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Course contact details
Applicant Enquiry Team
Email:ask@uws.ac.uk
Phone:0800 027 1000
University of the West of Scotland
Paisley Campus
High Street
Paisley
PA1 2BE
Social Work
- BA (Hons)
- 4 Years
- Full-time
- 7 September 2026
- Undergraduate
- Paisley Campus
Course summary
HELP IMPROVE THE LIVES OF OTHERS AND KICK-START YOUR JOURNEY TOWARDS QUALIFYING AS A PRACTISING SOCIAL WORKER WITH UWS’S BA (HONS) SOCIAL WORK PROGRAMME.
This programme provides a transformational student-centred learning experience, to meet the demands of contemporary social work practice. The programme is rich in practice authenticity and seeks to develop essential applied knowledge and skills to thrive in a challenging yet hugely rewarding social work career. Successful completion of the programme permits graduates to practice professionally as social workers across Britain and many other countries.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
• This programme has been designed in collaboration with key social work stakeholders to provide you with the knowledge and practical experience to qualifyas a practising social worker.
• Teaching covers a wide range of topics including professional assessment, critical thinking, anti-oppressive practice, legislation and theories and approaches to inform and intervene in practice.
• Hybrid teaching across the programme is research informed, practice focused and designed to enhance the necessary skills and qualities required for you to thrive in practice.
• Practical learning experiences are a key feature of the course, allowing you to apply critical knowledge and skills to practice.
• The programme is rich in practice authenticity. UWS social work students should expect a transformative learning experience. You will be supported to develop your applied professional knowledge base, critical awareness skills, practice confidence and professional identity.
• This programme has been approved by the Scottish Social Services Council.
PROGRAMME DETAILS
Practical learning is integral to the programme. You’ll apply the knowledge you learn in the classroom via 160 days of practice-based learning in traditional and innovative settings.Placements are varied and have taken place in organisations, including:
• Children’s and Families services
• Justice settings
• Residential care settings
• Community care settings
• Drug and alcohol support services
• Gendered violence organisations
CAREERS
Graduates from the UWS BA (Hons) Social Work programme have an established record in securingrelated employment promptly upon graduation. The applied knowledge and specialist skills developed throughout the programme are key attributes sought by external social work employers
Modules
Year one
Programme content and learning is focused on developing essential foundational knowledge
relevant to the social work profession.
Year two
Programme content and learning is designed to enhance applied knowledge and specialist skills
relevant to practising social work.
Year three
Programme content and learning develops abilities to apply learning to professional practice.
Year four
Programme content and learning is designed to increase confidence and competence with critical
practice.
Assessment method
The programme prides itself on developing a learning community amongst social work students. Teaching uses a variety of methods to stimulate, engage and develop knowledge and skills. Students are expected to consolidate learning with regular reading and discussion.
Programme assessment is practice relevant and varied. Assessment feedback commentary is identified as a strength on programme and will always seek to consolidate student strengths and identify areas for future development.
Professional bodies
Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.
- Scottish Social Services Council
Qualified teacher status (QTS)
To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:
- Course does not award QTS
How to apply
Apply by
14 January
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- L500
- Institution code:
- U40
- Campus name:
- Paisley Campus
- Campus Code:
- P
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:
For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. These are shown below.
Entry requirements
UCAS Tariff108 points
A levelBBC
plus GCSE English and Maths at Grade C
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)DMM
Scottish HigherBBBB
Plus National 5 Maths and English at Grade C or above.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme27 points
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)H1, H2, H2, H2
plus English and Maths at Ordinary Level
Scottish HNCPass
Entry to Year 1 with HNC with B in the Graded Unit in one of the following titles: Social Sciences; Social Studies; Social Care; Early Education & Childcare; Working with Communities; Counselling; Health Care; Additional Support Needs: Managing & Supporting the Services); Childhood Practice; Social Services, plus Maths and English at National 5 Grade C (or equivalent)
T LevelM
Entry to Year 1 with SWAP Access to Humanities; Access to Social Work; Access to Social Sciences with Grades ABB.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
UCAS Tariff 84 points
A level BBC
plus GCSE English and Maths at C or above
Scottish Higher CCCC
plus English and Maths at National 5 Grade C
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017) H1, H2, H2, H2
plus English and Maths at Ordinary Level
Additional entry requirements
- Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | IELTS 6.0 with 5.5 minimum in each skill / component. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | 176 overall with no sub-test less than 169 | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | 176 overall with no sub-test less than 169 | |
| Trinity ISE | Pass | ISEII with the minimum of a Pass in all sub-tests |
| PTE Academic | 54 | An overall score of 54 with no element below 51 |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 78 | no sub-test less than: Reading: 17; Listening: 17; Speaking: 17; Writing: 17 |
For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The reason for this is that it’s essential that you are able to read, speak and understand the English language to get the most out of your time at UWS.
All international applicants are required to meet minimum English language standards, with the exception of:
// Native speakers of English
// Erasmus students (unless advised otherwise)
// non-Erasmus students from EU partner institutions (your institution must provide confirmation of your English language ability in the absence of a formal qualification)
The qualifications above must have been gained within two years prior to the start of your course at UWS.
UWS's English language requirementshttps://www.uws.ac.uk/international/english-language-requirements/
Contextual admissions
Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.
Our Minimum Entry Requirements are applicable to those applicants who have not had an equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic ability at school or college and are known as ‘widening access’ applicants. We also sometimes refer to this type of applicant as receiving a ‘contextual’ offer. For more information, please visit our website using the link below.
Learn more on the University of the West of Scotland website
Historical entry grades data
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
Not enough data available
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
Historical entry grades report
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Per year tuition fees
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Additional fee information
TUITION FEE INFORMATION - SCOTTISH STUDENTS:
Eligible Scottish domiciled students can usually apply to have their tuition fees paid for them each year of their studies by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). If you're not sure about your eligibility, you should contact SAAS. You need to apply to SAAS each year of study to have your tuition fees paid directly to UWS.
TUITION FEE INFORMATION - UK, IRISH & GIBRALTARIAN STUDENTS:
Eligible students who are domiciled in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland as well as from the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar or the Republic of Ireland will qualify for tuition fees of £9,250 per academic session of study to a maximum of three years if you are studying on a four year bachelor degree course (eg. BAcc (Hons) / BA (Hons) / BEng (Hons) / BSc (Hons)). So, if your degree is four years' duration, you will only be charged tuition fees for three years. Similarly, if you are studying a five year integrated master's degree course (eg. MEng (Hons)) the you will only be charged tuition fees for four years.
TUITION FEE INFORMATION - INTERNATIONAL (NON-EU) & EU STUDENTS:
These tuition fees apply to all non-EU, EEA, and all other EU students (excluding those from Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar, whose fee level is as per UK (non-Scottish) students - see section above for more details).
ADDITIONAL COSTS:
The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career.
In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs such as consumable study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms. You may also want to purchase some core texts and technology such as a new laptop etc. Some of these additional costs are optional, some, such as uniforms or safety equipment may be mandatory.
Check the course entry on our website for more more information.
Sponsorship information
Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships
Related courses
At University of the West of Scotland
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