College of Social Sciences

1. Successful applications for internal transfers into year 1 are subject to:

(a) meeting the entry requirements for the degree programme

(b) available capacity on programme for additional students

(c) demonstrable motivation to study the degree plan via the application form and potentially via interview

(d) support from your current Advising Service for transfer.

Students are recommended to apply via UCAS (or equivalent) if it is not too late in light of limited capacity to accept transfers. There is no guarantee that your transfer will be successful.

2. Students may transfer into year 2:

(a) if they have achieved at least 120 credits, of which 80 are grade D3 or above and including at least 40 credits of qualifying social sciences courses which will be studied at level 2 in year 2

(b) on the basis that they will enrol in at least 60 credits of social sciences qualifying courses as part of their year 2 curriculum

(c) normally only when the equivalent degree programme is not available in their current School/College.

3. Students may transfer into Junior Honours:

(a) if they are eligible for entry to the Honours level of a relevant degree programme as described in para. 15 of the Generic Undergraduate Regulations

(b) normally only when the equivalent degree programme is not available in their current School/College.

4. The MA (Social Sciences) International Relations does not accept internal transfers. MA (Social Sciences) degrees in/with Geography, Mathematics or Psychology do not accept internal transfers into year 1.

5. Other requests are considered on a case-by-case basis by the Readmissions and Transfer Committee.

V1.0 - last updated on 12 June 2025

Students should complete the appropriate application form for consideration by the Readmissions and Transfer Committee. Please ensure that you complete the application form correctly to avoid any delay in providing your outcome. Guidance is provided below for year 1 applicants.

The timeline is as follows:

Students applying for transfer to year 1 should read the policy and the following notes carefully:

• This application process is for students who do not wish to continue with their current degree programme and do not currently study any social sciences courses that they wish to continue with at level 2.
• Students must meet the entry requirements for the requested degree programme in line with the University policy, noting that your qualifications will be checked. Please do not complete the application if you do not meet the entry requirements.
• You must meet with an Adviser, Senior Adviser or Chief Adviser for your current degree programme to discuss your plans, and they must be prepared to support your application. They must agree that a change of degree programme is the best option and that academic success is a likely outcome. Please send them the link and ask them to complete the Adviser recommendation form by the relevant deadline – your application cannot proceed without it.
• You will normally study three subjects, two of which (80 credits) must be social sciences. Owing to capacity constraints, we encourage you to nominate at least three and as many as seven (from Business and Management, Central and East European Studies, Economic and Social History, Economics, Politics, Social and Public Policy, Sociology), but do not nominate any subjects that you do not wish to study. The top two subjects requested/accepted will be reflected in your plan name.

For example: student applies for Politics, Social and Public Policy and Central and East European Studies and is accepted for no. 2 and 3, the student’s plan will be MA (Social Sciences) Central and East European Studies and Social and Public Policy. Information about subjects/level 1 courses are available in the course catalogue and we encourage you to undertake wider research.

• You will tell us why you wish to study this degree programme/these subjects.
• If you have MV, CW or grades below D3 in the current academic year, we will ask you to explain the reasons for these in line with our repeat year policy. We will also ask you to tell us about your plans to ensure your repeat year is successful. We may ask for evidence of fitness to continue with studies.
• If necessary, you can request a period of Fitness to Study Leave (one academic year) before continuing with your studies. You will discuss this with a Senior Adviser for the MA (Social Sciences) degree.
• If you are a funded student, we recommend that you contact your funder about repeat year funding.
• If you are an international student, we recommend that you seek visa-related advice in relation to the repeat year

If you have any questions about the internal transfer policy or application process, please submit these to the MA (Social Sciences) Curriculum Guidance and Support Team via the Help Desk.

The team will also assist with requests for an earlier outcome for transfers into year 2 or Honours if there is a valid reason for this, e.g. study abroad plans. Please complete the application as normal and submit a call to alert them to the application and allow five working days for a response. We cannot expedite year 1 transfer requests at present.