Sociology
Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast is internationally recognised for its excellence in teaching and learning while also being accessible and welcoming to students. Our courses draw on our expertise and explore a wide range of social issues across different regions of the world. By studying Sociology at Queen’s, you’ll engage with cutting-edge research and gain a deeper understanding of the forces shaping society today.
Sociology is a discipline concerned with the explanation of social life and human behaviour of all kinds. It equips students with the skills to understand the nature of contemporary society, ranging from the global (including power and politics, conflict and peace processes, security, the digital world, climate change, racism and social justice) to individual experiences (such as the body, intimacy, emotions, identity, beliefs and mental health). Through theoretical tools and methodological techniques, Sociology at Queen’s provides students with a unique way of interacting with the world as critical and engaged citizens. Our staff are internationally recognized academics in key sociological specialisms, including violence and peace, protest movements, religion, family, migration, ethnicity, norms, emotions and politics.
Over 88% of research submitted by colleagues from Criminology, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Work to the Social Policy and Social Work Unit of Assessment (UoA) was judged to be World Leading or Internationally Excellent. An endorsement of the quality of our research and its impacts in areas such as the penal system, mental health and trauma; work once again achieved through work undertaken in partnership with the health, social care and criminal justice sectors. We are delighted that Social Work and Social Policy (including Sociology and Criminology) has been ranked at 12th in the UK ().
IN THE WORLD
FOR GRADUATE PROSPECTS
FOR INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK
IN THE UK
(Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026)|
Race, Racism, and Inequalities
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Politics, Conflict, and Protest
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Identity, Emotion, and Everyday Life
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What is Sociology?
Prof Lisa Smyth, answers the question 'What is Sociology?' and gives an overview of studying the subject at Queen's University Belfast.
Want to know more? Watch our short clips on , and by the Sociology team!
Student Experience: First Year Sociology
Meet Laura, a second year student studying a BA in Sociology at Queen's. Listen to what she has to say about her experience as a student during her first year of the course, and what advice she has for new students.
Student Experience: Second Year Sociology and Social Policy
Meet Emma, a second year student studying a BA in Sociology & Social Policy at Queen's. Listen to what she has to say about the course, her experience as a student and her advice to new students.
Student Experience: Sociology graduate
Meet Lauren, who graduated in 2024 with a BA (Hons) Sociology. Listen to what she has to say about her experience as a student and her advice to new students.
Did you know that analytical and critical thinking—the very heart of sociology—is the number one skill sought by employers worldwide?
“…analytical thinking remains the top core skill for employers, with seven out of 10 companies considering it as essential”.
World Economic Forum,
A Sociology degree from Queen’s equips you with valuable transferable skills that are in high demand across a wide range of industries. Sociology graduates thrive in fields such as management, communication, marketing, media, research, publishing, social services, education, and business. The ability to analyse complex issues, gather and evaluate evidence, and think critically makes Sociology an excellent foundation for careers that require problem-solving and strategic thinking. With strong research, analytical, and communication skills, Sociology graduates are well-prepared for diverse and meaningful career paths in today’s evolving job market.
Career Prospects
These include:
- Government, public administration, and policy – roles such as policy advisers, analysts, coordinators, or specialists in equality and diversity.
- NGOs, international development, and advocacy – including social enterprises, voluntary and community work, human rights, and campaign initiatives.
- The private sector – opportunities in advertising, market research, and consultancy.
- Professions that require a deep understanding of society and research skills –such as journalism, think tanks, and politics
- The degree also offers outstanding opportunities to pursue a career in social research or undertake research at Master and PhD level; as such it gives access to careers in education, higher education and academic research.
- The degree also provides the foundational skills to access the Social Science PGCE course.
Hear from our Careers Consultant about what’s possible with a Sociology degree:
Visit Employability and Our Graduates for more information.
Explore Society, Develop Key Skills, and Shape the Future. Sociology at Queen’s equips students with the critical skills to analyse and understand society. Our diverse range of modules covers topics such as conflict and peace processes, contemporary Northern Ireland, protest movements, gender inequality, racism, migration, family, and emotions. Throughout your studies, you’ll gain hands-on experience with essential research tools, including qualitative and quantitative methods, database analysis, and analytical thinking—skills highly valued by employers.
The Quantitative Methods Pathway provides the opportunity to gain advanced quantitative research skills, alongside your core undergraduate social science discipline. Through small group teaching and data labs, you will build a portfolio of data projects and develop key skills valued by employers. Successful completion of this advanced quantitative research training in Year 2 and Year 3 will allow students to receive the enhancement of BSc “with Quantitative Methods” added to the name of the degree awarded.
