Social Policy

Description

Social Policy is an interdisciplinary degree, drawing on subjects such as sociology, politics, psychology, history, media and cultural studies, and philosophy; hence the degree is suitable for students currently studying a range of A level subjects.

We are also moving towards providing placement opportunities for our students and hope to increase such opportunities for working experience in the future. BA Social Policy is taught in the Institute of Applied Social Studies, a dynamic research institute in which students will also have the opportunity to receive training in research skills and the opportunity to undertake a research project in an area of their choice, supported by an academic supervisor.

Social Policy at Birmingham has been ranked among the top Social Policy programmes in the country. You will be taught by experts in a range of fields, including:

• Criminology
• Youth and children
• Poverty and wealth
• Housing,
• Globalisation
• Political history
• The voluntary sector
• Health
• Faith and policy

Detailed Course Facts

• EUR 3830 Year (EEA)
• EUR 12870 Year (Non-EEA)

£3375, for EU (and home) / £11,340 -Overseas students

• English

Course Content

First year

Most people have not studied social policy at advanced level, so the first year is designed to help you find your feet and get up to speed both with social policy and the other main subject which you have elected to study. Modules studied include the core module Introduction to Social Policy plus the core module from the other part of your joint honours degree, and Research Methods. You can also choose a further three modules which reflect your particular interests from a range of subject areas such as Psychology, Sociology, Media Studies and Politics.

Second year

In the second year, courses include the core modules from both parts of your degree, plus Social Theory, and Social Research where you will focus upon gaining research skills for your third-year dissertation. You will also have opportunities to tailor your degree to reflect your developing skills and interests through a range of specialist module choices. Specialist modules include, for example:

• Crime Victims and Society

• Children and Young People

• Managing Health and Social Care

• Social Inclusion

• Comparative Social Policy

• Policy into Practice

Policy into Practice is an optional module which provides students with practical experience in that it involves a placement, and the opportunity to link this experience to your academic learning. You can also choose to study modules from other departments, providing you with further opportunities to personalise your degree.

Third year

The core courses in your third year are Prospects for Social Policy, the core module from the other main subject which you have chosen to study, and the Dissertation Module. You can then choose from a range of specialist options which include:

• Criminal Justice

• Identities

• Communities

• Diversity

• Health

• Policy and Practice

• Comparative Social Policy

• Poverty and Social Security

• Agency and Morality

You can also choose to study modules from other departments to reflect your specific interests.
You will also undertake a supervised, research-based dissertation, centred on a question or issue of your choice, and hence study a topic which particularly interests or inspires you. Your dissertation is worth around a third of your final-year marks.

Year in industry

Optional modules such as Policy into Practice provide placement opportunities, which students find helpful, both to illuminate their academic studies, and to demonstrate their practical experience when they apply for jobs. Some students also choose to undertake placements linked to their dissertation work.

Teaching and assessment

We use a wide range of teaching methods and assessments, including WebCT, workshops, presentations, seminars, classes, briefing papers, policy reports, project work and essays. A typical assessment for modules is 50% coursework and 50% examination. Some modules are 100% coursework. Students are able to choose some modules according to their personal strengths and preferences in subject matter and assessment methods. Your third-year dissertation, which is research-based, is supervised by an academic tutor. All students have the support of their own personal tutor throughout their degree, and access to welfare tutors if they have specific learning needs.

Career opportunities

With an emphasis on examining contemporary social issues and questions, as well as exploring the range of ways in which society does or could respond, social policy makes strong connections with the concerns of a very wide range of employers. This means that social policy is a positive choice for students who are interested in enhancing their employment prospects through their choice of degree programme. Social policy is also a flexible degree, enabling students either to specialise, or to keep their degree broad-based. Our students have also found that the wide ranging nature of social policy can be valuable if they wish to change direction later in their career.
Our graduates have pursued careers in a wide range of areas, for example:

• Voluntary organisations

• Advice work

• Journalism

• Public relations

• Health promotion

• The Civil Service

• Local government

• Leisure and sports management

• Probation work

• Human resource management

• Work with children and young people

The degree will also provide you with a good grounding for legal studies, teaching, work in developing countries, social research, and postgraduate study in a range of areas.

English Language Requirements

CAE score : 80(Grade A)

To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to

Requirements

Number of A levels required: 3

Typical offer: ABB (LL43), AAB (LL42), ABB (KLK4, RL74)

General Studies: accepted for LL43 only

Additional information:

Typical offer grades are for guidance only, and will depend on the subjects you are combining. Please read the entries for both subjects. Where there is a disparity between the typical offer for Subject A and the typical offer for Subject B, the higher offer should be taken as the usual offer for the combination of the two.
Other qualifications are considered|

International students:

International Baccalaureate Diploma: 3236 points

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Birmingham.