Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences

Our teaching excellence and real world experience encourage wider thinking. We help our students realise their potential and make a positive impact on society.

Funding opportunities for doctoral research

Applications for funding are now open for new doctoral students. Find out more about the awards available and the research opportunities in the Faculty.

Funding for doctoral research in Humanities and Social Sciences

Studentships are available for doctoral research in humanities and social sciences. Find out about eligibility and how to apply for them.

Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences PhD research opportunities

Download a list of research opportunities for new PhD students across the departments in the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences.

Latest research

Our research solves real world problems.

Prison Crisis and the Penal Merry-Go-Round

Professor Yvonne Jewkes addresses the current prison crisis and how continual changes in leadership contribute to an unsustainable penal system.

Supporting social work services for children in China

Chinese children gather together laughing.

Dr Louise Brown talks about innovations to support service development in a huge country.

Groundbreaking workshops for autistic people applying for universities and jobs

Students attend an autism summer school at Bath

The prospect of attending university or applying for a job can be scary for anyone, but autistic people have particular challenges, says Professor Mark Brosnan.

Our academic departments

Our six academic departments are research active and teach our portfolio of courses.

Department of Economics

We conduct high quality research and teaching in economics. Our graduates have excellent employment prospects due to our established industry placements scheme.

Department of Education

Mother helping her son with his homework

We conduct research and teach courses to further our understanding of a range of education-related issues nationally and internationally.

Department for Health

We deliver highly-rated courses in sport, exercise and health, alongside research to promote wellbeing and enhance functional performance.

Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies

We offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees spanning politics, languages, economics, international studies and interpreting.

Department of Psychology

Two researchers using a computer in a dark room

A large and growing team of staff offers expertise in a broad spectrum of psychology topics, which allows our students to work across traditional boundaries.

Department of Social & Policy Sciences

One of the UK's leading centres for social sciences, we offer degrees in sociology, social policy, social work, international development and criminology.

Placements

Many of our undergraduate students take a placement year as part of their degree. They are supported by our Faculty Placements Team.

Placement bursary scheme celebrates four years of student support

A student on placement outside the UN HQ

The HSS fund set up to help with the costs of low or unpaid placements is helping more students than ever before.

Took off from Malaysia, landed a job at the Bank of England

Grace Ling is a recent graduate from BSc (Hons) Economics at the University of Bath. She shares the memories of her journey as an international student.

Rewarding placements in Nepal and a residential care home

Chloe Collins presenting her placement poster at the Faculty Posters Exhibition

Chloe Collins is a final year undergraduate student on the Education with Psychology course. Read more about her placement year experience.

Changing our attitude towards body image

Liza Liew spent her placement year researching the perception of body image in young children.

News

View latest updates from the Faculty

Future Faculty: Change Makers event in Humanities & Social Sciences

Students at a round table discussing issues and solutions with members of staff

The Faculty event brought together over 50 staff and students to discuss commonly raised issues and to collaboratively develop solutions.

Faculty teams strengthen the local community

A group shot of the staff under the shade of a tree on a sunny day

Staff from the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences volunteered for a day to support local Bath charities National Trust, Dorothy House and Bath City Farm.

One Young World 2019 delegates represent the University at the summit in London

One Young World 2019 Summit delegates Laura Mitchell and Cicely Hayes standing in front of 10W building

Final year students Laura Mitchell and Cicely Hayes join delegates from 190 countries at the October summit in London that feature influential global figures.

Lecture series

Time and venue information will be confirmed closer to each event.

Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences inaugural lecture series 2019/20

Man in front of his presentation, giving his inaugural lecture to a audience

View a summary of the inaugural lectures taking place in the faculty.

About us

We offer a diverse range of undergraduate courses covering economics, education, psychology, policy and languages. We also offer a variety of taught and research-based postgraduate courses, from master's to doctorate qualifications.

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Our team

View Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences teams.

Current staff can access our faculty resources.

Dawn Cox, Faculty Coordinator