Social Work (including foundation year)

Why study this course?

Our Social Work (including foundation year) BSc (Hons) is an alternative route into social work studies if you don’t meet the necessary requirements to enter the standard undergraduate degree.

This four-year course has a built-in preparatory year, designed to equip you with confidence and vital study skills, such as essay writing, research and critical thinking. You’ll benefit from an extra year that will help you succeed at undergraduate level, but you’ll graduate with the same award and title as students on the standard three-year course.

More about this course

Our social work bachelor's degree with a foundation year will provide you with knowledge, skills and experience to enter or progress your career within the health and social care sector.

The foundation year will equip you with valuable transferable skills that will help you succeed in any workplace – you’ll learn how to manage your workload, critically analyse information and improve your academic writing skills. During the foundation year, you’ll also complete a taster module in social work, so that you can prepare for more in-depth study of the subject in the subsequent three years of your course.

Your foundation year will be shared with students from other specialisms studying a foundation year in the School of Social Professions. This will be the perfect opportunity to learn about other disciplines and exchange different perspectives on the topics you study.

During your foundation year you’ll also complete a module in social work. This module will help you develop the necessary knowledge and skills that will give you an introduction to studying social work at undergraduate level. This module will also prepare you for the application process for the Social Work BSc (Hons) course. Upon successful completion of assessed group and written tests you will be put forward to the individual interview stage. If you pass this stage, you’ll join students on our Social Work BSc (Hons) course and study the same content and modules as them. If you are unsuccessful but pass all your modules, you can choose another course at the University, subject to meeting entry requirements.

You are encouraged to attend an Open Day event if you have any queries and would like to speak to an academic member of staff.

Course Modules

Example Year 0 modules include:

Critical Thinking
Interventions for Change
Media, Crime and 'Race'
Reflecting on Self and Society
Researching Discrimination
Researching Inequality
Social Issues in Context: Text to Essay
Example Year 1 modules include:

Assessing, Planning and Professional Ethics
Communication, Skills and Values in Social Work
Human Growth and Development: A Life Course Perspective
Social Cotext for Social Work
Example Year 2 modules include:

Inter-Professional Practice
Law for Social Work Practice
Safeguarding Children and Adults
Social Work Practice Learning 1
Theoretical Perspectives in Social Work
Example Year 3 modules include:

Effective Social Work Practice with Children and Adults
Research Project
Social Work Practice Learning 2

Your foundation year will be assessed via group work, coursework, presentations, class tests and portfolios.

Assessments in the subsequent three years of your studies will consist of essays, exams and assessed practice placements. The assessed practice element will require you to work supervised within at least two different practice settings over a minimum of 170 days.