Social Work and Applied Social Studies (including Placement)
University of Bath
UCAS Code: L501 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
BBB in three A levels. We will not require a pass in any separate science practical endorsement for a science A level if you apply for entry in 2022 (or deferred entry in 2023). A level Alternative offer: BBC Most of our students will join us with three A levels, but you may have study beyond this (such as a project qualification or additional study in maths) which demonstrates your individual talents that will help you with your degree. We recognise these studies through our alternative offers: BBC in three A level subjects plus one of: grade A in an EPQ grade B in the Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate grade B in a Core Mathematics qualification grade B in AS level Mathematics or Statistics (except if you are studying an A level in that subject) if you are eligible, a pass in the Access to Bath course or successful completion of another recognised widening access programme If you receive an offer for this course and are studying one of these qualifications you will be given both the typical and alternative offer.
Access to HE Diploma
A pass in the Access to HE Diploma, with at least 27 credits awarded at Distinction and 12 credits awarded at Merit or above. Ideally your Access to HE Diploma should cover relevant social sciences units, such as: Psychology, Sociology, Social Policy, Criminology, or Education.
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Typical offer: M1, M1, M1 in three Principal Subjects. Most of our students will join us with three principal subjects, but you may have study beyond this (such as a Global Perspectives course or additional study in maths) which demonstrates your individual talents that will help you with your degree. We recognise these studies through our alternative offers. Alternative Cambridge Pre-U offer: M1, M1, M3 in three principal subjects plus one of: grade M1 in Cambridge Pre-U Global Perspectives grade A in an EPQ grade B in the Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate grade B in a Core Mathematics qualification If you receive an offer for this course and are studying one of these qualifications you will be given both the typical and alternative offer.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Typical offer: 35 points overall and 5,5,5 in three Higher Level subjects.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
DDM in the Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma.
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
DDM in the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DDM in the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF).
Scottish Advanced Higher
BB in two Advanced Highers. We make offers based on Advanced Highers. You will typically be expected to have completed five Scottish Highers and your grades in these will be considered as part of your application. We prefer applicants who have achieved at least BBBBB in their Highers.
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About this course
Gain the knowledge and skills to practice as a registered professional social worker. This course combines academic learning and practice placements.
This course will prepare you for a challenging and rewarding career in social work. We offer comprehensive training that will enable you to apply to register as a social worker and practice in a range of settings. You’ll study the social sciences as a foundational base and develop more specific social work knowledge, values and skills.
You’ll be based in the Department of Social & Policy Sciences and our teaching team work closely with colleagues across the disciplines of sociology, social policy, criminology and international development. You'll benefit from their expertise and our fifty years of experience training social work practitioners at the University.
In your first year you'll study social work units alongside sociology and social policy. Areas include social work values and methods, psychology and social work theories and methods. You'll develop an awareness of social inequality and social justice that will underpin your training, and enhance your social work skills in readiness for your practice placements.
In your second year you'll begin your Professional Practice Placement and advance your study of social work. Alongside your placement you will also explore topics such as discrimination and empowerment. In this year you'll study core social work units of social work with children and families, working with adults and mental health social work.
In your final year you'll continue your social work studies and in your last semester you will undertake a final Professional Practice Placement. You’ll build on the knowledge and skills you have developed in previous years and apply this to your practice with service users and carers.
The Uni
University of Bath
Social and Policy Sciences
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 sciences (non-specific)
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)
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.
Sociology, social policy and anthropology
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
This section covers a range of subjects that are often very different, so if you have a particular course in mind, the data here might not fully reflect the possible outcomes from your particular choice. Graduates from these subjects tend to do similar sorts of things to graduates from other social studies courses, so welfare and community roles are common, as are education, whilst graduates also often go into management, marketing and HR jobs and jobs in the police, and employment rates are good in general — but talk to course tutors and attend open days and try to get stats for the course you’re interested in.
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.
Sociology, social policy and anthropology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£25k
£27k
£31k
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.
Health and social care
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
£23k
£25k
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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Lower entry requirements
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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.
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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?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
