Bachelor of Social Sciences in Sociology

The Programme looks out for candidates with strong critical thinking and writing skills. There is no single subject that gives you these skills: you can develop them by studying biology, chemistry, economics, geography, history, language, literature, mathematics, physics, etc – any subject that requires you to think through the material and write about it. In addition, we regard an active interest in current affairs, both within Singapore and internationally, as essential in a Sociology applicant.

You need to meet NTU’s general admission requirements, and a good Polytechnic diploma OR strong ‘A’ levels (including a good pass in GP or K&I). If you are a Polytechnic candidate, you’ll need to have at least a pass in GCE ’O’ Level English Language and your other GCE ‘O’ level subjects may be considered. Applicants are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and the division also interviews and administers writing tests for select candidates.

Students must satisfy the basic requirements for admission into NTU.

1) For GCE 'A' level Holders

2) For Local Polytechnic Diploma Holders

Bachelor of Social Sciences in Sociology is a four-year degree programme for undergraduates interested in pursuing a Major in Sociology at NTU. Students taking up Sociology as a Minor are encouraged to read courses which complement their interests and open up new intellectual horizons.

The curriculum provides an intellectually stimulating and rigorous experience for students. The academic foundation consists of three core areas: Economy, Technology and Society; Culture, Self and Identity; and Organisations and Organisational Change. It provides both breadth of exposure and depth of engagement that emphasizes both theoretical reasoning and empirical analysis. Students should graduate with not just a body of knowledge and skills but also a 'sociological imagination' that will enable them to make the critical and creative difference in the workplace and in society. 

Key features of our programme include:  

• Stimulating courses, providing both breadth of exposure and depth of engagement
• Immersion in all core substantive areas and research methodologies
• Training and practice in analytical thinking and empirical reasoning
• Informed investigations of Singapore society, Asian societies, and beyond
• Critical perspectives on social change at the local, regional, and global levels.

The distribution of the courses of study and the number of academic units are shown in the table below.

A.  Major Requirements (69 AUs) 

The requirements for a Sociology major consist of 3 components:

1. Sociology Core Courses (19 AUs)
2. Sociology Prescribed Electives (42 AUs)
3. Graduation Project (GP) or 2 HS4000 level courses (8AUs)
   (The two HS4000 level courses are for those who are not eligible to do GP.)

A1. Sociology Core Courses 

  The 6 compulsory core courses (19 AUs) are listed below.

• HS1001 Person and Society
• HS2001 Classical Social Theory
• HS2002 Doing Social Research
• HS3001 Contemporary Social Theory
• HS3002 Understanding Social Statistics
• Choose ONE from the following:
  HS4001 Research Practicum I : Qualitative Social Research
  HS4002 Research Practicum II : Quantitative Social Research
  

A2. Sociology Prescribed Electives Courses 

Students must complete 13 prescribed electives:
2 at HS1000 level
5 at HS2000 level
3 at HS3000 level
3 at HS4000 level

HS1002 Singapore Society in Transition*
HS1003 Singapore Problems in a Global Context*
HS2003 Economy And Society
HS2004 Culture, Self And Identity
HS2005 Organisations And Organisational Change 
HS2007 Understanding Globalization
HS2008 Social Class and Inequality 
HS2009 Sociology of the Life Course 
HS2011 Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations 
HS2013 Migration And Multiculturalism
HS2014 The Changing Family
HS2015 Education and Society 
HS2019 Sociology of Science and Technology

HS2020 Gender, Race and Technology

HS2022 Population & Society 
HS2023 Environmental Sociology 
HS2026 Deviance and Society 
HS2028 Graying Society: Issues and Challenges
HS2029 Social Policy and Social Change 
HS3004 Cities and Urban Life 
HS3007 Religion and Society 
HS3011 Power, Politics and the State 
HS3014 Health, Medicine and Society
HS3015 Development and Social Change 
HS3016 Societies in Comparative Perspective 
HS3017 Sociology of Tourism 
HS3018 Sociology of Gender
HS3054 Social Psychology
HS4011 The Self in Southeast Asia
HS4013 Youth cultures and subculture
HS4015 Sociology of Reproduction
HS4016 Social Movements
HS4022 Sociology of Islam in the Malay World
HS4023 Sociology of Risk and Crisis 
HS4026 Gods, Ghosts And Ancestors: Explorations In Chinese Religions
HS4027 Cultural Politics of Development and the Environment
HS4028 Migration and Development in a Globalizing World 
HS4030 Social Science Fiction
HS4031 Global Cities
HS4033 Urban Sojourns: The City As Laboratory
HS4034 Interrogating Innovation
HS4035 Sociology of Aging
HS4036 Who are we? Science and Identity in the 21" Century
HS4037 Terraformations: Technology, culture and nature in a globalizing world 
HS4038 Sociology of Mental Health

HS4039 Medical Sociology

HS4040 Language and Social Interaction

HS4091 Honours Seminar "Sociology of the Arts"
  * Compulsory course

A3. Graduation Project (GP) or 2 HS4000 level courses (8 AUs)

 The two HS4000 level courses are for those who are not eligible to do GP.

B. Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC) (27 AUs)

C. Broadening and Deepeing Electives (BDE) (29 AUs)

Students may choose from the list of courses offerred by NTU

Our graduates go onto a wide range of sectors and many different types of jobs*

Industries 

• Public Administration and Defence
• Information and Communication 
• Society and Community
• Financial and Insurance
• Advertising Services and Market Research
• Education
• Healthcare
• Administrative and Support Services Activities
• Transportation and Storage
• Retail Trade
  

Job Titles

• Public Relations/Corporate Communications Professional
• Management Executive
• Social Work and Counselling Professional
• Market Research Analyst
• Information Technology Testing/ Quality Assurance Specialist
• Policy and Planning Manager
• Educator
• Exhibition/Conference/Event Planner
• Human Resource Professional
  

At NTU Sociology, we focus on training students in core skills and competencies that are important in every workplace. These include pitching novel perspectives and ideas, knowing how to take initiative, and adapting to fast-changing conditions. We train our students to think dynamically, to not only look for answers in the usual places but to also know how to ask new questions. We provide opportunities to craft questions and arguments—both in writing and speech—and to work collaboratively in teams. We also provide research training in both qualitative and quantitative methods.

An NTU Honours degree in Sociology also enables you to pursue graduate-level studies in the social sciences or other relevant fields such as business, law, and government. Entry requirements for such programmes are established by the respective universities.

NTU offers career development support through the Career & Attachment Office (CAO), which provides services such as career coaching. We encourage our students to use the university’s resources to prepare for transitioning from their educational to their career journeys.

Students taking up sociology as a minor are encouraged to read subjects which complement their interests and open up new intellectual horizons.

A minor in sociology must complete 5 Sociology courses of which 1 is compulsory (i.e. HS1001 Person and Society) and the remaining are electives.  All 5 courses must be registered as electives.

Students are required to achieve a "C" grade or better in HS1001 Person and Society to continue in the Sociology Minor. Students are also required to maintain a GPA of "C for their Sociology subjects to graduate with a Minor in Sociology.

Required subject

HS1001 Person and Society (3 AUs)

Electives

HS1002 Singapore Society in Transition (3 AUs)
HS1003 Social Problems in a Global Context (3 AUs)

HS1001 is a pre-requisite for the following 2000-level electives:
(Students from intake 2010 and before will take the courses at 200-level at 4 AUs each)
(Students from intake 2011 and after will take the courses at 2000-level at 3 AUs each)

HS2001 Classical Social Theory
HS2003 Economy and Society
HS2004 Culture, Self and Identity
HS2005 Organisations and Organisational Change
HS2007 Understanding Globalisation
HS2008 Social Class and Inequality
HS2009 Sociology of the Life Course
HS2011 Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations
HS2012 Sociology of Language
HS2013 Migration and Multiculturalism
HS2014 The Changing Family
HS2015 Education and Society
HS2018 Media and Society
HS2019 Science, Technology and Society
HS2022 Population & Society
HS2023 Environmental Sociology
HS2026 Deviance and Society
HS2028 Graying Society: Issues and Challenges

For the following 3000-level electives, the pre-requisites are any two 2000-level Sociology core courses (HS2001, HS2003, HS2004 and HS2005) unless a waiver is permitted by the Division.

(Students from intake 2010 and before will take the courses at 300-level at 4 AUs each)
(Students from intake 2011 and after will take the courses at 3000-level at 3 AUs each)

For HS3001 and HS3002, however, note the more specific pre-requisites

HS3001 Contemporary Social Theory
(Pre-requisite: HS2001 and any one of the other 200/2000-level core courses)

HS3002 Understanding Social Statistics
(Pre-requisite: HS1004 and any one of the other 200/2000-level core courses)

HS3004 Cities and Urban Life
HS3007 Religion and Society
HS3011 Power, Politics and the State
HS3014 Health, Medicine and Society
HS3015 Development and Social Change
HS3016 Societies in Comparative Perspective
HS3017 Sociology of Tourism
HS3018 Sociology of Gender
HS3019 Sexuality and Society
HS3050 Society and Culture in Southeast Asia
HS3051 Contemporary Chinese Societies
HS3052 Comparative Asian Societies
HS3054 Social Psychology​