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If you are applying for this course Full Time from within the UK, click apply now
Course starts: 19 September 2022Apply now
If you are applying for this course Full Time from outside of the UK, click apply now
Course starts: 19 September 2022Apply now
If you are applying for this course Part Time click apply now
Course starts: 19 September 2022Apply now
Understand the key issues that affect health, social care and wellbeing. Make a difference to some of society's most vulnerable groups. Gain a well-respected qualification to open doors in the sector.
This Health and Social Care degree gives you the opportunity to gain critical understanding of integrated welfare structures and processes, as well as advanced theoretical knowledge and skills in practice and management in the sector. You can study this course on either a full or part-time basis. The completion of at least one (and optionally two) placements enables you to gain practical, real-world experience of a health and social care environment.
Now available is the integration of different degree routes within Health and Social Care (chosen at the end of Stage 1). Each of the routes maintain a strong basis in social sciences and have been developed to address both student and employer needs. The new routes allow you to develop the attributes you need to succeed in these roles. Graduate with a named degree in one of four routes:
BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care: focus on broad topics and theories relating to health and social care, applying them to contemporary issues such as mental health, substance use and domestic abuse.
BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care: Health and Wellbeing: focus on public health-related issues such as health promotion, health inequalities, health ethics and health wellbeing.
BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care: Practice: focus on practice knowledge and skills related to health and social care such as counselling skills and how to devise effective and theoretically sound assessment and intervention plans.
BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care: Management and Leadership: focus on skills for management related to working effectively with other employees and considerations about wellbeing at work. You'll also focus on management and leadership, as well as project management and social entrepreneurship.
As well as the new routes, this Health and Social Care degree is also integrated with our social studies’ sister courses, Sociology and Criminology. This way we are better able to combine teaching across the school to enable you to choose from a wider range of options. The option choices increase as you progress through the course, allowing you to focus more on your preferred areas of study in the final year.
You'll take a range of modules during your Health and Social Care degree that are both academically and vocationally focused. You'll be provided with a detailed understanding of health and social care theory, policy and practice and will also be supported to understand key contemporary issues that influence health, social care and the wellbeing of individuals and communities – a topic of global significance.
Overall, this degree combines academic rigour with practical experience. You'll have the opportunity to test your new knowledge and skills in a placement in Stage 2 and an optional placement in Stage 3 (placement area depends on route chosen). Both placements will help you develop and understand the application of research methods for improving practice in health and social care.
Across all modules, the inclusion of formative work will support you with your learning.
A typical week for you will include workshops, seminars, blended learning, group work and meeting with supervisors at each level of your degree. You will also take part in computer-based learning using specific social research software and statistical programmes for surveys and questionnaires such as SPSS and software for interviewing such as NVivo.
Your progress will be assessed through traditional essays but also through innovative assessments (module dependent) which aid your employability skills. These may include research and organisational reports, portfolios, source reports, e-resources such as blogs and podcasts, presentations, reports for global bodies and organisations and community studies.
You will be allocated a personal tutor in each year of the course who will offer one-to-one support.
Student, Social, Personal and Professional (SSPP) programme
We also run our innovative and mandatory SSPP programme at each stage of your degree. At Stage 1, the weekly programme is designed to support your academic skills in writing university-level assignments and offering you opportunities for internships and volunteering. At Stage 2, the programme develops your practice through workshops and training such as community empowerment skills, managing organisations, writing fundraising bids and safeguarding training. In the final year we prepare you for graduate employment through designing a graduate-level CV, engaging with graduate job opportunities and opportunities for postgraduate study. Alongside this, we encourage you each year to gain additional bronze, silver and gold SuPA Awards which are an extra qualification you can gain to boost your credentials and show employers your extra-curricular experience.
Part-time study
Part-time students study the same Health and Social Care course as full-time students, just over a longer period of time. If you study this course on a part-time basis, you will typically complete 60 credits in a year, rather than the 120 credits of full-time students. You'll be studying alongside full-time students.
Flexibility
BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care is a flexible degree, offering you the opportunity to choose the route that most interests you. In addition to a broad range of health and social care modules, you can choose from options in Sociology and Criminology.
Reasonable adjustments to teaching and assessments will be made for students who hold a current University of Sunderland Support Plan (in line with their stated entitlements and/or accommodations).
