Sociology – Bachelor of Arts

Overview
Planning information
Courses
Entry requirements
Fees & scholarships
Careers & jobs
International students

Where you can study: Distance and online
International students International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents. Definition of New Zealand citizens and residents: Open to international students studying online from outside New Zealand
Note:: Not all courses are available in any given year

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Specialise in Sociology for your Bachelor of Arts at Massey

Sociology will help you understand our rapidly changing social world and take an active role in shaping society. Sociology equips you with the skills to pursue a wide range of careers, and to live a thoughtful, purposeful life.

Massey Sociology offers a unique suite of courses focused on challenging 'common sense' assumptions, analysing social problems, and developing the imagination to contribute to a hopeful future. You will learn about all aspects of the social world including culture, ethnicity, class, inequality, gender, environment, politics, work, social justice, everyday life, and individual and group relationships.

During your study of the Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) you will consider questions such as:

How is society structured?
How is society changing?
What divides or unites social groups?
What causes the inequalities we see in society?
How does power operate?

With a Massey BA (Sociology) you will ask challenging questions about how things really are in the social world. Culture, ethnicity, class, inequality, gender, mass media, politics, environment, social change and individual and group interactions are important areas that you will study. This is a broad subject that will teach to you think critically about the world and investigate social issues.

A Bachelor of Arts in Sociology is a good fit if you:

are interested in exploring and understanding social inequality and social justice, or
environmental, technical and economic changes, or
conflict, power and social movements.

Planning information

If you study full time, in the first year you’ll take eight 15-credit courses, making a total of 120 credits.

If you wish to study over two semesters, you should aim for 60 credits per semester. You may be able to take some courses at summer school if you wish. Make sure you include courses that are prerequisites for the next level of courses you wish to study.

You need to pass five courses at 300-level for your BA. One of these (230310) is in the compulsory core and three are required for your major. If you are not taking a double major or a minor, you will need to take one 300-level elective course to meet this requirement.

About this major

A Sociology major consists of 120 credits (eight courses).

Minors

Completing a minor is optional. Minors increase the breadth of your degree. They give you extra knowledge, attributes and capabilities.

A minor must be in a different subject from your major.

A Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) with a minor

You may choose a minor from the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Science. If the minor is from another degree the regulations of that qualification will apply.

A sociology minor (for students who are studying a different degree)

If you are not studying towards a BA (Sociology) and wish to complete a minor in sociology see the BA regulations for requirements.

More on minors

Official regulations

To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.

You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Certificates.

Returning students

For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.

In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may be no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.

Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.

Courses you can enrol in

Course planning key

Prerequisites: Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
Corequisites: Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
Restrictions: Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.

Core courses for the Bachelor of Arts

As well as the specialisation courses listed below, this qualification has core courses that you will need to complete.

Bachelor of Arts core courses

Sociology courses

Compulsory courses

Choose 15 credits from

176101 The Sociological Imagination 15

A foundation course in Sociology covering the key substantive aspects of contemporary society e.g. individual and social processes, globalisation and social inequalities.

View full course details

Subject courses

Choose no more than 15 credits from

176106 The Stuff of Everyday Life 15

An introduction to the sociology of everyday life and everyday material objects in both local and global contexts.

View full course details

294115 War and Society 15

An examination of the nature of war and its impact on society. The course explains how contemporary armed conflict and the use of force affects the world order, people and their communities, human behaviour, culture, and the environment.

View full course details

Choose at least 30 credits from

176216 Globalisation in a digital world 15

This course examines the intersecting material, social, and digital complexities of late capitalism in the context of increasing conditions of globalisation and glocalisation. Using a variety of sociological optics, the course aims to assist students to develop critical understandings that will enable them to be constructive contributors to their future worlds.

Restrictions: 176316

View full course details

176218 Racism and Colonisation 15

A review of the development of ideas of race and nation from the early modern era in Europe through to their world-wide crisis of the twentieth century including contemporary attempts to move beyond race via the concepts of ethnicity and indigeneity in Aotearoa New Zealand.

