Social Work
Birmingham City University
UCAS Code: L501 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Birmingham City University
UCAS Code: L501 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
120 UCAS tariff points from three A Levels. Grades BBB (or equivalent). Required subjects: One of Health and Social Care, Human Biology, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology, Social Science or Applied Science at A Level or level 3 equivalent. Other subjects may be considered at the discretion of the Admissions tutor. Excluded subjects: General Studies
Pass with 60 credits. At least 45 credits at level 3 with 30 credits at Merit or Distinction.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language or English Literature and GCSE Maths at grade C/4 or above. If you do not have these or are not undertaking them, we accept other level 2 equivalents, or we may ask you to pass BCU's GCSE equivalency tests.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Obtain a minimum of 30 points overall. For students who do not already hold a GCSE in Mathematics at grade C/4 or above, grade 5 in Maths (Standard level) from the IB Diploma will be accepted. For students who do not already hold a GCSE in English Language at grade C/4 or above, English Language (Standard level) from the IB Diploma will be accepted. For English A, this must be grade 4 or above; for English B, this must be grade 5.
Minimum of 120 UCAS tariff points, achieved in five Higher level subjects. Required subjects: One Health or Science related subject.
120 UCAS tariff points. Diploma accepted with one A Level or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Certificate accepted with two A Levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Diploma - accepted subjects: Health or Science-related subjects. National Diploma/Extended Certificate - accepted subjects: Either this qualification or an accompanying A Level / level 3 equivalent must be in Health and Social Care, Human Biology, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology, Social Science or Applied Science. Other subjects may be considered at the discretion of the Admissions tutor.
120 UCAS tariff points. Diploma accepted with one A Level or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Certificate accepted with two A Levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Diploma - accepted subjects: Health or Science-related subjects. National Diploma/Extended Certificate - accepted subjects: Either this qualification or an accompanying A Level / level 3 equivalent must be in Health and Social Care, Human Biology, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology, Social Science or Applied Science. Other subjects may be considered at the discretion of the Admissions tutor.
120 UCAS tariff points. Diploma accepted with one A Level or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Certificate accepted with two A Levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications. Extended Diploma - accepted subjects: Health or Science-related subjects. National Diploma/Extended Certificate - accepted subjects: Either this qualification or an accompanying A Level / level 3 equivalent must be in Health and Social Care, Human Biology, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology, Social Science or Applied Science. Other subjects may be considered at the discretion of the Admissions tutor.
120 UCAS tariff points from three Advanced Highers (CCC) or two Advanced Highers (CC) plus two Highers (CC). Required subjects: One Health or Science related subject.
120 UCAS tariff points from three Advanced Highers (CCC) or two Advanced Highers (CC) plus two Highers (CC). Required subjects: One Health or Science related subject.
T Level
Merit overall.
UCAS Tariff
Please note: If you qualify for our BCU Accelerate scheme, you could receive an offer that is two grades below our normal entry requirements. If you have non-standard qualifications but you have significant relevant experience, you may be eligible for our portfolio route - see additional information below for further details.
You may also need to…
Attend an interview
About this course
As one of the largest providers of social workers in the UK, our Social Work BSc (Hons) degree is regulated by Social Work England and is well known for producing excellent practitioners capable of operating in local authority, voluntary or private settings.
Our specially-designed degree will give you the skills and knowledge needed to make a
difference to people's lives as a professional and registered social worker.
You will learn about the social work profession and the needs of the people social workers support. We link theory and practice through a combination of academic learning and on the job placement opportunities.
You will gain a first-hand insight into a wide range of issues that you will face in social work practice, such as:
- The care needs of vulnerable people
- Safeguarding children and adults
- The impact of poverty
- Domestic violence
- Substance misuse
- Mental health issues
Through expert teaching and quality placements, you will develop a sophisticated understanding of different service user groups and the skills needed to safeguard the well-being of vulnerable people.
This social work degree course is among the most innovative of its kind, placing you where you will benefit the most - among the people and communities you will go on to support.
**£1,000 scholarships for 2025/26**
If you apply to BCU by 30 June 2025, you could be eligible for one of our £1,000 scholarships:
- Accelerate – if you are from a lower income family or household
- High Achievers’ – if you achieve 144 UCAS points or more from your main three qualifications
For full details and terms, visit www.bcu.ac.uk/scholarships
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
City South Campus, Edgbaston
School of Education and Social Work
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Social work
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Social work
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
We're short of social workers - so if you want a degree that is in demand, then this could be the one for you! There's a shortage of social workers all over the UK, and graduates can specialise in specific fields such as mental health or children's social work. If you decide social work is not for you, then social work graduates also often go into management, education, youth and community work and even nursing. Starting salaries for this degree can reflect the high proportion of graduates who choose a social work career - social work graduates get paid, on average, more than graduates overall, but not all options pay as well as social work. This is also an unusual subject in that London isn't one of the more common places to find jobs - so if you want to get a job near to your home or your university this might be worth thinking about.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Social work
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£23k
£29k
£29k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Explore these similar courses...
Higher entry requirements
Lower entry requirementsSame University
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Course location and department:
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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