About the BA (Hons) Health and Social Care
- Do you enjoy working with people?
- Do you want to work in the caring professions?
- Do you want to keep your options open when choosing a career path?
- Are you interested in gaining an academic qualification that will be excellent preparation for work in Health and Social Care?
The exciting degree combines the best elements of a social sciences degree with a focus on working in health and social care professions. You can combine elements of Sociology, Psychology, Policy and Ethics and tailor your learning according to your interests with a wide selection of optional modules and specialist pathways in Criminal Justice, Guidance and Counselling, Practice, Community Studies and Policy and Leadership. You'll also be able to incorporate work experience or volunteering into your studies to get a real sense of health and social care in practice.
You will be taught by an expert team of enthusiastic staff who are widely published within their field. The course content is informed by their specific research interests which ensures you have an up-to-date and relevant learning experience.
Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, and have a diverse range of educational experience and qualifications. What they have in common is a wish to make a difference to people's lives.
Please note the following information for applicants
BA (Hons) Health and Social Care course content
During the course you will study a number of core modules but you will also be able to tailor your learning according to your interests and future career plan through a range of pathways and a wide selection of optional modules. The degree is therefore equally suited to those who have yet to make a career choice and those who are interested in a specific area of health and social care. You'll also complete an independent project on a subject of your choice related to your studies. This means three quarters of your final year studies are based on individual choice.
If you choose to study a pathway, certain options will be compulsory, but you do not have to make a final decision about whether the follow a pathway until the end of your second year. Guidance will be offered to you in making the best option choices suited to your needs.
Year One
Core modules:
- Introduction to Social Policy
- Concepts of Equality And Diversity
- The Individual in Society
- Foundations in Health and Social Care
- Skills for Study and Practice
- Working with People.
Year Two
Core modules:
- Key Themes in Health and Social Care
- Philosophical and Political Debates in Health And Social Care
- Researching Health and Social Care.
You will also be able to select three options from a selection that currently includes:
- The Sociology of Health and Illness
- Introduction to Criminal Justice
- Theories of Counselling
- Mapping Health
- Mapping Crime
- Managing Health and Social Care
- Health, Housing and Environment
- Work-Based Experience.
If you wish, this is the point when you can begin to focus on a pathway.
Year Three
Core modules:
- Individual Integrative Project (Dissertation)
- Applied Ethics in Health and Social Care
- Protection Issues in Health and Social Care.
Beyond these you are able to specialise, if you wish, in:
- Criminal Justice
- Guidance and Counselling
- Practice
- Community Studies
- Policy and Leadership pathway.
Alternatively, you can keep your options open by choosing subjects from a wide range of areas relating to health and social care, such as perspectives on disability or working with men.
You will also be able to select four optional modules. Some of these are only available if you have taken the appropriate options in Year Two. The selection that currently includes:
- Understanding Policy Environments
- Living Places
- Contemporary Approaches to Leadership
- Tackling Social Exclusion
- Current Issues in Criminology
- Advice and Guidance Interventions
- Practice of Counselling
- Work-Based Practice
- Practical Health Promotion
- Contemporary Mental Health
- Understanding Public Enquiries
- Perspectives on Disability
- Young People, Crime and Justice
- Women, Crime and Criminal Justice
- Cultural Criminology
- Substance Misuse.
How will I learn?
Staff use a range of innovative teaching and learning techniques including audio podcasts and discussion boards on the University's virtual learning environment This helps to create an engaging and shared learning experience and you will have the opportunity to produce a presentation on a platform of your choice, be it a blog, Google site or Youtube channel.
In between seminars, tutors provide short audio podcasts on the highlights from the forthcoming lecture, directing students to specific reading, current issues, any new reading or learning material that has been added to the content page and guidance on assignments.
A variety of other teaching methods are used to add interest and help you develop important transferable skills. These include formal lectures, workshops and seminars, role-play, group exercises, paper presentations, audio-visual presentations, IT-based exercises and work-based experience.
Assessment
Different assessment methods suit different people. The course team uses a wide variety of assessments to ensure that all students get an opportunity to play to their strengths and that the assessments are appropriate to the topics studied. Methods used include essays, reports and short pieces of writing, seen and unseen examinations, individual and group presentations, independent projects, video exercises, poster presentations and IT based tests. Students are provided with full briefing for their assignments and, to ensure equity, anonymous marking is in place.
