Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 360 credits by this date.
If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification, please contact the Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email.
How can we discover the plausible causes of riots and is lack of trust in politicians one explanation? Is childhood becoming eroded due to commercialisation and increased sexualisation? Does poverty lead to crime? Is economic growth compatible with protecting the environment? Social science findings on these kinds of questions provide invaluable information for many of those – such as police officers, civil servants or business executives – who seek to make decisions about society based on the best evidence to hand. This is a very flexible degree – you can develop a rich synthesis of knowledge and skills drawn from the breadth of social sciences subjects. It’s fascinating – you can choose and combine the subjects that interest you. These, include psychology, sociology, social policy, criminology, geography, politics and economics. You learn to ask questions, analyse problems using theories and find and evaluate a wide range of information so as to present your ideas effectively.
Social science research draws on a number of subjects, each of which contributes in its own way to our analysis of the social world. You can opt for a broad interdisciplinary route through the degree by studying up to four subjects (most of our students do two or three). Or you can choose to follow a named specialism in one subject area: criminology, economics, geography, politics, psychology, sociology or social policy which will be reflected in your degree title.
You’ll be introduced to the wide range of subjects that form the social sciences in your Level 1 study, as well as gaining the study skills needed for both higher education and distance learning and to prepare you for Level 2 study.
You’ll further develop your knowledge across all subjects in the Level 2 compulsory module designed especially for this qualification, which also offers you a range of essential practical and professional skills – the building blocks for both independent learning and work-related skills.
Planning your studies
Whether or not you are new to study or the OU, we recommend that you start at Level 1.
Once you have completed your Level 1 modules, we recommend that you:
Free-choice study – there are 60 credits of free-choice study for this degree. If you follow the recommended route for this degree via the Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences (C95) and Diploma of Higher Education in Combined Social Sciences (E75) you will have used your free-choice credits in the Level 1 requirement for the Certificate of Higher Education. However, you can choose to only study 60 credits at Level 1 and to use the 60 free-choice credits to do more Level 2 or Level 3 study, chosen from any OU module. Please note that if you choose this route you will not be able to claim the Certificate of Higher Education and/or the Diploma of Higher Education.
You should note the limitations on individual modules. The modules listed can count towards this degree after we have stopped presenting them for a maximum of twenty years for Level 1 modules and ten years for Level 2 and Level 3 modules. Because of the demands that the modules in the degree will make on you we recommend that you study only one 60-credit module at a time. Please note that studying 120 credits per year is equivalent to the workload of a student in full-time education.
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 120 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you (with the exception of an undergraduate-level qualification of less than 120 credits). If you have graduated with an OU BA/BSc degree without honours and are continuing your studies on to honours, this minimum requirement is reduced to 60 credits. Before being awarded any intermediate qualifications on the way to your OU honours degree, we advise you to check that you’ll have sufficient new credits to qualify for your degree.
Career relevance and employability
Social sciences focus on the human activities and relations that connect individuals, groups and institutions in particular social, economic and political settings, and because of this breadth of study are therefore relevant to a wide variety of careers. This degree may be useful for finding or developing your career in areas such as:
- national and local government
- health and social care
- police
- education
- charitable organisations
- public relations
- media
- planning and environmental management
- the criminal justice system
- market research
- law
- business and commerce.
