Social Work
Entry requirements
A level
112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, to include a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology).
112-122 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma (Health and Social Care, Social Sciences, Social Work).
Cambridge Pre-U score of 46-50, to include a Principal Subject relevant to the degree programme (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology).
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English at grade C or above, or equivalent/GCSE English at grade 4 or above, or equivalent.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
25 points from the IB Diploma, to include 3 Higher Level subjects, one of which must be in a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology). 4 points from Standard Level English and Mathematics (if not passed at GCSE grade C).
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3,H3,H3,H3,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H3
To include a relevant Higher Level subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology).
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Must be in a relevant subject.
112-120 Tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Advanced Highers, one of which must be in a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology).
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
T Level
Acceptable T Level Subjects: T Level in Health, T Level in Healthcare Science, T Level in Education and Childcare
UCAS Tariff
112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent, one of which must be in a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology)
112-120 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 1 A level in a relevant subject (Anthropology, Criminology, Critical Thinking, English, Health & Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology), plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.
You may also need to…
Attend an interview
About this course
**Overview**
Social workers change lives for the better and help protect some of society’s most vulnerable people.
On this BSc (Hons) Social Work degree, which is approved by Social Work England, you’ll be supported by passionate industry experts with many years of social work experience.
Once you graduate, you'll have the skills and knowledge you need to apply to register as a social worker.
- Practise your social work skills in our Centre for Simulation in Health and Care, a safe and supportive environment where we use innovative technologies to simulate real-life scenarios
- Work closely with the University of Portsmouth Social Work Inclusion Group (SWIG), to help you understand service user experiences
- Build your professional experience by spending 200 days on placement working with vulnerable people, service users and carers in the community
**Approved by:**
This course is approved by Social Work England.
**Supporting your application**
We welcome students from diverse backgrounds including those who have experience of social care. If you're a care leaver, or if you feel you need further information or support to apply for this course, we can offer you a virtual support session to help guide you through the admissions process.
We'll send you details of this after you apply. You'll also get as much support as you need through phone and email, and have access to ongoing personal and financial support during your course.
**Careers and opportunities**
Social workers provide essential care and support to adults and children who need it most. They work directly with people in need, as well as their families and other carers, and offer care that includes counselling, independent life skills, and mental and/or physical health support.
This BSc (Hons) Social Work degree will train you for a rewarding and challenging career as a social worker. You'll study topics including safeguarding, law and social policy, and social work practice with children and adults, and learn through simulation, group work and skills workshops.
When you successfully complete the course, you'll be eligible to apply to be a registered social worker and to work in settings such as social care, drug and alcohol services, domestic abuse services and schools. You could also continue your studies to postgraduate level with an MSc Social Work.
**What areas can you work in with a social work degree?**
You could work in areas such as:
- social care settings
- rehabilitation services
- criminal justice
- voluntary organisations
- advocacy agencies
- housing advice
- education settings such as schools and colleges
**Graduate roles and destinations**
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
- social worker
- care manager
- missing children and child exploitation coordinator
- family support worker
- housing adviser
- independent domestic violence adviser
- adult wellbeing manager
- primary mental health worker
- learning disability practitioner
They've gone to work for organisations including:
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
- Mind
- Hampshire County Council
- Portsmouth City Council
- Essex County Council
- Spectrum Centre for Independent Living
- Southern Advocacy Services
Modules
Year 1
Core modules in this year include:
Equality Diversity and Inclusion – 20 credits
Human Development and The Life Course – 20 credits
Readiness for Learning and Practice – 40 credits
Social Work Theories and Models – 20 credits
Social Issues, Policy and The Law – 20 credits
There are no optional modules in this year.
Year 2
Core modules in this year include:
BSc Social Work Practice Placement 1 – 40 credits
Service User Inclusion and Co-production – 20 credits
Social Work With Adults – 20 credits
Social Work With Children and Families – 20 credits
Using Evidence and Research in Social Work – 20 credits
There are no optional modules in this year.
Year 3
Core modules in this year include:
BSc Social Work Dissertation – 40 credits
Professional Development and Employability – 20 credits
Safeguarding - Adults and Children – 20 credits
Social Work Practice Placement 2 – 40 credits
There are no optional modules in this year.
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed through tests (academic or practical/skills based), compilation of filmed and recorded artefacts, online assessment, academic written work/portfolios, presentations, dissertation/project.
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:
- Year 1 students: 25% by practical exams and 75% by coursework
- Year 2 students: 17% by practical exams and 83% by coursework
- Year 3 students: 100% by coursework
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Portsmouth
Faculty of Science and Health
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
£30k
£32k
£34k
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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Teaching Excellence Framework (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?
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