College of Social Sciences

Third year as a social sciences student

Registration and enrolment opens 6th August

Choosing your third year courses

In your third year, on the MA Social Sciences Degree, students who do not enter an Honours programme continue to study one of their level 2 subjects at level 3. In most cases, this level 3 subject is based in the Adam Smith Business School or the School of Social and Politics Sciences. If you wish to study a different subject at level 3, you will require advice from the Curriculum Guidance and Support Team. 

You will enrol in 60 credits of level 3 courses. Your remaining credits should be used for choosing elective courses, normally at level 1. This is a good chance to try something new or to pick up courses that will help you develop different kinds of skills and knowledge. There are a wide range of course options available to you from across the University, and it can be quite difficult to know which to choose. To help with navigating these choices, we've highlighted a few different types of course that you may want to consider below.  

All these courses should be available for you to select during enrolment. If you have any questions, you may find the answer below in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Otherwise, please contact the Curriculum Guidance and Support Team. 

Frequently Asked Questions

I cannot enrol in courses. What should I do?

Make sure you've checked and followed all the instructions on the University website about how to register and then enrol. If you're still struggling then you should contact the Curriculum Guidance and Support Team through the University helpdesk.

Can I join a waiting list to enrol in a course that is full?

There are no waiting lists for courses run by the Adam Smith Business School and the School of Social and Political Sciences. Any enrolment restrictions, designed to reserve places for students who require a course for their degree plan, will be removed on Wednesday 17 September should you wish to try and enrol again at that time.

Do I have to take an even number of credits across the two semester? (i.e. 60 in semester 1 and 60 in semester 2)

We strongly recommend that you do a 60/60 split across the two semesters. Attempting to do more credits in one semester than another is risky as it will mean you have an excessively high academic workload in a single semester which increases the chances of you getting into difficulties during your studies. If you do not achieve an even split, try not to go beyond 50/70 and we recommend taking excess credits in semester 2 when you have settled into your studies and the gap between the end of the semester and degree exams is longer.

I need to take 10 credits to balance my credits across both semesters. What courses can I take?

You should check the course lists in the drop down menus below this FAQ. The languages for international mobility are a great option. Or you could consider one of the 10-credit Curriculum for Life courses on offer in semester 2. 

Can I take a level 2 course instead of level 1?

Yes, this is allowed if you achieved D3 or above, but be mindful of the more demanding academic load.

As a direct entrant to year 2, can I study course that I took at level 2 at level 1?

This is not allowed because your transfer credits reflect the level 1 courses that are otherwise pre-requesites for level 2 study.

Interdisciplinary Learning: Curriculum for Life

Curriculum for Life (C4L) is a brand new initiative at the University which provides you with opportunities to develop yourselves as global citizens, creative leaders, change makers and social innovators. Students on the MA Social Sciences and MA have exclusive access to six new courses in 2025/26, that will help you to develop the skills to tackle real-world challenges and provide you with the opportunity to collaborate with people across different Subjects, Schools and degree programmes, broadening your perspective beyond the traditional learning environment.

All C4L courses are designed to welcome students from any academic background, so there are no pre-requisites. Each course is worth 10 or 20 credits and is compatible with progressing to your preferred Honours combination. They will be counted as Social Sciences credits for progression purposes. 

There are six courses available and you can find information on them HERE.

Semester 1

  • EDUC1138: Collaborations in Practice (20 credits)
  • SPS1001: Measuring Your Social World QM1 (20 credits)

Semester 2

  • LIBARTS1002 C4L Intercultural Literacies (20 credits)
  • MED1020: Making Sense of Problem Substance Abuse in Scotland (10 credits)
  • PSYCH1012: Applied Data Skills (20 credits)
  • SPS1010: Does Scotland Need Human Rights? Mobilising for Change with Civil Society (10 credits)

The courses should appear in your “add by requirements” in MyCampus, once you are in a position to enrol.

Learn a Language

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures offers a range of languages for international mobility courses. These are primarily aimed at students who are considering completing a semester abroad in the third year of their studies, but may also be of interest to students on a range of degree plans where some knowledge of another language may be beneficial. There are courses for complete beginners and those with some basic grounding in the following languages:

  • Arabic
  • Chinese
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Ukranian

Typically, you can take up to 20 credits in these courses with 10 credits each semester. There are some other language courses offered by the School however these might not become available until closer to the start of term (and we cannot guarantee that there will be space).

Introductory Science Courses

While social science students tend to be drawn to courses about the social, economic and political worlds, having a grounding in the natural sciences is essential in an ever more technology advanced world. The College of Science and Engineering offers a range of 20 credit introductory courses which may be of particular interest to MA Social Sciences students.

Some of these courses require you to take equivalent courses in both semester 1 and 2. Some of them also require you to have met some minimum grade requirements in some maths or science subjects at Higher level (or equivalent). Details can be found in the course links below.

Semester 1

Semester 2

Alternatively, you can take some other science course to make up credits. For instance, Physics run a course on the Science of Musical Instruments & Accoustics in semester 2.

Quantitative Methods and Statistics Skills

In our data-driven world, skills in statistical data and quantitative methods of analysis are increasingly important. As a MA Social Sciences student, you have various options available to you for developing these skills.

If you are studying one of the social science subjects offered by the School of Social and Political Sciences (CEES, ESH, IR, Politics, Sociology, or Social and Public Policy) then you could consider doing courses in quantitative methods as your electives:

You can do these courses for credit during your second year, and then decide if you would like to continue studying these as part of a 'with quantitative methods' degree. You can find more information on the Q-Step website.

Alternatively, you the School of Maths and Statistics offers introductory courses in Statistics which are designed for students from a range of different backgrounds.

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

There are a very wide range of courses offered by the Schools of Critical Studies, Culture & Creative Arts, and Humanities (all in the College of Arts and Humanities) which are open to MA Social Sciences. While you can enrol in most level 1 courses in these schools, there may be some restrictions due to capacity and timetabling constraints. For instance, you will not be able to enrol in Film and Television Studies or Cultural Industries.

There are also several social sciences courses available to year 2 students. These include courses offered by the Schools of Education and Law.

Introduction to Business Reporting & Financial Accounting ACCFIN1001
Introduction to Management Accounting and Control ACCFIN1006
Introduction to Finance, Investments and Institutions ACCFIN1016
CEES 1A: Central and Eastern Europe in the Age of Stalin CEES1015
CEES 1B: Communism and its Collapse CEES1016
Introductory Economics ECON1010
Introduction to Alternative Perspectives in Economics ECON1011
Fundamentals of Education 1A EDUC1012
Fundamentals of Education 1B EDUC1013
ESH 1A: Economic and Social History in Global Contexts ESH1001
ESH 1B: Themes in Globalisation ESH1002
Geography 1: Living in a changing world GEOG1001
Business Law LAW1001
Public International Law LAW1006
Roman Law of Property and Obligations 1 LAW1007
Entrepreneurship: New Venture Creation MGT1003
Social and Public Policy 1A: Foundations of Welfare PUBPOL1010
Social and Public Policy 1B: Understanding Glasgow in a Globalised World PUBPOL1011

Any social sciences course not on this list is not open to select as an elective due to capacity and timetabling constraints.

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