship.

Our staff teach in departments across the University, and specialise in a wide range of topics including literature, film, history of art, history, politics and sociology.

Current research explores indigenous experiences of colonialism, public sociology, nature writing, contemporary world cinema, wealth inequalities, environmental humanities, and community activism.

Specialist facilities

Take advantage of our extensive learning resources to assist you in your studies:

A comprehensive which will direct you to the best source of advice and support in the case of personal or academic difficulties
Access a variety of textbooks and journals in the
Attend an exciting programme of events

Your future

Through BA Social Change you'll gain an all-round education, acquiring a diverse set of skills and a wide range of knowledge. As a flexible and creative thinker and doer, you will be able to adapt to a rapidly evolving world of work.

Our course provides you with an excellent basis for going onto a career in charity, fundraising, PR and the media, law, government and more.

We also work with the university's to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Entry requirements

Clearing entry requirements

We currently have places available in Clearing across a range of courses, with most offers at BBC–CCD (112–88 UCAS tariff points) or equivalent. Grade requirements may be lower in some cases, and some courses may also have subject specific requirements. We consider each application individually so get in touch if your grades are below those outlined here.

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found

If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

English language shelf-life

Most English language qualifications have a validity period of 5 years. The validity period of Pearson Test of English, TOEFL and CBSE or CISCE English is 2 years.

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

Pre-sessional English courses

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Pending English language qualifications

You don鈥檛 need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.

If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk .

Requirements for second and final year entry

Different requirements apply for second and final year entry, and specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a visa to study in the UK. Details of English language requirements, including UK Visas and Immigration minimum component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found

Additional Notes

If you鈥檙e an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the Year 2 Final Year

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

The Sociological Imagination

(30 CREDITS)

How can sociology help you understand the world in which you live? What are some of the major features and trends in present-day societies? Using sociological tools, you analyse key features of different societies, such as stratification, poverty, racism, consumption, multinational corporations, religion, and the gender division of labour in low-income countries. This module has been designed to enable students to integrate their subject knowledge with an understanding of sustainable development, acquiring the skills and competencies essential for addressing the urgent sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

Foundations of Human Rights

(30 CREDITS)

What are human rights? How do we protect them? And what challenges do we face when promoting human rights on an international level? Discover the fundamental principles and practices, including topics related to international law and ethics, which underpin the protection and promotion of our human rights.

COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY

Interdisciplinary Research and Problem-Solving: An Introduction

(15 CREDITS)

The world does not have disciplines; it has problems. What's more, the most important problems we face - problems like climate change, migration, sustainable economic production, democratic governance, and so on - cannot be solved with the tools of any single discipline. Such problems require collaborative, creative, and interdisciplinary approaches, and this module introduces students to this type of interdisciplinary thinking. Students will learn how to approach complex problems by drawing on theories and methods from multiple disciplines, learning how to think flexibly and work with others to find creative solutions to real-world problems.

COMPONENT 04: COMPULSORY

Ways of Knowing

(15 CREDITS)

This interdisciplinary module explores the rich diversity of ways of knowing the world. We examine different frameworks of knowing that have characterised and shaped human societies historically and today.

COMPONENT 05: OPTIONAL

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 06: COMPULSORY

Beyond the BA: Skills for the Next Step

(0 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

The World in Question: The Social, Cultural, Political & Environmental Legacies of the Enlightenment

(30 CREDITS)

How have contemporary societies been shaped by the legacies of the Enlightenment, colonialism, and the different phases of capitalism? This interdisciplinary module helps you to critically understand some of the key forces and processes that have shaped the challenges we face in the 20th and 21st century. It is divided into three broad themes; Empire, The Self, and Nature. We鈥檒l be examining processes of 鈥榦thering鈥� that were intrinsic to colonialism; changing conceptions of the self; as well as both the causes of and potential solutions to the ecological crisis we are confronting today. The module is co-taught by academics from Art History, ISC, LiFTs, Philosophy, Psychoanalytic Studies and Sociology. This module has been designed to enable students to integrate their subject knowledge with an understanding of sustainable development, acquiring the skills and competencies essential for addressing the urgent sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

