Health and Social Care BSc (Hons)

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 field.

Overview

BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care will provide you with a detailed understanding of health and social care policy and practice. You will study the key contemporary issues that influence health, social care and the wellbeing of individuals and communities, from a theoretical, policy and practical level.

This degree combines academic rigour with practical experience; you will have the opportunity to test your new knowledge and skills in a 60-hour work placement in your final year.

Why us?

94.2% of our graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduating, according to DLHE 2015/16 (based on UK undergraduate students)

90% of students agreed with the statement "Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course', according to the National Student Survey 2017

Course structure

This course is taught via workshops, small group work, lectures, computer-based learning, presentations and independent learning.

Your progress will be assessed with group projects/presentations, multiple choice questionnaires, and time-constrained tests. Throughout the degree you'll have one-to-one support from academic staff.

Year 1 (national level 4):

Social Problems (20 credits)
Understanding Health and Social Care (20 credits)
Independent Learning and Professionalism in the Social Sciences (20 credits)
Exploring Psycho-Social Theory (20 credits)
Applied Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences (20 credits)
Dimensions of Health and Social Care (20 credits)

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Healthy Lifestyles and Health Behaviour Change (20 credits)
Early Life Course Approaches in Health and Social Care (20 credits)
Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (20 credits)
Working Together to Safeguard Vulnerable Children, Young People and Adults (20 credits)

Optional modules:

Medicalisation, Normality and the Body (20 credits)
Sex, Families and the Construction of Personal Lives (20 credits)
Globalisation, Health and Social Care (20 credits)
Counselling Approaches in Practice Settings (20 credits)

Final year (national level 6):

Core modules:

Practical Applications (20 credits)
Health and Social Care Dissertation (40 credits)
Life Course Approaches in Health, Social Care and Ageing (20 credits)

Optional modules:

Violence, Gender and Society (20 credits)
The Clinical Gaze: Medicine, Disability and Confinement (20 credits)
Social entrepreneurship and Project Management (20 credits)
Contemporary Issues in Social Welfare (20 credits)
Substance Use and Society (20 credits)
Global Health (20 credits)

The Reg Vardy Centre,
Sir Tom Cowie Campus,
Sunderland,
SR6 0DD

54.912052,-1.374524

You'll have access to specialist software packages for social science. These include NVivo, which allows deep levels of analysis of large volumes of data, and SPSS, for surveys and data mining.

You can access free Wi-Fi throughout the University campus, so you can work from anywhere. If you don't want to carry a laptop around, just use one of the University’s PCs or Apple Macs. We have hundreds of computers for you to use in the Murray Library, St Peter's Library, and the David Goldman Informatics Centre. If you ever have any technical problems, just ask the friendly helpdesk team.
IT provision - social sciences
We’ve got thousands of health and social care books and e-books, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. We also subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date academic and industry articles.

Library resources which you might find particularly useful for this course include:
- SocINDEX with full-text articles – probably the world's most comprehensive and highest-quality sociology research database
- Professional Development Collection, which features hundreds of education journals and reports
- Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Database, which includes full-text journal articles on topics spanning emotional and behavioural sciences, psychiatry and psychology
- Lexis Library, which covers UK and international legal information as well as full-text newspaper articles
- Community Care Inform, which helps professionals who work with children and young people to make, and evidence, their decisions
Library Services - health and social care

Facilities

You'll be based at The Reg Vardy Centre, situated on the award-winning St Peter's riverside campus. The location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is 104 UCAS points from a minimum of two A Levels or equivalent (e.g. 1 x AVCE double award).

You also need three passes at GCSE grade C or above, which must include Mathematics and English Language, or a minimum of Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number. If you have studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above.

If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.

Fees and finance

The annual fee for this course is:

£9,250 if you are from the UK or EU
£10,750 if you are from outside the EU

If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out 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.

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This information was correct at the time of publication.

The Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's by night

Employment

Health and Social Care is a diverse field, with opportunities to specialise in areas such as young people, mental health, or drug and alcohol abuse support.

Many BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care graduates now work in the NHS, charities such as Age UK and MIND, social care organisations such as Turning Point, and other public, private and voluntary sector health agencies.

Further study is also a popular option, with some graduates choosing to pursue taught Masters courses or research degrees.

Guest speakers

We have a regular schedule of guest speakers who discuss their experiences in Health and Social Care. Past speakers have included representatives from Children North East, Lifeline, Healthworks and Headlight.

Attending our programme of guest speakers is an excellent way to hear from practitioners in the field, and also develop a network of professional contacts, which may become useful when applying for placements and jobs.

Work placement

As part of your degree you will undertake a 60-hour work placement during your final year. This will be your opportunity to apply your learning in a real-life context. You will be able to choose the placement which most closely matches your interests.

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.

Meet our academics

Andrew (Drew) Dalton

Programme Leader for Social Sciences

Sheila Quaid

Senior Lecturer in Sociology

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

BSc Health and Social Care programme specification

Page last updated: 05 April 2018

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