Arts - Sociology - Waterford
The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) makes available to you a wide range of Humanities and Social Science subjects in a course that is comparable to any Arts degree nationally and worldwide.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | South East Technological University |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | South East Technological University | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
3 years, full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Cert:
2 subjects: H5
4 subjects: O6/H7
English or Irish: O6/H7
Language recommendations
Applicants intending to choose French PLC: a grade of H5 or equivalent, in Leaving Certificate French is recommended.
Applicants intending to choose Irish PLC: a grade of H5 or equivalent, in Leaving Certificate Irish is recommended.
Applicants intending to choose Spanish PLC: a grade of H5 or equivalent, in Leaving Certificate Spanish is recommended.
For those starting Spanish Beginner (ab initio), there are no special requirements.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
Entry requirements for Honours Bachelor Degrees (Level 8)
This link module can be used in place of a sixth Leaving Certificate subject and will be accepted as meeting the six subject eligibility requirements for entry to honours degree courses.
Entry requirements for Ordinary Bachelor Degree (Level 7) and Higher Certificate (Level 6)
The LCVP link module can also be used in place of a fifth Leaving Certificate subject and will be accepted as meeting the five subject eligibility requirements for entry to ordinary bachelor degree and higher certificate courses
GRADE POINTS
Distinction 66
Merit 46
Pass 28
Leaving Certificate Applied Programme LCAP
The Leaving Certificate Applied Programme was designed primarily to prepare students for the transition from school to working life. It is not intended for direct tansfer into third level. However, students with the LCAP who have completed a QQI FET/FETAC award can be considered for entry.
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Students who have completed a full QQI-FET award at Level 5, and achieved at least three distinctions, are eligible to apply through CAO for entry to Year 1 on to Level 6, 7 and 8 courses. Students who have completed a full QQI-FET award at Level 6 may be eligible to enter Year 2.
The maximum possible points awarded through QQI-FET is 390. The scoring system only applies where all of the requirements for the major award are met i.e. where the named component awards specified have been achieved to a minimum of 120 credits.
Progression Scheme
The Progression Scheme is an additional opportunity for students who successfully complete a QQI FET Award in a partner Colleges of Further Education and Training College/Centre to gain entry to SETU programmes. The list of partner Further Education and Training Colleges/Centres, relevant SETU programmes, linked QQI FET Awards and the criteria for the scheme are available at www.setu.ie/progression.
Careers / Further progression
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) career opportunities
An Arts degree prepares graduates for many work situations and graduates in the past have become teachers, worked in journalism, consultancy, many different forms of professional practice, translation, politics: it is the nature of a Liberal Arts education that it prepares people for a myriad of careers. The adaptability, flexibility and mental agility of Arts graduates, as well as their strong skills in communication and problem-solving, make them very desirable employees in many professions and industries.
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) International
You can choose to spend an extra year (Year 3) in an international partner university. Students who take this option will graduate after four years with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) International.
Follow on Study
Graduates can proceed to a Masters degree by Research in their chosen Major discipline at SETU or elsewhere, as well as various other taught Higher Diploma, Post-graduate Diploma and Masters programmes.
Opportunities
Transferable Skills
Studying sociology develops a number of important transferable skills which students can utilise in many careers and across diverse industries. Skills such as research skills, critical thinking skills, and communication skills are invaluable. Sociology graduates are valued in any career where the above skills are in demand. For this reason, sociology is viewed as a subject that provides a broad employability. Sociology graduates have the skills and knowledge to work in a variety of industries:
Social Research
Social Policy
Education, including teaching Politics and Society and CSPE at Second-Level
Media and Creative Industries
Community or Social Work
Charitable and Advocacy Work
Planning
Civil Service
Journalism
Postgraduate Progression
We are aware that increasingly, students will go on to further postgraduate study after their undergraduate degree. This is often to gain further specialisation in areas of interest. Many graduates consider either a taught or a research MA in WIT or in other universities in areas such as Social Work, Journalism, Social Policy, or Education. As a Level 8 degree, sociology graduates will be well placed to consider progressing to Level 9 and Level 10 MA or PhD programmes in many social sciences and humanities disciplines. In SETU, we are proud to run the MA in Social Justice and Public Policy in conjunction with Social Justice Ireland which is suitable for any sociology graduate interested in furthering their knowledge in social justice, social policy, and advocacy. Sociology students may also be interested in our MA in Applied Spirituality . Those interested in research have the opportunity to join our Analysing Social Change Research Group, where staff and postgraduates conduct research, disseminate findings, and collaborate and network with aligned groups nationally and internationally.
Teaching as a Career
In recent years, the subject of Politics and Society has been introduced to the Leaving Certificate curriculum and as a result students are often interested in how they can leverage their sociology degree for a career in second-level teaching. Many students are choosing to take sociology as part of their undergraduate degree, so that they can then go on to undertake a postgraduate teaching qualification after they graduate. Taking sociology as part of Arts at SETU means that you will meet the subject knowledge criteria as set down by the Teaching Council to be eligible to teach Politics and Society. The Teaching Council Curricular criteria for 2023 onwards is available here. In addition, CSPE has been a subject at Junior Cert level for many years. The Teaching Council has a set of topics that teachers should have covered during their degree so as to be able to teach CSPE.
