Key information
Duration: 3 years full time
UCAS code: LV35
Institution code: R72
Campus: Egham
The course
Sociology and Philosophy (BA)
Our Department of Law and Criminology and Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy have excellent reputations for research and teaching. Studying sociology and philosophy here means that you will learn from internationally renowned experts who will share their research and experience so that you gain invaluable skills for your future career.
The degree brings the social sciences into conversation with a range of philosophical traditions from contemporary analytic philosophy to ancient Stoic thought and is perfect for you if you wish to benefit from thinking practically about how society works with the flexibility to choose philosophical subjects of particular interest to you.
The first and second year of this degree will see you studying a number of mandatory modules which will give you a good grounding in both sociology and philosophy. For your second year you will also study a number of optional modules from both sociology and philosophy whilst your third year will see you doing your dissertation in either sociology or philosophy as well as a number of optional modules, which may include Sociology of Health and Illness, Race, Ethnicity and Migration, Bioethics and Existentialist Ethics.
Our balanced approach to research and teaching guarantees high quality teaching from subject leaders, cutting edge materials and intellectually challenging debates. You will receive individual attention and flexibility to acquire expertise within your fields of interest.
Upon completion of the course you will have acquired:
- An understanding of a range of social platforms and policy issues
- Key critical thinking skills – you will be able to analyse and understand the assumptions which inform central philosophical traditions
- The ability to argue convincingly in writing and orally
- Gain an understanding of a range of social platforms and policy issues.
- Learn to argue convincingly in writing and orally.
We sometimes make changes to our courses to improve your experience. If this happens, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.
Course structure
Core Modules
Year 1
You will take the following modules in Philosophy:
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The ‘new philosophy’ of the seventeenth century set the modern philosophical agenda by asking fundamental questions concerning knowledge and understanding and the relation between science and other human endeavours, which subsequently became central to the European Enlightenment. This module aims to familiarise you with the origins of empiricist and rationalist/idealist thought, focussing on the work of Descartes and Locke. The module will enable you to develop your close reading skills, and will give you the opportunity to see how arguments are developed across the length of philosophical texts.
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Knowledge is often thought to be the highest achievement of rational creatures, the thing that distinguishes us from other animals and is the basis of our ability to predict and control our environment. Beginning with the most Platonic of questions—‘what is knowledge?’—this course introduces you to basic topics in contemporary epistemology. Among the questions it goes on to address are: why is knowledge valuable?; how do we acquire knowledge and how do we pass it on to others?; how do we become better knowers?; is there such a thing as collective knowledge?; do animals have knowledge?; is there such a thing as knowledge at all?
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On this module you’ll learn to reason critically: to distinguish between bad arguments and good ones, supporting evidence from mere distraction. Everybody has the basic ability to do this, but it is not always as developed we need it to be: and in this complex world being able to present your point forcefully and rationally is vitally important. The aim of this module is to help you develop the skills required to get the most out of your degree.
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In this module you will develop an understanding of ancient philosophical ideas and the ways in which philosophical arguments are presented and analysed. You will look at the thought and significance of the principal ancient philosophers, from the Presocratics to Aristotle, and examine sample texts such as Plato's 'Laches' and the treatment of the virtue of courage in Aristotle, 'Nicomachean Ethics' 3.6-9.
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This module introduces you to key classical and contemporary social theories, including the ‘founding fathers’ of continental European sociology (Durkheim, Marx, and Weber) and the originators of US sociology (including Parsons, Goffman, and Garfunkel).
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This module explores contemporary social issues, including poverty, inequality, unemployment and discrimination. You will learn about the foundations of the welfare state as well as social policies in areas such as education, housing, health and family life. Key questions to be discussed include: What are the most important social problems in contemporary society? Is the welfare state in crisis? Why are young people more vulnerable to unemployment? How does the media influence our perceptions of social problems?
Year 2
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In this module you’ll look at key texts by Immanuel Kant, which are the foundation of Modern European Philosophy. These texts raise questions concerning the status of human knowledge and the nature and justification of human action that have concerned philosophers ever since. The module considers Kant's Critique of Pure Reason and the core theme is how philosophy responds to the situation in which it can no longer rely on theological support for its claims about truth and morality. The questions raised by the module recur in most of the main Philosophy courses studied from the second year onwards.
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In this module you will develop an understanding of how the rationalist and empiricist traditions in philosophy influence contemporary thought in the philosophy of mind. You will look at the continuing relevance of the mind-body problem to the question of what it is to be a human being and consider the connections between the analytic and European traditions in philosophy with respect to language, subjectivity, and the phenomenology of experience. You will also examine the importance of consciousness to contemporary debates in philosophy, psychology and cognitive science.
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This module provides you with a sociological analysis of contemporary society, helping you to understand major social and economic changes in the contemporary world through key sociological debates concerning, amongst others, the changing nature of the organisation of production and the changing nature of class. You will also examine the transformation of cultural forms in contemporary society and apply these theories to contemporary social issues.