Employers value social science graduates highly, particularly because of the diversity of transferable skills developed, along with a breadth of mind and ability to find and critically analyse evidence for society and its institutions. You will have developed ideas and be able to analyse problems relating to a range of human and societal issues including: the economy; work; gender; race; social inequalities; social norms; crime; policy; environment; international studies; and relationships. Managing the range of different subjects within this degree will demonstrate your versatility making you more employable. Many graduates go into employment unrelated to their degree and the skills you develop will be valuable whether you are already working, volunteering or changing career.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
For this 360-credit honours degree you require:
60 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 1 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Introducing the social sciences (DD102)
|
60 |
|
- Investigating psychology 1 (DE100)
|
60 |
|
- You and your money: personal finance in context (DB123)*
|
30 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 1 the discontinued 60-credit modules D103, DD100, DD101, the discontinued 30-credit modules DD121, DD122, DD131, DD132, DSE141
* Can only be studied if you have already studied one of the discontinued 30-credit modules
And 60 credits from the following compulsory module:
Level 2 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- The uses of social science (DD206)
|
60 |
|
And 60 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 2 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Environment: sharing a dynamic planet (DST206)
|
60 |
|
- International development: making sense of a changing world (TD223)
|
60 |
|
- Living in a globalised world (DD205)
|
60 |
|
- Living psychology: from the everyday to the extraordinary (DD210)
|
60 |
|
- Running the economy (DD209)
|
60 |
|
- Understanding politics: ideas and institutions in the modern world (DD211)
|
60 |
|
- Welfare, crime and society (DD208)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued modules D218, DA204, DD201, DD202, DD203, DSE212, U213, U216
And 120 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 3 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Crime and justice (DD301)
|
60 |
|
- Doing economics: people, markets and policy (DD309)
|
60 |
|
- Earth in crisis: environmental policy in an international context (DU311)
|
60 |
|
- International relations: continuity and change in global politics (DD313)
|
60 |
|
- Living political ideas (DD306)
|
60 |
|
- Making social worlds (DD308)
|
60 |
|
- Personal lives and social policy (DD305)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules DD303, DD304, DD307, DU301
And a maximum of 60 credits of free choice from any OU Level 1, 2 or 3 modules to bring your total number of credits to 360. Within the total, you must ensure that you have at least the required minimum number of credits at each level and no more than 30 from 10- or 15-credit modules. We recommend two ways for you to use this free-choice credit – see Planning your studies above.
Specialisms
If you want a BA or BSc (Hons) Combined Social Sciences that shows you have concentrated your studies in one subject area, you must include within the general requirements for the BA or BSc (Hons) Combined Social Sciences at least 60 credits at Level 2 and 60 credits at Level 3 from one of the appropriate set of modules below.
If you want to specialise as much as possible in a single subject you should do all the modules in the appropriate list.
Criminology
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Welfare, crime and society (DD208)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Crime and Justice (DD301)
|
60 |
|
Economics
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Running the economy (DD209)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Doing economics: people, markets and policy (DD309)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module DD202
Geography
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Living in a globalised world (DD205)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Earth in crisis (DU311)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 3 the discontinued module DD304
Politics
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Understanding politics: ideas and institutions in the modern world (DD211)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module DD203
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Living political ideas (DD306)
|
60 |
|
- or
-
|
- International relations: continuity and change in global politics (DD313)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 3 the discontinued module DU301
Psychology
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Living psychology: from the everyday to the extraordinary (DD210)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module DSE212
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued module DD307
|
60 |
|
or |
|
|
- The discontinued module DD303
|
60 |
|
Social Policy
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Welfare, crime and society (DD208)
|
60 |
|
- Or the discontinued Level 2 module D218
-
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Personal lives and social policy (DD305)
|
60 |
|
Sociology
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- 60 credits chosen from the list of Level 2 optional modules shown above, as the compulsory Level 2 module for this degree, The uses of social sciences (DD206) fulfils the learning outcomes needed for this Sociology specialism.
-
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Making social worlds (DD308)
|
60 |
|
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of courses so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required number and type of modules you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science (Honours) Combined Social Sciences degree and be entitled to use the letters BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons) Soc Sci (Open) after your name.
If you have studied the appropriate modules for a specialism, your degree title will reflect this as follows:
- BA (Honours) or BSc (Honours) Combined Social Sciences (Criminology)
- BA (Honours) or BSc (Honours) Combined Social Sciences (Economics)
- BA (Honours) or BSc (Honours) Combined Social Sciences (Geography)
- BA (Honours) or BSc (Honours) Combined Social Sciences (Politics)
- BA (Honours) or BSc (Honours) Combined Social Sciences (Psychology)
- BA (Honours) or BSc (Honours) Combined Social Sciences (Social Policy)
- BA (Honours) or BSc (Honours) Combined Social Sciences (Sociology).
Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. The class of degree is determined by the best grades you achieve in 240 credits from those modules above Level 1 listed above. At least 120 of those credits must come from modules at Level 3.
You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
How to register
If you want to study for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of
our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the
module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module.
During the registration procedure you will be asked to declare which qualification you are studying towards.
See a full list of modules available for this qualification