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176223 Social Inequality and Justice 15

An examination of how social structures create inequalities with a focus on gender, class, and ethnic diversities and identities and how claims for social transformation are made.

View full course details

176224 Gender: Bodies that Matter 15

An examination of how people experience gender, how gender inequality relates to other categories of social difference and how feminist approaches reveal and disrupt gender.

View full course details

Choose at least 45 credits from

176302 Research Design and Practice 15

A practical course that introduces the principles of research design, quantitative and qualitative methods and research dissemination, and students undertake a small sociological research project under supervised conditions.

View full course details

176308 Society, Climate Change and the Environment 15

This course examines the interconnections between society and the environment from a social sciences perspective, emphasising the roles of science and politics in the creation of environmental knowledge and practice. We examine the causes and consequences of environmental problems, including climate change. We also consider possibilities for transformative change through activism, Te Ao Māori and other Indigenous perspectives, markets, government, and community-led initiatives.

View full course details

176322 AI and the World of Work 15

This course provides an in-depth exploration of the changed nature of work in contemporary society. It examines the broader context of change, contemporary forms and patterns of work and occupations and issues and perspectives on global and local labour markets.

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176324 Imagining Other Worlds 15

A study of contemporary utopian sociological approaches to social change, based upon models of economy, administrative governance, and social reproduction that differ from those of colonial capitalism.

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176325 The Politics of Truth 15

An enquiry into the social contexts and power relationships that influence the production of knowledge, drawing on situations of current political significance. ‘Truth-claims’ are deconstructed in order to identify underlying ideological and political impulses.

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Entry requirements

Admission to Massey

All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.

Massey University entry requirements

Specific requirements

There are no specific entry requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (Sociology), outside of university admission regulations.

English language requirements

To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.

Massey University English language requirements

If you have already completed a bachelor degree

If you have already completed a bachelor degree you may replace 230111 Tū Kupu: Writing and Inquiry or 230112 Tū Arohae: Critical Thinking with courses of your choice. You will need to apply for replacement courses via a Special permission request and you will need to attach evidence of your completed degree with the request.

English language skills

If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.

Fees and scholarships

2026 tuition fees

Domestic students: $7,415
International students: $34,220

Tuition fees are estimates only. The exact fees charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment. The estimates are for full-time study (120 credits). Fees are in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The estimates do not include the Student Services Fee. This fee is $1,164 for on-campus students and $948 for distance students for full-time study (120 credits). For more information about this fee and other fees you may need to pay, see non-tuition fees.

There may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.

Course fees

You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.

Course search

Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme

You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.

The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme, including how much could be covered and your eligibility on the Inland Revenue website.

Scholarship and award opportunities

Massey University Undergraduate First Year Scholarship – School Leavers

Find more scholarships and awards

Fees disclaimer

This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.

Careers and job opportunities

The days when young people learned specific technical skills for one lifetime career are long gone. Today’s labour market looks for people who are creative, adaptable, good communicators, who can grapple with unstructured challenges and will solve critical problems.

Recent sociology graduates have gone on to positions including:

Policy advisors at Ministry of Social Development and Ministry for the Environment
Vocational consultant for a company that helps people with disabilities into meaningful jobs
Community researcher at Kāinga Ora
Social justice advocate for an NGO
Human resources for an international company
Community liaison for a regional council
Event planner
many more.

Other career paths include:

research and policy analysis for central/local government and non-governmental organisations
teaching
journalism
community and social services work
political advocacy
running a business
planning and consultancy
advertising and marketing
film and television production.

International students

New Zealand is a great place to study. Massey University’s reputation is supported by our international rankings, accreditations and associations. We are rated five star plus by the QS World University Rankings.

Plan your courses

View your course options and plan your study using our course planner.

Course planner

Accreditations and rankings

QS Ranking - Sociology

Massey is ranked in the world's top 350 universities for sociology by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

Learn more

Related study options

Sociology – Graduate Certificate in Arts

Specialisation

Location: Auckland campus, Distance and online, Manawatū campus (Palmerston North)

If you don’t necessarily follow the crowds but are fascinated by their behaviour, if you are curious about the world and how you can make a difference, then sociology should interest you.