Social Work
Entry requirements
A level
You must have GCSE (or equivalent) Mathematics and English, both with at least grade 4 (or grade C). You should also have a broad range of GCSEs 9-4 (A*-C), including good grades in relevant subjects.
Pass Diploma with at least 39 level 3 credits at Merit or above including 21-24 credits at Distinction. The Access course should be in the humanities or social sciences. You must have GCSE (or equivalent) Mathematics and English, both with at least grade 4 (or grade C).
We take the EPQ into account when considering your application and it can be useful in the summer when your results are released if you have narrowly missed the conditions of your offer. We do not routinely include the EPQ in the conditions of your offer but we sometimes offer alternative conditions that include the EPQ. If you wish to discuss this further please contact Admissions at [email protected]
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
This score should be from the full IB Diploma. You must also have GCSE (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics with at least grade 4 in each (or grade C).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
The BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma should be in Health and Social Care. You must have GCSE (or equivalent) Mathematics and English, both with at least grade 4 (or grade C). You should also have a broad range of GCSEs 9-4 (A*-C), including good grades in relevant subjects.
Scottish Higher
You will need Scottish National 5 in Mathematics and English at grade C
T Level
Distinction overall in a relevant subject. You must have GCSE (or equivalent) Mathematics and English, both with at least grade 4 (or grade C). We also accept Level 2 Functional skills in English and Mathematics. You should also have a broad range of GCSEs 9-4 (A*-C), including good grades in relevant subjects.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
**=1st in the UK for Graduate Prospects – Outcomes in Social Work (Complete University Guide 2024)**
**9th in the UK for Social Sciences (The Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2024)**
**14th in the UK for Social Work (The Guardian University Guide 2024)**
**About the course**
Social Work at Sussex combines theory with practical experience, giving you a professionally regulated qualification and enabling you to go on to change people’s lives. Our programme offers unique teaching methods that draws on our research expertise and cutting-edge knowledge, so as to give you a comprehensive understanding of the realities and complexity of practice.
You will be offered a safe, calm, and well-ordered environment to engage with service users through our innovative teaching activities, which are run in partnership with carers and practitioners.
As a core part of your qualification, you will undertake practice learning placements. You will be well-supported and make the most of partnerships we have developed over years of collaboration with local organisations. You will be trained to uphold high-quality professional standards and develop emerging professional leadership skills.
**Accreditation**
This degree is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). You graduate ready to apply for registration as a social worker.
**About Sussex**
Sussex graduates change the world. Our students become the leaders of the future, making discoveries, improving lives and changing things for the better.
Study with us to join a welcoming and inspiring community of staff and students from more than 140 countries.
**Location**
We shape the world from a fantastic campus on the UK’s beautiful south coast.
We are the only UK university surrounded by a national park, so you can step off campus to explore the hills and woodlands of the South Downs. The vibrant, colourful and creative seaside city of Brighton & Hove is just nine minutes away.
With Brighton voted the happiest city in England for students, (Student Living Survey, Sodexo, 2018) there can be few better places to study.
Modules
See the modules you will study by year by going to the 'view course details' link.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Sussex
Social Work and Social Care
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.
£24k
£28k
£29k
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 criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
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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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