Expert staff
Our staff have a wealth of experience in both the health and social care profession and in academia. They have recently produced the core text book Key Themes in Health and Social Care which is a valuable learning resource for students undertaking the BA (Hons) Health and Social Care. The research-active team have also received £25,000 of funding from Skills for Care to provide leadership and management training for social work managers in six partner authorities, and have been selected as one of only ten employer led development sites across the country.
We're here to support you
Our staff members are friendly, accessible and located close to the lecture and seminar rooms. They are committed to providing effective guidance and support. All students have a learning advisor to support them with academic or personal problems and encourage personal development planning through the course of their studies. Students are also helped by the team’s excellent links with support services in the School of Social Sciences and the wider university. In addition, students at Level One benefit from student mentors who provide a source of informal, friendly advice to those new to the course.
Hear directly from industry experts
Our teaching is complemented with the input of practicing professional and you'll have the opportunity to hear from guest speakers. Our links with industry include excellent professional relationships with regional councils including:
- Nottingham City Council
- Nottinghamshire County Council
- Derbyshire County Council
- Framework Housing Association
- Skills for Care
- Skills for Health
- Advocacy in Action
- Children's Workforce Development Council.
Research opportunities
Evidence based practice and research underpins work in health and social care. Within the constraints of ethical approval students are engaged in a range of research based activities throughout the life of the course. The curriculum, and teaching and learning activities are informed through the specific research interests of staff. There are many opportunities for graduates to pursue research based employment in health and social care settings or to further their academic research profile.
What are my employability prospects?
You'll graduate with the confidence, experience and ability to make a difference to people's lives. You may be interested in pursuing a career in:
- nursing
- health promotion
- housing
- social work
- guidance providing agencies
- the police
- probation service
- teaching.
Some past students have also gone on to lead projects aimed at reducing disadvantage within communities.
Certain occupations in health and social care require a professional qualification as well as a degree, and many of our students go on to study for further qualifications or higher degrees.
The Health and Social Care job titles below give an indication of the careers our recent graduates are following:
- Care Manager
- Communities and Forums Officer
- Community Protection Officer
- Health Education Officer
- Housing Advisor
- Learning Support Assistant
- Nurse Helpline Manager
- Policy Development Assistant
- Probation Officer
- Project Worker
- Residential Support Worker
- Youth Support Worker.
Graduate Destinations Database 2006 - 2010
We've got an excellent employability record. 94% of our graduates* from full-time undergraduate courses are employed or engage in further study six months after leaving.
(*of those available for work, HESA survey 2009 / 10)
Opportunities for career development are integrated throughout this course. Volunteering in a health and social care setting is also encouraged, both as a means of enhancing your academic studies and of building relevant experience.
You will have an opportunity to incorporate work experience into your academic studies through Work-Based Practice modules (compulsory for the Practice pathway). This experience could involve spending time in primary care trusts, youth offending teams, nurseries, residential homes, occupational therapy departments, community centres or a range of voluntary sector organisations.
All School of Social Sciences students have an opportunity to attend an International Law Summer School in places such as Stratsborough, Geneva, Talinn and Berlin. These are run in collaboration with Nottingham Law School and focus on topics such as human rights and international criminal justice.
Entry requirements
- 240 minimum UCAS Tariff points achieved from a maximum of three A-levels or equivalent qualification.
- Five GCSEs grade C or above
- GCSE English Language grade C or above
English language entry requirements
See the English language entry requirements for courses at the School of Social Sciences and a full list of all English language qualifications accepted by the University.
Application and selection
Selection is based on the application form. All applicants and potential applicants are encouraged to attend one of our open days. Applications are made through UCAS where you can apply directly online. Mature or international students can find out more about applying by calling +44 (0)115 848 4460. We have a strong commitment to maintaining access for all to higher education. We recognise the need to invest financially in the future of our students, so we have introduced a system of bursaries aimed at enabling home students from lower income families to undertake a degree course. For information about Nottingham Trent University bursaries please visit the Fees and funding pages.
Contact us
Email
Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 4460
School of Social Sciences website
