Social Sciences BA
ABB at A level; graduates earn a median £23,500 three years on.
100% of entrants came with A levels · 95% stay on after year 1 · Sheffield course page, Discover Uni
What do you need to get in?
Typical offer — the grades most applicants are asked for. Contextual offer: BBB, for applicants from under-represented backgrounds.
Sheffield course page, read 19 September 2026 · Discover Uni entry profile
UCAS tariff points — a points scale for grades: A* = 56, A = 48, so A*A*A = 160. Entrants’ totals include extra subjects.
Other qualifications5
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| IB | 33International Baccalaureate: 33; 32, with B in a social science-based extended essay | — |
| BTEC | DDDBTEC Extended Diploma | — |
| BTEC | DDBTEC Diploma: DD + B at A Level | — |
| Scottish Highers | AAABBScottish Highers | — |
| Access | Award of the Access to HE Diploma in Social Sciences, with 45 credits at Level 3Access to HE Diploma: Award of the Access to HE Diploma in Social Sciences, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 30 at Distinction and 15 at Merit | — |
What do you study?
Module — one course unit, usually a term or a year long; “core” means everyone takes it. One UK credit is about ten hours of study; a full year is 120 credits.
Sheffield course page · optional modules vary by year
12 optional modules
Year 2 · 4 core, 11 optional · 80 credits ≈ 800 hours
11 optional modules
Year 3 · 3 core, 16 optional · 80 credits ≈ 800 hours
16 optional modules
Where does it lead?
Median — the middle earner: half earned more, half less. Pay is for graduates of this subject at this university who finished in 2016-18, not adjusted for inflation; based on 110 graduates.
Discover Uni dataset (HESA and Office for Students, CC BY 4.0, contains HESA data); earnings from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes data (Department for Education) · aggregation level 23, 14, 22, 13
Half of graduates earned between £20,000 and £27,500. Five years on, the median is £29,000. 85% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing; 75% of those in work were in professional or managerial jobs.
All outcome figures7
| Measure | Value | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Continue after year 15% left | 95% | 20 |
| In work or study, 15 months on0% studying | 85% | 20 |
| Professional or managerial job | 75% | 15 |
| Pay 15 months on, median | £25,000 | 85 |
| Pay 3 years on, median | £23,500 | 110 |
| Pay 5 years on, median | £29,000 | 110 |
What do students say?
NSS — a yearly survey of final-year students at every UK university; 86% of this course’s final year answered. Small groups can swing a lot year to year.
National Student Survey, via Discover Uni · 15 students answered
Highest: 100% agreed on question 1; lowest: 53% on question 8.
All questions26
| Question | Agree |
|---|---|
| Question 1 | 100% |
| Question 2 | 94% |
| Question 3 | 83% |
| Question 4 | 78% |
| Question 5 | 100% |
| Question 6 | 94% |
| Question 7 | 89% |
| Question 8 | 53% |
| Question 9 | 89% |
| Question 10 | 89% |
| Question 11 | 89% |
| Question 12 | 100% |
| Question 13 | 94% |
| Question 14 | 78% |
| Question 15 | 94% |
| Question 16 | 100% |
| Question 17 | 83% |
| Question 18 | 76% |
| Question 19 | 66% |
| Question 20 | 100% |
| Question 21 | 75% |
| Question 22 | 94% |
| Question 23 | 100% |
| Question 24 | 75% |
| Question 25 | 87% |
| Question 26 | 82% |
Question texts are published by the Office for Students; the dataset carries only the question numbers.
Modules, entry requirements and fees are facts read from University of Sheffield’s course page on 2026-09-19 and may change; the university’s page is authoritative. Descriptions are not reproduced. Outcome figures are from the Discover Uni dataset. University of Sheffield is a trade mark of the university; sch.today is independent of it.