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Social Work

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-B,B,C

112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, to include a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology).

112-122 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma (Health and Social Care, Social Sciences, Social Work).

Cambridge Pre-U score of 46-50, to include a Principal Subject relevant to the degree programme (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology).

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English at grade C or above, or equivalent/GCSE English at grade 4 or above, or equivalent.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

25

25 points from the IB Diploma, to include 3 Higher Level subjects, one of which must be in a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology). 4 points from Standard Level English and Mathematics (if not passed at GCSE grade C).

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

H3,H3,H3,H3,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H3


To include a relevant Higher Level subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology).

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

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

DDM-DMM

Must be in a relevant subject.

112-120 Tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Advanced Highers, one of which must be in a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology).

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

T Level

M

Acceptable T Level Subjects: T Level in Health, T Level in Healthcare Science, T Level in Education and Childcare

UCAS Tariff

112-120

112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent, one of which must be in a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology)

112-120 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 1 A level in a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology), plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Social work

**Overview**
Social workers change lives for the better and help protect some of society’s most vulnerable people.

On this BSc (Hons) Social Work degree, which is approved by Social Work England, you’ll be supported by passionate industry experts with many years of social work experience.

Once you graduate, you'll have the skills and knowledge you need to apply to register as a social worker.

- Practise your social work skills in our Centre for Simulation in Health and Care, a safe and supportive environment where we use innovative technologies to simulate real-life scenarios

- Work closely with the University of Portsmouth Social Work Inclusion Group (SWIG), to help you understand service user experiences

- Build your professional experience by spending 200 days on placement working with vulnerable people, service users and carers in the community

**Approved by:**
This course is approved by Social Work England.

**Supporting your application**
We welcome students from diverse backgrounds including those who have experience of social care. If you're a care leaver, or if you feel you need further information or support to apply for this course, we can offer you a virtual support session to help guide you through the admissions process.

We'll send you details of this after you apply. You'll also get as much support as you need through phone and email, and have access to ongoing personal and financial support during your course.

**Careers and opportunities**
Social workers provide essential care and support to adults and children who need it most. They work directly with people in need, as well as their families and other carers, and offer care that includes counselling, independent life skills, and mental and/or physical health support.

This BSc (Hons) Social Work degree will train you for a rewarding and challenging career as a social worker. You'll study topics including safeguarding, law and social policy, and social work practice with children and adults, and learn through simulation, group work and skills workshops.

When you successfully complete the course, you'll be eligible to apply to be a registered social worker and to work in settings such as social care, drug and alcohol services, domestic abuse services and schools. You could also continue your studies to postgraduate level with an MSc Social Work.

**What areas can you work in with a social work degree?**
You could work in areas such as:
- social care settings

- rehabilitation services

- criminal justice

- voluntary organisations

- advocacy agencies

- housing advice

- education settings such as schools and colleges

**Graduate roles and destinations**
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
- social worker

- care manager

- missing children and child exploitation coordinator

- family support worker

- housing adviser

- independent domestic violence adviser

- adult wellbeing manager

- primary mental health worker

- learning disability practitioner

They've gone to work for organisations including:
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

- Mind

- Hampshire County Council

- Portsmouth City Council

- Essex County Council

- Spectrum Centre for Independent Living

- Southern Advocacy Services

Modules

Year 1

Core modules in this year include:

Equality Diversity and Inclusion – 20 credits
Human Development and The Life Course – 20 credits
Readiness for Learning and Practice – 40 credits
Social Work Theories and Models – 20 credits
Social Issues, Policy and The Law – 20 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 2

Core modules in this year include:

BSc Social Work Practice Placement 1 – 40 credits
Service User Inclusion and Co-production – 20 credits
Social Work With Adults – 20 credits
Social Work With Children and Families – 20 credits
Using Evidence and Research in Social Work – 20 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 3

Core modules in this year include:

BSc Social Work Dissertation – 40 credits
Professional Development and Employability – 20 credits
Safeguarding - Adults and Children – 20 credits
Social Work Practice Placement 2 – 40 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through tests (academic or practical/skills based), compilation of filmed and recorded artefacts, online assessment, academic written work/portfolios, presentations, dissertation/project.

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:
- Year 1 students: 25% by practical exams and 75% by coursework
- Year 2 students: 17% by practical exams and 83% by coursework
- Year 3 students: 100% by coursework

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
£9,250
per year
International
£17,900
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 Portsmouth

Department:

Faculty of Science and Health

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.

66%
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

67%
Staff make the subject interesting
94%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
81%
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
90%
IT resources
80%
Course specific equipment and facilities
57%
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
17%
Male students
83%
Female students
67%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

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.

£27,500
high
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education
81%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

68%
Welfare professionals
16%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
5%
Other elementary services occupations

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.

£30k

£30k

£32k

£32k

£34k

£34k

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...

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Higher entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 104-147

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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:

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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