Health and Social Care

Would you like a professional career in health and social care, working to tackle health inequalities and advocate good health outcomes for users of health-related services?

This contemporary and exciting Health and Social Care degree explores the inherent links between health and wellbeing as well as the issues shaping the healthcare agenda nationally and globally.

Our BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care degree provides a broad understanding of the sector. You’ll explore the biological, psychological and sociological factors that influence health and wellbeing, alongside the structures, roles and services that support individuals from a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities across the life span. You'll investigate challenges and opportunities, for example, relating to maternity care, supporting dignified end-of-life care, people who have learning disabilities and mental health needs, housing challenges and homelessness, people in prisons and those re-entering the community, and asylum seekers.

You'll look at how health and social care are delivered within our communities and neighbourhoods, and how this will increase with the new government priorities. You'll gain an understanding of the broad range of services within the community that support good health and wellbeing, including addiction recovery support, disability support, social work interventions, social care services, and aligned professional services such as schools, the police and government organisations.

You'll engage with learning that supports the completion of nationally recognised awards such as the Care Certificate.

Our lecturers are experienced health and social care professionals who maintain strong links with industry, ensuring their teaching reflects current workforce needs, emerging technologies, and real-world challenges in practice. Through established partnerships with health, social care, private, and voluntary organisations across West Yorkshire, they bring valuable professional insight and opportunities directly into the learning experience.

In your final year, you'll focus on leadership and digital innovation, equipping you with the skills needed to pursue leadership and management roles. You may also choose to enter graduate schemes, such as those offered by the NHS, or work with local authorities in children’s and young people’s services.

The applied nature of this degree equips you with the knowledge, skills, and experience sought by employers in the growing health and social care sector, while also providing a strong foundation for progression to Master's-level pre-registration programmes in professions such as Occupational Therapy, Nursing or Social Work, allowing you to enter these careers with both a broad undergraduate foundation and a professional postgraduate qualification.

Professional work placements
Our students have completed placements in facilities that provide residential care for adults and older adults, with youth work teams, in the NHS, in children's and family centres, and with charities and non-government agencies. You may also choose to explore career pathways in primary care outside of traditional clinical roles, including social prescribing, public health, community development and digital health enterprise.

Graduate opportunities
The currency and contemporary curriculum of this course will prepare you for a rewarding career in areas including public health, frontline digital health specialisms, community development, health commissioning, health and justice, and psychological wellbeing practice. Progression opportunities also exist on a range of relevant health or social care graduate schemes as well as in postgraduate clinical and non-clinical roles.