Year 3
- All modules are optional
- All modules are optional
Optional Modules
Below is a taster of some of the exciting optional modules that students on the course could choose from during this academic year. Please be aware these do change over time, and optional modules may be withdrawn or new ones added.
Year 1
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All modules are core
Year 2
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This module provides you with an introduction to the philosophical issues in social research. You will look at ethics in social research and theory, quantitative versus qualitative methods, sampling, observation, interviewing, media analysis, and questionnaire design. You will be given the opportunity to work through the research process on a topic of independent study of your choosing.
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This module covers various issues in the philosophy of psychiatry. Addressing these issues requires the application of insights from a range of philosophical fields, including philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of medicine, practical ethics, and metaphysics. Studying philosophy of psychiatry can be a great way to think about some difficult, highly theoretical philosophical issues including free will, mental causation, and explanation, all of which find natural application in the field of psychiatry. Philosophy of Psychiatry is also one of the few areas of philosophy that routinely combines both ‘analytic’ and ‘continental’ philosophical perspectives.
Year 3
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The aim of this module is to consider the main directions of eighteenth-century and post-Kantian aesthetics, in particular the issues that have arisen about what it means to consider objects—whether art or nature—aesthetically, and an analysis of concepts bound up with this “aesthetic attitude”, such as disinterestedness, beauty and the sublime. Each week will focus on one issue surrounding the question of taste, of judgements of beauty and the sublime and of the aesthetic experience, from Hume, through Kant, to the present day. Particularly attention will be paid to non-artistic aesthetic experiences, such as those of the natural world, and, as much as feasible, attention will also be paid to art and aesthetics produced outside the modern European tradition, such as aesthetics in the Islamic world.
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The module will provide the opportunity for you to apply theoretical skills developed in relation to philosophy of art and aesthetics to practical problems in some of the following domains: curating, gallery education, artistic practice, art criticism and the management of cultural institutions. After an initial five weeks of theoretical discussions around historical and contemporary art, you will work closely with the curators of Royal Holloway's art collection to gain familiarity with and apply knowledge and skills to the exhibition of and reflection on situated artworks.
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German idealism sets itself the task of satisfying three main aims: systematizing Kant’s philosophy by finding necessary premises for its conclusions; providing a rigorous demonstration of the laws of thought; and ensuring that satisfying these aims satisfies the third aim of proving that reason is not the product of a purposeless, mechanistic world, but is itself an absolutely free purposive activity. This module investigates Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit as an attempt to satisfy these aims. We will explore Hegel’s distinctive and influential criticisms of Kant, his development of dialectic as a method of deriving the laws of thought, and his argument that reason is absolutely free. We will pay special attention to his successive, unfolding theses for the essentially self-conscious character of consciousness, the essentially recognitive character of self-consciousness, and the essentially historical character of recognition.
Teaching & assessment
We use a variety of methods of teaching and assessment, including:
- Personal tutor in Sociology and designated staff liaison in Philosophy
- 50% modules in Sociology and 50% modules in Philosophy
- Lectures, seminars, small-group tutorials, workshops, fieldtrips, etc
- Diverse assessment methods from essays and exams to multiple choice questions, reports, reflective logs and oral presentations
- Emphasis on continuous feedback both orally and in writing
Entry requirements
A Levels: ABB-BBB
Required subjects:
- We require English and Mathematics GCSE at grade 4/C
Achieve a grade of 77% overall in your European Baccalaureate with a grade 9 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 88 overall in your ATAR with a grade A in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 2 overall in your Maturazeugnis with a grade 1.5 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 7/10 overall in your Certificate D Enseignement Secondaire Superieur with a grade 18 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 4/5 overall in your Secondary School Leaving Diploma with a grade 4 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 5.5 overall in your Diploma za Sredno Obrazovanie with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 85% overall in your Year 12 High School Graduation Diploma with a grade 85% in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 75% overall in the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) (Gaokao) with 70% in any subject specified above. For students who do not meet this requirement, our partner Foundation course provider may be able to help. For more information please view - www.rhulisc.com
Achieve a grade of 4 overall in your Svjedodzba o Maturi with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 18 overall in your Apolytirion with a grade A or 19 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 2.0 overall in your Maturia with a grade 1 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 10 overall in your Bevis for Studentereksamen with a grade 12 in any subject specified above
Achieve ABB in the Certificate of Nile Secondary Education (CNISE) Level 3 with a grade A in any subject specified above.
