Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Accepted at DM with an BTEC Subsidiary Diploma or Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Merit, or with an A-level at C.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
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About this course
Our Social Work BA (Hons) aims to equip you with the knowledge, skills and values appropriate for work in a variety of social work settings. 100% of students go on to work or study within 6 months of finishing the course (Unistats, 2017).
This course promotes an approach to learning that actively engages you with key issues and themes in Social Work practice. Teachings methods include group work, role play, individual skills development, enquiry based learning, seminars and lectures.
Competent practice is essential for the award and you will undertake 200 days of practice learning (placement and skills for practice) during the programme. Through strong partnerships between the university and employer providers, you will be matched to a specific service. All placement providers are quality assured by the University.
A NHS Social Work bursary is available to support successful applicants during the course of their study. Information can be found on the NHS website.
By the end of the course you will have been assessed against the Standards of Proficiency for Social Work and the Professional Capabilities Framework and will be able to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for registration.
Employment prospects for Social Work graduates are excellent and you will be able to pursue social work careers across the country. Successful graduates can apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for registration, please note that you are only eligible for this if you graduate with a BA (Hons) Social Work degree.
**By studying at the University of Northampton, you can be sure that:**
- You will experience student life at the University’s £330 million Waterside Campus. Come along to an Open Day and find out more.
- Students enrolling on this course at Northampton will be provided with their own brand new laptop* to keep at no additional cost. All sports clubs and societies are free to join at Northampton and every essential course text book is available via the library, meaning you won’t have to purchase copies. For more information on this visit our website (northampton.ac.uk/benefits).
- Based on the evidence available, the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Panel judged that the University of Northampton delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK.
- Our expert academics teach in small groups supported with one to one assistance. Our academics and students form a tight bond, providing individualised support and guidance whilst challenging students academically.
- We invest more money into your education than 90% of Universities in the UK**
- Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd.
**The Northampton Employment Promise**
- In fact, we’re so confident in our careers and employability support that if you achieve at least a 2:2 degree and complete either our Employability Plus Gold programme or achieve a Changemaker Gold Certificate during your time studying with us, but still haven’t secured full-time employment 12 months after graduating, we will secure a three – six month paid internship for you or support you into postgraduate study.
? terms and conditions apply. See northampton.ac.uk/benefits for more information
?? source: Guardian University League Table 2020.
Modules
**STAGE 1:**
• Social Work Theories and Models (compulsory)
• Academic Literacy – Thinking and Reasoning (compulsory)
• Understanding Law and Policy in Social Work (compulsory)
• Psychological and Sociological Perspectives of Human Behaviour (compulsory)
• Readiness for Practice (compulsory)
**STAGE 2:**
• Direct Work with Service Users 1 & 2 (compulsory)
• Emancipatory Social Work Practice (compulsory)
• Research for Social Workers (compulsory)
• 70 Day Practice Placement (compulsory)
• Assessing and Managing Risk in Social Work (compulsory)
**STAGE 3:**
• Dissertation (compulsory)
• Managing the Professional Social Work Task (compulsory)
• 100 Day Practice Placement (compulsory)
Module information is quoted for 2018/19 entry. Please note that modules run subject to student numbers and staff availability, any changes will be communicated to applicants accordingly.
Assessment methods
The course is assessed in a number of ways:
• Coursework
• Law exam in the first year.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Northampton
Faculty of Health, Education and Society
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.
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.
£24k
£25k
£27k
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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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:
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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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