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Social Work

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-A,A,B

Other A Level combinations possible to achieve a minimum of 120 points. Minimum of 2 A Levels, can be combined with other Level 3 qualifications eg. AS levels/Extended Project to achieve a minimum of 120 points

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:9,P:6

Achieve a minimum of 120 UCAS Points from a Access to HE course: this is normally achieved with 45 level 3 credits and 15 level 2 credits of which 30 of the level 3 credits should be at Distinction and 9 at Merit. Other combinations of distinctions and merits to the value in excess of 120 points can also be accepted. GCSE at grade 4 or above (or grade C or above for GCSEs taken before 2017) in English Language and Mathematics or equivalent qualification eg Functional/Key skills level 2 in numeracy and literacy

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Applicants need to have grade C or Grade 4 English Language in the newly reformed GCSE grading or Level 2 functional skills in English.

May be considered for entry into year 1 of the course. Due to the professional requirements of this course it is unlikely that you would be able to get advanced standing for entry into the second year of the course.

May be considered for entry into year 1 of the course. Due to the professional requirements of this course it is unlikely that you would be able to get advanced standing for entry into the second year of the course.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H3,H3,H3,H3,H3-H2,H2,H2,H2,H3


A minimum of 120 UCAS points usually from 5 subjects

Can be combined with other level 3 qualifications to achieve a minimum of 120 points

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

D*D*

Can be combined with other level 3 qualifications to achieve a minimum of 120 points

Can be combined with other level 3 qualifications to achieve a minimum of 120 points

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DDM-DDD

Grade combinations below 120 points considered when combined with other Level 3 qualifications including AS and Extended Project to achieve a minimum of 120 points

Can be combined with other level 3 qualifications to achieve a minimum of 120 points

Can be combined with other level 3 qualifications to achieve a minimum of 120 points

Can be combined with other level 3 qualifications to achieve a minimum of 120 points

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM-DDD

Grade combinations below 120 points considered when combined with other Level 3 qualifications including AS and Extended Project to achieve a minimum of 120 points

Achieve a minimum of 120 tariff points achieved in either three Advanced Highers or from a combination of two Advanced Highers plus two Highers.

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,C,C-A,B,B,B,B


Achieve a minimum of 120 tariff points achieved from either five Highers or a combination of two Highers offered with two Advanced Highers. Where only Highers have been taken a minimum of (BBBCC) are required.

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

120-136

We welcome a wide range of qualifications and qualification combinations. We assess each application individually, taking in to account any experience and skills you may have in your chosen field. Don't worry if you can't see your specific qualification listed, just contact our team of experts

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Social work

**Reasons to choose Kingston**
- This course is accredited by Social Work England. Once you graduate, you can apply to register with Social Work England so you can start work as a qualified social worker.

- You’ll develop your skills in our award-winning Practice Learning Suite through simulated interactions with people with lived experience.

- Kingston is part of a sector-leading social work teaching partnership network with nine local authorities and three voluntary organisations.

- Our commitment to high quality teaching has been recognised with a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold rating. The University has received an overall rating of Gold, as well as securing a Gold award in the framework's two new student experience and student outcomes categories.

**About this course**
This course offers hands-on experience of social work theory, perspectives and models of intervention, and a foundation in ethics, diversity, social policy and law. You’ll study mental health, disability, ageing, adoption, fostering, substance misuse, youth justice, safeguarding, domestic violence and practice research. You’ll learn directly from people with lived experience and social workers in practice.

We have a wide range of placement opportunities throughout South West London and Surrey, including child protection, youth justice, mental health, vulnerable adults settings, schools, drugs and substance misuse services.

**Future Skills**
Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.

As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.

**Career opportunities**
This is an exciting time to enter social work and a very high percentage of graduates quickly obtain qualified social work posts. There are excellent employment and career opportunities in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors for qualified practitioners. Social workers increasingly work in integrated inter-professional teams in social care, health, education and criminal justice settings.

Modules

Examples of modules:

– Practice Skills and Methods
– Working with Ethics and Diversity in Social Work Practice
– Readiness for Direct Practice.

For a full list of modules please visit the Kingston university course webpage.

Assessment methods

Teaching and learning opportunities are varied and stimulating. They include field visits, classroom discussion of case studies and film clips as well as lectures and seminars led by experienced social workers, service users and academics.

Our Practice Learning Suite enables simulated interactions with service users (on doorsteps, in living rooms, in reception areas and interview spaces). Recording facilities enable you to observe and reflect on your practice. Teaching also comprises lectures, problem-solving approaches and small group sessions for learning support.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Kingston University

Department:

Department of Social Work and Social Care

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

77%
Social work

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

85%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
87%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
94%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
92%
IT resources
90%
Course specific equipment and facilities
66%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

98%
UK students
2%
International students
11%
Male students
89%
Female students
74%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
B

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.

£22,000
med
Average annual salary
94%
low
Employed or in further education
84%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

54%
Welfare professionals
10%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
8%
Childcare and related personal services

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.

£31k

£31k

£32k

£32k

£36k

£36k

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.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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:

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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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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here