The BA (Hons) Health and Social Policy degree is a specialised variant of the Social Studies programme that focuses on a range of modules offered by the Centre for Lifelong Learning and the Department of Sociology and Politics and International Studies.

When starting your social studies degree, you might be uncertain which area to specialise in. However, you will not need to make this decision immediately. As this is a flexible degree, you spend the first two years on the social studies pathway and then make a decision about which subjects you would like to pursue at the end of year two.

You can find further information on the modules you will study here: Undergraduate Modules

Flexible entry requirements, formal qualifications are not required, just evidence of work and life experience and motivation to study. Applicants are interviewed by the course selector. Applications from access students will be welcomed.

Over 2,000 local people have studied on this programme, many without any qualifications, and have gone on to further study or careers in areas such as social work, teaching, local government, the community and voluntary sectors and research.

Your course and university experience will give you skills which can be transferred to a wide variety of careers. Such skills include communication, persuasion, analytical and problem-solving skills, time management and working under pressure. All these are very desirable to employers. As many graduate jobs are open to students from all degree subjects, there is a huge range of career possibilities. For example, jobs in marketing, finance and HR. You could also work in a range of sectors such as arts, culture and recreation, energy and utilities, public services and transport.

Here are just some of the new careers our graduates have chosen to pursue in the Centre across our undergraduate courses:
-Teacher: primary and secondary Lecturer: FE and HE
-Community worker
-Social researcher
-Youth worker
-Manager of early years settings
-Management trainee Team leader
-Counsellor Local government officer Caseworker (MP)

Some students choose to stay with us for further study, on courses such as MSc Psychotherapy and Counselling

This degree is divided into two stages: Level 4 and Honours Level. Level 4 consists of 120 credits and is studied over the first two years at a partner college. Honours Level (years three and four) consists of 240 credits and is studied over the final two years of the degree at the University of Warwick.

In the first two years you will study four core modules at a partner college, before transferring to the BA (Hons) Health and Social Policy degree in Year 3:

Sociological Perspectives - this module introduces a range of concepts and issues that help you to question and understand not only why things in society are the way they are but what might be done to change them

Health, Welfare and Social Policy - this module develops your understanding of the foundations of contemporary social welfare issues such as poverty, inequality and the welfare state

Political Ideas and World Politics - this module provides knowledge of structures and issues in British and global politics and key concepts in the study of these such as power, globalisation and democracy

Researching Society and Culture - this module develops your academic research skills and how to successfully apply these to a research project of your design, with support from your tutor. It asks questions such as: does society shape us or do we have a role in shaping it?

You do not need to have any prior knowledge of these subjects to join this course. It is designed for learners who have not studied these subjects before and who may have been out of education for some time. The degree starts gradually, and you are supported throughout. 

You will study a range of modules in Years 3 and 4, including core research modules:

• Either Research Methods in the Social Sciences (all year)

OR

• Practice and Interpretation of Quantitative Research and Designing and Conducting Social Research (one per term)

You will also be able to choose from a list of modules in the Centre for Lifelong Learning, the Departments of Sociology, Politics and International Studies, among others. These include counselling, social work, mindfulness, coaching, social policy and lifelong learning. (Please note that this degree pathway is under review for the academic year 2020/21 and updates will be provided in due course)

Applications for 2021/22 are open.

Apply here for Coventry College.

Apply here for North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College.

Tuition fees for Home/EU Students in 2021/22 are as follows:

£6,750

See our finance information page for more information regarding financing your studies and have a look at our funding scenarios to see what support might be available for prospective students. View potential additional fees here.

The 2+2 degree is not eligible for Tier 4 sponsorship, as the first two years are taught in a college which is not on our sponsor licence.

Times of classes will depend on the college attended and modules taken at the University, please contact the relevant college for teaching days and times in years one and two.

Two years at college and two years at the University of Warwick Colleges currently offering this course:

• Coventry College - Henley Campus
• North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College - Nuneaton Campus