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Social Work

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Applicants are expected to hold A-level Sociology, Law or Psychology at Grade C or above.

Access to HE Diploma

M:45

45 Credits at Level 3 at Merit or above

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Applicants are expected to hold GCSE Mathematics and English Language at Grade 4/C or above. Level 2 equivalent qualifications in Maths and English will also be considered.

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

DMM

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

120

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Social work

This is a very exciting time to study for your degree in Social Work with us.

We have recently launched a new teaching partnership with Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils and the University of East Anglia. The initiative will enhance the quality of your studies, bringing innovative approaches to learning, as well as even more opportunities for practical experience.

The BA (Hons) Social Work degree programme has been approved by the Health and Care Professions Council and endorsed by the College of Social Work. It provides a rigorous and challenging learning experience to prepare students at both a personal and professional level for the demanding requirements and expectations of social work.

It prepares individuals to work in the public, private and voluntary social care sectors in posts which require accountable and effective professional skills. Social work can be active in seeking to influence and shape how organisations and governments view what can be described as ‘social’ problems. Social work is a developing profession in a changing world and the opportunities for personal development and advancement are considerable.

Once qualified and registered, graduates may choose to work in a variety of interesting and rewarding settings in the statutory, voluntary, private or independent social care sectors. The traditional employers of social workers were local authorities and other public organisations such as NHS trusts in departments providing services for children or adults. Increasingly social workers are looking to the voluntary and private sector for career opportunities together with other initiatives such as the creation of social enterprises, whereby social workers set up their own company and contract for work.

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
£14,598
per year
International
£14,598
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£14,598
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Suffolk

Department:

School of Social Sciences and Humanities

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.

68%
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

83%
Staff make the subject interesting
75%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
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

62%
Library resources
76%
IT resources
73%
Course specific equipment and facilities
41%
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?

99%
UK students
1%
International students
12%
Male students
88%
Female students
69%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
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.

£26,000
med
Average annual salary
94%
low
Employed or in further education
88%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

55%
Welfare professionals
16%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
16%
Childcare and related personal services

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.

£27k

£27k

£27k

£27k

£33k

£33k

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...

Higher entry requirements
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Nearby University
University of Essex | Colchester
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Same University
University of Suffolk | Ipswich
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UCAS Points: 112

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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:

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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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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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