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Social Work

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Access to HE Diploma

D:24,M:21

in a relevant subject

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

with 15 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects

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

DDM

UCAS Tariff

120

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Social work

**Why Lancaster?**
- Study a course accredited by Social Work England (SWE) to kick-start a rewarding career

- Benefit from our partnerships with public, private, voluntary and independent agencies

- Learn from a team of experts committed to improving the lives of the most vulnerable in society through their research and practice

- Receive tailored individual support to get the most out of your time on campus and placement

Everything you need to start a career in social work is here – inspiring lecturers, support tailored to your needs and insight into the issues impacting social work today in the UK. As part of our welcoming community, you’ll always have someone to turn to for support and advice throughout your coursework and placements.

**Small close-knit cohort**
Our course is accredited by Social Work England (SWE), and you’ll develop the skills and experience employers in this area need. An important part of your study will be your two practice placements. You’ll get hands-on experience within different organisations such as local authorities, Barnardo's or Age Concern.

Providing individualised support is important to us. That’s why we keep our social work cohort small. It means we can get to know you. It also means we’ll try to match your placement to your area of interest, whether that’s in youth offending, children and family intervention, or another area of social work.

**Shape the future of social work**
Our teaching team aren’t just teachers. They’re experienced social workers, advocates and change-makers. Some of the team carry out research, while others are practising social workers working in statutory sector services and charities.

Our team of experts contribute to national policy and practice discussions around vital areas like online child sexual abuse risk, family justice and youth resilience. We aim to inspire you to follow in our footsteps and become a part of a new generation of social workers who value human rights and social justice.

The Uni


Course location:

Lancaster University

Department:

Sociology

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.

80%
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

87%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
87%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
93%
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
93%
IT resources
93%
Course specific equipment and facilities
73%
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?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
6%
Male students
94%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

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
96%
med
Employed or in further education
90%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

73%
Welfare professionals
18%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
3%
Teaching and educational professionals

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.

£28k

£28k

£31k

£31k

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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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