Further information
September 2026
Mature Student Applications
A mature student is someone who is at least 23 years of age on 1 January of the year of entry to an undergraduate course and who may not meet the normal admission requirements. Applications are made through the CAO before the 1 February or before late application deadline of 1 May 2026. Applicants are assessed based on the information they enter on their CAO application. Note: You must apply for nursing and music courses by 1 February 2026.
Selection Process – Nursing Applications
Mature applicants for nursing courses will receive correspondence under separate cover from the Nursing Careers Centre (Public Appointments Service - PAS). For full details on the application process see www.nursingcareers.ie.
Mature Applicant – Change of Mind
The Change of Mind facility becomes available after 1 May and the closing date is 1 July.
The Change of Mind facility affords mature applicants an opportunity to change the order of preference only of their course choices. If applicants introduce a new programme to their list of choices by way of Change of Mind, they will compete for a place on that programme based on their Leaving Certificate or equivalent results only. They will not compete as a mature applicant.
Non-standard application
A non-standard application is one that does not meet the definition of a standard application.
The special categories are:
• GCE/GCSE
• Other school leaving exams
• NCVA Level 2/3
• FETAC Level 5/6
• Further Education (other than QQI)
• Mature
• Higher/Third Level Education
Applicants wishing to make a non-standard application must select the relevant category when applying to the CAO.
Entry 2026
Early online application (discounted): Fee €35 Closing Date: 20 January 2026 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €50 Closing Date: 1 February 2026 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2026 CAO Handbook): Fee: €65 Closing Date: 1 May 2026 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2026 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2026 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2026. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2026, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2026 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2026 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €65 applies.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2026 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
On admission to SETU, students on the Joint Honours Degree will be introduced to each of the subjects and will elect three subjects for their first year of study (only one subject can be chosen from each group). At the end of Year 1, students will continue their studies to graduation in two of their chosen subjects, graduating with what is commonly referred to as a Joint Honours Arts Degree.
Group 1
English
Spanish (Beginners)
Spanish (PLC)*
Group 2
French*
Law
Religious Studies
Geography Environment and Sustainability
Group 3
Irish*
Sociology
Group 4
Psychology
Theatre Studies
Politics and Society
*Students who choose a Language at Post-Leaving Certificate level (PLC) need to meet particular entry requirements.
Year 1
Choose 3 subjects- only one from any group
Years 2 & 3
Elect 2 of your chosen 1st year subjects to continue with
Opt in to Study Abroad: students can choose to add an additional year to their BA (Hons) and graduate with a BA (Hons) International. This optional pathway allows students who successfully complete Years 1 and 2 in SETU Waterford, to spend Year 3 in one of our approved partner institutions abroad, before returning to SETU Waterford to complete their final year.
Sociology is the study of the society around us; it recognises that there are patterns and regularities to society, that common beliefs and attitudes shape our sense of who we are, and that therefore, we must look beyond individual choices and circumstances to understand the world. Sociologists can study almost anything, from capitalism to celebrity culture, national identity to the internet.
The truth about our world is not simply a matter of opinion; sociologists formulate a hypothesis about society and investigate it rigorously. They can use statistics or surveys to measure widespread changes. They use in‐depth interviews and focus groups to analyse people’s beliefs. Through participant observation, they document actual behaviour. Sociologists study documents from history, the media and popular culture to understand the world around them.
How modern society is governed and organised is strongly influenced by sociology and related disciplines. For example, the CSO and the ESRI use sociological methods. Sociological theories are used by political parties, managers and even advertisers!
Graduates in Sociology are highly valued in all sorts of areas, from journalism to the civil service and many companies value the clear thinking and hands‐on research approach that are the foundation of a Sociologist’s education.
Sociology at SETU is made up of core sociological modules on theory and method – these provide the students with a theoretical grounding and a familiarity with applied research skills. There is also more detailed study of topics such as Media, Crime, Sport, Ethnicity and other areas that broaden students’ horizons and introduce them to new perspectives.
In their final year, students can choose to design their own research project on a topic of their own choosing, in close collaboration with a supervisor. This independent study is deeply enriching for students and no longer available in Sociology degrees at most Irish universities. Our students have also worked alongside staff in collaborative research projects on unemployment and festivals, making Sociology at SETU a unique opportunity to get involved in real applied research.
Students undertaking Sociology can apply to participate in Study Abroad, adding an additional year to their degree and graduating with a BA (Hons) International. All students are supported by a SETU Academic Advisor to ensure the study abroad experience will complement their degree subjects and enrich their professional and personal experiences.
Students of Sociology also take other subjects as part of their degree. This exposes students to other disciplines and ways of thinking and there is a strong emphasis in SETU on encouraging dialogue between subject areas. Students are supported in developing study, writing, critical and creative thinking and research skills; these skills form the foundation for future years and are highly valued by employers.
artsdegree.wd@setu.ie