Achieve a grade of 4 overall in your Gumnaasium Ioputunnistus and 68% in Riigieksamid with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of EMMM overall in your Ylioppilastutkinto with a grade E in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 13 overall in your Baccalaureat with a grade 14 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 1.7 overall in your Abitur with a grade 14 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 18 overall in your Apolytirion with a grade A or 19.5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 5, 4, 4 overall in your Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 4.5 overall in your Matura with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 8/10 overall in your Studentsprof with a grade 6 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 80% overall in your Higher Secondary School Certificate with a grade 85% in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 16/20 overall in your National Entrance Examination (Konkur) with a grade 16 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 8/10 overall in your Bagrut with a grade 8 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 85 overall in your Esame di Stato with a grade 18/20, 14/15 or 9/10 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 4 overall in your Diplome per Kryerjen e Shkolles se Mesme te Larte with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 8.5 overall in your Atestats par visparejo videjo izglitibu with a grade 9.5 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 5/6 overall in your Matura with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 8.5 overall in your Brandos Atestatas Secondary School Diploma / Maturity Certificate with a grade 9/90% in any subject specified above and at least 80% in three state exams.
Achieve a grade of 40 overall in your Diplome de Fin d'Etudes Secondaires with a grade 48 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of ABB overall in your Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia with a grade A in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of ABB overall in your Advanced Matriculation with a grade A in any subject specified above
Achieve ABB in the Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificate/General Certificate of Education Advanced Level with grade A in any subject specified above.
Achieve ABB in the Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificate (COHSC) with grade A in any subject specified above.
Achieve a grade of 7 overall in your Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs with a grade 7 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of Excellence overall from three subjects in your NCEA level 3 with a grade of Excellence in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 4.5 overall in your Matura with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 70% overall in the final two years in your Devlet Lise Diplomas with a grade 80% in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 4 overall in your Videregaende Opplæring with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 75% overall including 70% in three extended level subjects in your Matura with a grade 80% in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 17 overall including 18, 17, 17 in 3 year 11 or 12 exams in your Certificado de fim de Estudos Secundarios with a grade 18 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 8 overall in your Diploma de Bacalaureat with a grade 9 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 4.5 overall in your Secondary School Leaving Diploma with a grade 4 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 2.9 overall in your Polytechnic Diploma with a grade 3.5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 2 overall in your Maturita with a grade 1.5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 4 overall in your Matura with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
Achieve a grade of 776666 overall in your National Senior Certificate with matriculation endorsement with a grade 7 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 7.5 overall in your Titulo de Bachillerato with a grade 8 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of ABB overall in the Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education (CSEE) with a grade A in any subject specified above.
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 70% overall in the final two years in your Devlet Lise Diplomas with a grade 80% in any subject specified above
Achieve ABB in the Ugandan Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) with a grade A in any subject specified above.
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 4 in at least two relevant AP Examinations; or a composite score of 24 in the ACT Examinations (including the ACT writing test) with an AP grade 4 or College Class B in any A-level subject specified above; or SAT 1100 with an AP grade 4 or College Class B in any A-Level subject specified above.) Please note AP Calculus BC required for Computer Science or Electronic Engineering, or relevant College class.
Achieve a grade of 18 or C overall in your Avgangsbetyg or Slutbetyg with a grade 5 in any subject specified above
If you have completed Secondary or High School in this country then you will need to take our one year International Foundation Year , or the equivalent from another institution, before beginning your undergraduate studies.
Achieve a grade of 122 overall in your Caribbean Advanced Proficency Examination with a grade 1 in any subject specified above
English language requirements
All teaching at Royal Holloway (apart from some language courses) is in English. You will therefore need to have good enough written and spoken English to cope with your studies right from the start.
The scores we require
- IELTS: 6.5 overall with 6 in Writing and minimum of 5.5 in each subscore
- Pearson Test of English: 67 with 61 in writing (no other subscore lower than 54)
- Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE): ISE IV.
- Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) grade C.
- TOEFL iBT: 88 overall, with Reading 18 Listening 17 Speaking 20 Writing 19
- Duolingo: 120 overall, 115 in Literacy, 115 in Production and no sub-score below 100.
Country-specific requirements
For more information about country-specific entry requirements for your country please visit here.
Undergraduate preparation programme
For international students who do not meet the direct entry requirements, for this undergraduate degree, the Royal Holloway International Study Centre offers an International Foundation Year programme designed to develop your academic and English language skills.
Upon successful completion, you can progress to this degree at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Your future career
A sociology and philosophy at Royal Holloway can lead into a variety of career paths. It not only promotes academic achievement and employability but will see you learning to approach problems in a rigorous and analytical way, and to develop your abilities to communicate and debate in both speech and writing.
Fees, funding & scholarships
Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £9,535
EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £26,800
Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course.
How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students who have already taken out a tuition fee loan for undergraduate study should check their eligibility for additional funding directly with the relevant awards body.
*The tuition fee for Home (UK) undergraduates is controlled by Government regulations. This figure is the fee for the academic year 2025/26 and is shown as a guide. The fee for the academic year 2026/27 has not yet been announced.
**This figure is the fee for EU and international students on this course in the academic year 2026/27.
Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase tuition fees annually for all students. For further information see fees and funding.
*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2026/27 academic year. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.
