Social Work
Northumbria University, Newcastle
UCAS Code: L503 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
UCAS Tariff
From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas or the International Baccalaureate. Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo Subject Requirements: There are no specific subject requirements for this course. GCSE Requirements: Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent. Additional Requirements: Applicants will be required to attend an interview. Admission is subject to a suitable DBS Enhanced Certificate and a satisfactory health check. Applicants must meet the Health and Care Professions Council's suitability for registration requirements. International Qualifications: We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above. If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry English Language Requirements: International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 with 6.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*). *The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications For further admissions guidance and requirements, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/admissionsguidance Please review this information before submitting your application.
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Attend an interview
About this course
**Please note: This course is subject to University revalidation and approval by Social Work England. First entry to this course is September 2024**.
Gain the skills and knowledge you need to embark on a demanding but incredibly rewarding career with our BSc (Hons) Social Work degree at Northumbria.
During your course, you will gain confidence and knowledge of social work, ensuring you are ready to support and improve the lives of everyday people, from all walks of life.
Covering modules in Social Work Assessment and Intervention, Policy and Law, Ethics, Research, Safeguarding, and Leadership, you will gain knowledge which you can apply to your practice placements and, subsequently, your future employment.
At Northumbria, you will be taught by leading academics who have extensive practical experience in a wide range of social work contexts. Furthermore, successful completion of the course, will enable you to apply for registration with Social Work England - a legal requirement for all practising social workers in England.
**What is a Social Worker?**
A social worker is someone who seeks to improve people’s lives by helping with social and interpersonal difficulties, promoting human rights, and wellbeing. . They can support many kinds of people including the elderly, those with disabilities, people who have a learning disability, young offenders, children at risk of abuse, children living in foster care, autistic people, refugees, asylum seekers, people experiencing mental health difficulties, and those vulnerable to drug or alcohol abuse.
Social Work is motivated by human rights and the wellbeing of the public, ensuring that everyone, no matter their circumstances, is treated fairly and is safe from harm. They may do this by assessing the needs of an individual, planning the best solution to their problems, making referrals, organising support, or even providing direct support.
The course is delivered through a range of learning and assessment methods, designed to ensure you can gain lots of transferable skills, such as independence, team working, research skills, leaderships, and time management. These skills are vital for any career, including Social Work.
As well as this, you will take part in 170 days of assessed placements in the final two years of study. This will be a fantastic way to get hands-on, help real people, and get a real feel for the kind of clinical settings which you may work in after your studies.
**Why choose Northumbria to study Social Work?**
Top Department: Social Work at Northumbria is ranked top 20 in the UK (Times Good University Guide, 2024).
Research Powerhouse: Social Policy is ranked 3rd in the UK for research power in the UK out of 76 submissions (REF, 2021). This represents a rise of 15 places compared to 2014.
Excellent Connections: Our Social Work placements aim to provide you with the opportunity to gain skills in at least two practice settings. Our excellent connections with local healthcare organisations provides opportunities in residential settings, fieldwork teams, hospitals, day service/centre provision, and schools.
Student Rated: 95% of students studying Social Work at Northumbria believed the library resources supported their learning and that their assessment feedback was often on time (NSS, 2023). Over 93% of students studying Social Work at Northumbria felt free to express their ideas, opinions, and beliefs (NSS, 2023).
**In December 2019, Social Work Education (SWE) became the new regulator for social work, replacing the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Since then, significant progress has been made to ensure a smooth and safe transition for social workers and the wider sector. Therefore, BA (Hons) Social Work is undergoing a University revalidation and approval by Social Work England which is planned to complete by Summer 2024. For more information, please visit https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/news/launch-date-announced/**
Modules
For a full list of the modules on your course, please access the course pages at www.northumbria.ac.uk
Assessment methods
Your tutors will use a variety of teaching methods, which may include lectures, seminars, problem-based workshops, case discussions, practical activities, group work and tutorials. Teaching is backed up by a well-designed support system that will underpin your learning journey. You will have access to a Guidance Tutor with whom you can discuss any academic issues. Extensive feedback from both tutors and peers is built into the course.
The Uni
Coach Lane Campus
Social Work and Community Wellbeing
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.
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.
£17k
£22k
£26k
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 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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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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