Develop an interdisciplinary and cutting-edge understanding of local, national and global inequality issues. Explore strategies for change. Research an area of inequality to specialise in by the end of the course. Gain a career in the public, voluntary or education sectors or take your studies to PhD level.
Register your interestIn this theoretical and research-based course, you'll examine the major causes of inequality in our world such as, why do some groups face disadvantage? You'll also study what sustains that idea and how these groups are interrelated, including what society can do to tackle this. Take advantage of a broad range of optional modules on topics such as health, sexualities, gender, domestic abuse, childhood and socio-economic inequalities. You'll understand the nature of intersectionality, including factors such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age and how certain groups face unique forms of disadvantage.
This route is over one year from October to September. The course will typically be taught one afternoon (1-4pm) and one evening (5-8pm) per week on a Tuesday, to fit around work and childcare commitments. There will also be two mandatory ‘dissertation days’ to prepare you for your dissertation research which will typically be a full day over two Saturdays between October and September.
Study Skills sessions are ran regularly in semester one to support your academic work and will be on a Tuesday between 4-5pm. They will offer online and physical workshops on topics such as, understanding academic language, interpreting statistics, constructing an argument and critical thinking and wiring. This will help to smooth your transition to masters level study.
This route is over two years. A typical layout will be one core module in semester one and one optional module in semester two, over your first year of study (this will be on a Tuesday afternoon/evening as stated above). In your second year, you will complete a further core module and an optional module. You will also complete your dissertation module over the course of your second year; this will be taught on two Saturdays between October and September.
There is a mandatory ‘Employability Conference’ which is held once a year and you must also take part in an ‘MSc Inequality and Society Dissertation Conference’ toward the end of your programme. We would also encourage students to attend other voluntary training courses and opportunities that fall on other days, but most of these will be given to you at the start of the course so you can plan around it.
A typical week for you, whether full-time or part-time, will include interactive lectures, seminars, workshops, group and individual work, and computer-based learning. Throughout the course, you'll have one-to-one support from academic staff, and you'll also be assigned a tutor to offer you pastoral support.
Your progress will be assessed with written coursework and essays, reports, research projects, presentations (subject to module choices).
We usually require applicants to hold at least a second class honours degree (usually a 2:1 or above) or equivalent.
Experience may be counted towards your application. We welcome applicants with degrees in areas such as social sciences, psychology, business, law, education, humanities, health, arts, technology and the sciences.
Applicants whose first language is not English must achieve a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 in all four areas.
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)
If you feel you already know some of the topics covered in this course, either due to previous learning or from experience of work, then you may not need to study all of the course.
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) is the name given to the process of gaining credit towards a qualification because of something you have learnt in the past. If you are eligible for APL you won't have to learn the same topic again, so you can be exempt from a module, set of modules or year of a course.
The annual, full-time fee for this course is:
Part-time fees are £375 per 10 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK.
If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
Use our scholarships calculator to see what you may be entitled to.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
An MSc in Inequality and Society creates a number of career options. Your expert knowledge of equality and diversity, data analysis and strong research skills will be highly prized by employers. You'll become a specialist in your chosen area of inequality, as well as other areas that you choose to study.
Many University of Sunderland postgraduates now work in the fields of human rights, equality and diversity, education, the criminal justice system, the private sector and business, international development, campaign work, advocacy and social research. Many of our graduates also go on to study a postgraduate research qualification such as a PhD.
Graduates of this course will be able to forge careers:
At the end of the course, you will take part in arranging and presenting your dissertation findings in front of your peers and staff members. This is a supportive experience that allows you to familiarise yourself with presenting research and associated findings in a conference setting, which will enhance your confidence, CV and career development.
The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Studies (CASS) combines original academic research with practice-based collaborations and reach-out activities, often working directly with practitioners, policymakers and front-line delivery staff regionally, nationally and internationally. According to the most recent National Research Excellence Framework Exercise, almost half of our outputs are either 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'.
The mission of CASS reflects that of the University's aim as a civic university: to take an active interest in the social issues that affect the region and beyond by engaging in research and practice-based collaborations that aim to improve living conditions, address inequalities and social exclusion and promote social justice.
Currently our research focuses around three strands: children, young people and families; communities, health and social exclusion; and crime, victims and social justice. CASS regularly hosts visiting speakers and holds events that you will be invited to. This can be an excellent way to learn from the real-life experience of people who already have a strong track record in sociological and social policy related social research. This is a great way to learn from experts in their field.
PhD options include:
In the 2019 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), Social Sciences research degrees were ranked 1st (out of 86 institutions) for the question ‘Overall, I am satisfied with the experience of my research degree programme’.
The University was ranked 11th globally (out of 103 institutions) for the same question.
Drew Dalton, Programme Leader for the course and a Senior Lecturer in Sociology, talks about how welfare reforms and the rising cost of living, coupled with the concerning rise of hate crime and the far right as well as the impact of Brexit, led a team of social scientists to introduce this inequality-focused course. Learn more about how the course came about, its intention, and hear from an applicant in our ‘Solving inequalities in society’ news article.
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