Social Entrepreneurs, Sustainability and Community Action

(15 CREDITS)

Did you know that the not-for-profit sector is expanding fast in the UK, and offers meaningful jobs that can contribute to positive social change and ecological sustainability? This module introduces you to this sector and the concept and practice of social entrepreneurship using case studies of initiatives that have helped local communities, disadvantaged people and the environment. It also gives you the opportunity to develop your skills and use your creativity and imagination to design your own project or enterprise. This module has been designed to enable students to integrate their subject knowledge with an understanding of sustainable development, acquiring the skills and competencies essential for addressing the urgent sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 04: OPTIONAL

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 05: OPTIONAL

(15 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

Dangerous Ideas: Essays and Manifestos as Social Criticism Capstone

(30 CREDITS)

Is Montaigne right to wonder whether Westerners are worse off morally than tribes who practice cannibalism? What kind of writing does George Orwell champion? What did Marx and Engels achieve with 鈥楾he Communist Manifesto鈥�? Examine the 鈥榙angerous ideas鈥� presented in a range of subversive essays and manifestos. Study how they challenge and satirise existing ideas and social arrangements. Experiment with writing, thus broadening the approach of your own essays.

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

Community Engagement: Group Projects

(15 CREDITS)

This module offers final year students a unique opportunity to work together in an interdisciplinary team on a real-world project for a local partner organisation. It enables you to use the knowledge and skills you鈥檝e acquired during your degree to address a real-world challenge, while sharing and developing your creative, organisational and practical abilities. By doing so, this module will prepare you for entering the graduate labour market or going on to post-graduate study. This module has been designed to enable students to integrate their subject knowledge with an understanding of sustainable development, acquiring the skills and competencies essential for addressing the urgent sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 04: OPTIONAL

(45 CREDITS)

Placement

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Teaching

Taught mostly through lectures plus seminars of fewer than twenty students
You take a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar for most of your modules every week
Other teaching methods will depend on your individual combination of subjects

Assessment

Assessed through a combination of coursework and end-of-year examinations
Other assessment methods will depend on your individual combination of subjects

Fees and funding

Home/UK fee

£9,535 per year

International fee

£20,475 per year

Fees will increase for each academic year of study.

Home/UK fees and funding information

International fees and funding information

What's next

Our events are a great way to find out more about studying at 糖心Vlog. We run a number of Open Days throughout the year which enable you to discover what our campus has to offer. You have the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation
find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more
meet our students and staff

Check out our Visit Us pages to find out more information about booking onto one of our events. And if the dates aren鈥檛 suitable for you, feel free to book a campus tour here.

2025 Open Days (Colchester Campus)

Saturday 20 September 2025 - September Open Day

Saturday 8 November 2025 - November Open Day

Find out more

How to apply during Clearing

Once you’ve checked that we have the right course for you, applying couldn’t be simpler. Fill in our quick and easy with as much detail as you can. We’ll then take a look and get back to you with a decision.

Find out more about Clearing

Interviews

We don’t interview all applicants during Clearing, however, we will only make offers for the following courses after a successful interview:

BA Multimedia Journalism
BSc Nursing (Adult)
BSc Nursing (Mental Health)
BA Social Work

The interview allows our academics to find out more about you, and in turn you’ll be able to ask us any questions you might have. Further details will be emailed to you if you are shortlisted for interview.

A sunny day with banners flying on Colchester Campus Square 4.

Set within 200 acres of award-winning parkland - Wivenhoe Park and located two miles from the historic city centre of Colchester 鈥� England's oldest recorded development. Our Colchester Campus is also easily reached from London and Stansted Airport in under one hour.

Find out more

View from Square 2 outside the Rab Butler Building looking towards Square 3

If you live too far away to come to 糖心Vlog (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tours allows you to explore our University from the comfort of your home. Check out our and to see accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.

At 糖心Vlog we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our . The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.