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade: SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement | GPA 3.0 or above and: Sat score of 1100/1600 from SATs AP (Grades 3+ in at least 2 subjects) ACT (score of 26+) |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.
The annual, full-time, fee for this course is:
Part-time fees are £6,935 per 120 credits if you are from the UK/Ireland/EU settled/pre-settled. Part-time study is not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.
*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss nationals who do not qualify for the EU Settlement Scheme are classed as international, however, for 22/23 admission you will receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the home tuition fee rate for the duration of your studies. The discounted fee will be reflected in your offer letter. Learn more in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
Our BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care graduates work with a variety of service user groups in areas such as mental health, domestic abuse, substance abuse and older people. They work for organisations such as the NHS, Local Authorities, schools, colleges and universities as well as charities/private organisations such as Age UK, MIND and Turning Point to name a few.
Further study is also a route chosen by our graduates. Some choose professional routes such as Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Counselling or Teaching. Others choose business and management routes such as Human Resources or research degrees such as a PhD.
As a professions-facing course, we have active relationships with a number of local and national organisations in the health and social care sector. Past speakers have included workers from Children North East, Lifeline, Healthworks, Headlight and Local Authority Social Workers. This enables our students to hear from frontline workers as well as begin to develop networks.
As part of your Health and Social Care degree, you'll have the opportunity to complete two work placements (core module in stage 2 and option in stage 3). The placement is chosen by you and should relate to the specific route you have chosen in Stage 2. Previous students' placements have been with organisations such as local hospices, residential care homes, disability support, schools, mental health services, drug and alcohol services, the North of England Refugee Service and Age UK.
We encourage our students to actively seek out CV-enhancing employment/volunteering opportunities with local organisations throughout their Health and Social Care degree. Many of these relationships are formed through students completing placements and continuing to work with organisations after graduation.
Our students have taken part in international development work on gender and education in Kenya and have worked with international NGOs on projects associated with girls rescued from bonded labour in Nepal. Students have also benefited from trips to London and locally to enhance their subject knowledge and cultural awareness through museum exhibitions and public talks linked to topics in the curriculum.
Many of our Health and Social Care students have published their first class degree work on our Social Sciences Blog. Check out their excellent assignments.
The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Studies (CASS) combines original academic research with practice-based collaborations and reach-out activities, often working directly with practitioners, policymakers and front-line delivery staff regionally, nationally and internationally. According to the most recent National Research Excellence Framework Exercise, almost half of our outputs are either 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'.
The mission of CASS reflects that of the University's aim as a civic university: to take an active interest in the social issues that affect the region and beyond by engaging in research and practice-based collaborations that aim to improve living conditions, address inequalities and social exclusion and promote social justice. Currently our research focuses around three strands: children, young people and families; communities, health and social exclusion; and crime, victims and social justice.
CASS regularly hosts visiting speakers and holds events that you will be invited to. This can be an excellent way to learn from the real-life experience of people who already have a strong track record in sociological and social policy related social research. This is a great way to learn from experts in their field.
We have a broad range of students who come to study for our Health and Social Care degree at Sunderland: young people straight out of school/college, mature students with work experience in health and social care sectors, young people who have experiences of the care system, parents and carers, as well as international students with a range of experiences. Overall, this leads to diverse and dynamic cohorts who can share different experiences and knowledge with each other.
We acknowledge that many of our students will continue to work throughout their studies and we anticipate our new degree structure enables a certain amount of flexibility to enable students to maintain both.
Develop your skills and gain a thorough understanding of health and social care with our two-year foundation degree route. The course allows you to study at one of our four partner colleges in the North East and combines academic study with work-based learning.
Upon completion of the foundation degree, you will have the opportunity to 'top-up' to a full undergraduate honours degree.
The modules are fascinating and involve many different aspects of contemporary life.
The University’s Care Experienced Support Team have been a huge support during my studies.
I walked straight into a job after graduating in the Health and Social Care sector. I love it.
I was so inspired by the lecturers they made me want to teach Health and Social Care myself.
Studying at the University of Sunderland was the best time of my life.
The best part about studying at Sunderland was the people I met and the friendships I made.
I have been given a lot of opportunities to develop my knowledge and evolve my personality.
The University of Sunderland has given me the best opportunity for a better future.
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