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Social Work

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-B,C,C

Access to HE Diploma

D:24,M:21,P:0

GCSE/National 4/National 5

It is preferable for applicants to have grade C or 4 in Mathematics or a suitable equivalent level qualification. However, applicants will still be considered if this requirement is not met.

120 Tariff points from your IB Diploma, typically H5, H6, H6 or equivalent

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

DDM-DMM

Scottish Higher qualifications are considered on an individual basis.

UCAS Tariff

104-120

You may also need to…

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About this course


Course option

3years

Sandwich | 2024

Subject

Social work

Social work is about changing lives for the better. Our degree has been designed with professional practice in mind, helping you to develop the knowledge and practical skills you need to become a confident, competent social work practitioner.

The School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research is one of the best in the country for teaching and research.

This programme is regulated by Social Work England (SWE).

Reasons to study Social Work at Kent:

Successful graduates of this programme are eligible for professional registration with Social Work England (SWE), the regulatory body for social work.
Social Work at Kent is ranked 2nd for research quality in The Complete University Guide 2023.
You are taught by qualified social workers with diverse practical experience, whose research explores the complexities of the social world
You gain the knowledge, skills, confidence and critical understanding necessary to practise social work.
90% of Kent Social Work graduates were in graduate-level jobs or further study 15 months after graduation. (The Guardian University Guide 2023)

What you’ll learn

You gain a thorough understanding of issues and trends in adult services and social care for children and families. You critically examine how to work with individuals experiencing mental distress, and the role of mental health services. You study partnership working, interventions and skills, research skills and critical and reflective practice.

You’ll complete 20 practice-focused skills days in your second year, as well as a 70-day practice learning placement and five skills development days. Additionally, your final year includes 100 days of practice learning and five skills development days. During these placement periods, you are supported by a practice educator and assessed in accordance with the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF).

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£18,600
per year
International
£18,600
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Kent at Medway

Department:

School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research

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.

56%
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

68%
Staff make the subject interesting
80%
Staff are good at explaining things
88%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
80%
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

71%
Library resources
92%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
24%
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?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
13%
Male students
87%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
14%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
A

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.

£27,700
high
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
86%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

69%
Welfare professionals
9%
Childcare and related personal services
3%
Health professionals

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.

£32k

£32k

£30k

£30k

£33k

£33k

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
University of Strathclyde | Glasgow
Social Work
BA (Hons) 4 Years Sandwich 2024
UCAS Points: 120-128
Lower entry requirements
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
Social Work
BA (Hons) 3 Years Sandwich 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120

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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.

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