Academic Staff
| Name | Area of Research Expertise | Telephone | |
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Sociology of religion: religious individualism & bricolage; religion & social class; globalisation of religion; religion in Northern Ireland; new religious movements; responses to religious diversity; cult controversies. Sociology of Anti-Semitism & ethnic relations. Epistemology; Research ethics. |
v.altglas@qub.ac.uk | +44 (0)28 9097 3581 | |
| Education, employment and social inequality. | e.calvert@qub.ac.uk | +44 (0)28 9097 3958 | |
| Religion, conflict and peacebuilding; sociology of religion on the island of Ireland. | g.ganiel@qub.ac.uk | +44 (0)28 9097 3658 | |
| Early numeracy development, quantitative methods and effectiveness of educational interventions. | n.gleghorne@qub.ac.uk | ||
| Borders, sociology of Ireland; Brexit; political sociology. | k.hayward@qub.ac.uk | +44 (0)28 9097 3189 | |
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Sociology of emotion, political sociology, political sociology of emotion, power, nationalism, social theory, sociology of Ireland, relational sociology, process ontology. |
j.heaney@qub.ac.uk | +44 (0)28 9097 3482 | |
| Conflict and conflict transformation; othering; political extremism and sectarianism; peace processes; nationalism and identity politics. | c.p.mcmanus@qub.ac.uk | +44 (0)28 9097 5914 | |
| Race and ethnicity; family, marriage; large-scale longitudinal panel survey analysis | c.mcnamee@qub.ac.uk | +44 (0)28 9097 3342 | |
| Divided societies; social movements; sectarianism; sexuality. | john.nagle@qub.ac.uk | +44 (0)28 9097 5922 | |
| Norms, Emotions, Social Conflict and Change, Agency, Care, Family, Abortion, Motherhood. | l.smyth@qub.ac.uk | +44(0)2890973251 | |
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Cultural sociology; memory studies; right-wing social movements; historical denial; East Asia; East Asian religions; diasporas; social theory; sociology of intellectuals. |
r.ushiyama@qub.ac.uk | ||
| Sociology of Gender and Ethnic Minorities; Citizenship, Migration and Gender in Europe; Transnationalism and Europeanisation; Normalisation of the Global Far-Right. | u.vieten@qub.ac.uk | +44 (0)28 9097 2528 | |
Research Staff |
Dr Emma Calvert is co-Principal Investigator of the Migrant and Employers Strategies project, which is a collaboration with Trinity College Dublin. The project aims to provide analysis of the experiences, intentions and strategies of EU nationals and employers in Northern Ireland, who have been affected by the UK’s change in immigration policy precipitated by Brexit. The project is a Strand 1 project funded under the .
The RECOV-19 project investigated the changing role of religion during the Covid-19 pandemic across five global north contexts—Canada, Germany, Ireland/Northern Ireland, and Poland. It found that religious institutions in secularizing societies adjusted their roles during the pandemic by aligning more closely with scientific and ethical discourses and reshaping their digital strategies.
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Professor Katy Hayward's research on the implications of Brexit for the Irish border received international during the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Post-Brexit, she has worked with colleagues in Politics and Law in monitoring and analysing the unique arrangements for Northern Ireland under the Protocol/Windsor Framework.
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Researchers from Sociology initiated the Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS) in at the Northern Ireland Assembly and direct all-Ireland residential summer school aimed at ‘educating’ civil servants about the importance of welfare.
Students can undertake Study Abroad through Erasmus schemes (with universities in Barcelona, Lund in Sweden, Paris, Aix en Provence, in France, Munich and Dusseldorf in Germany, Rotterdam and Nijemegen in the Netherlands, Jyvaskyla in Finland) as well as visiting international students who take Sociology modules, particularly those connected to research expertise for which Queen’s is renowned (e.g. Conflict Transformation and Social justice, Childhood, Public Health etc.)
Healthcare Under Attack: Sociological Impacts and Barriers to Enforcing International Humanitarian Law in Gaza (provisional title)
Saga Hamdan is a PhD candidate in Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast and a NINE DTP Scholar. Her research examines systematic attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system and their sociological impact on healthcare delivery, medical decision-making, and civilian survival. A core strand of the project investigates why International Humanitarian Law (IHL) protections for healthcare personnel and facilities so often fail in practice, analysing the political, institutional, and accountability factors that hinder enforcement. Using qualitative methods and critical theory, her work bridges healthcare sociology and international law to address a key gap: how legal protections are negotiated, suspended, or rendered ineffective in protracted conflict settings.
