• The degree consists of course work and practical placement experience to enable you to gain the knowledge and skills needed for effective practice within a demanding but rewarding profession.
• Social work at York is widely recognised to be of the highest standard, consistently featuring within the Top 10 of national subject league tables.
• You will study a carefully tailored programme, gaining the knowledge, practical skills and understanding required to work effectively in your chosen career.
• You will achieve the qualification needed to work as a social worker, as recognised by the Health and Care Professions Council.

Important notes about this course

Admission to the course is by interview, which take place from December to March.

All students are required to provide a satisfactory health declaration and undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Having either a health condition or criminal conviction is not necessarily a bar to entry but failure to disclose relevant information may result subsequently in termination of training. Should you declare a criminal conviction, it may be necessary to consult our partnership agencies in relation to placements.

You will also need GCSE Maths and English at grade C or equivalent, such as adult numeracy and literacy skills at Level 2 (see DirectGov).

Financial help is available from the NHS Business Authority (NHS BSA) which bursaries for students studying social work. For full details on eligibility criteria, the financial value of the bursaries and availability of application packs, you can visit the NHS Social Work Bursaries website. Alternatively, call the Bursaries team on 0845 6101122. Please note that these arrangements are currently under review, you can check on any changes via the Bursaries Authority website.

You must be at least 18 years old when you start the course.

Accommodation

Please take a moment to read the advice from Accommodation Services about choosing accommodation on campus.

What you'll study

Course content

The course work involves study of social work theory and models, knowledge, skills and values. It includes modules that focus on law, human development, communication skills, health and disability, mental health and children and young people. You also complete two placements as part of the degree. Core modules enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of social work while placements enable you to develop and demonstrate skills and values in practice. In the final year, you will opt for one of four ‘specialist’ pathways. In this way, should you choose, you are able to develop expertise in one area of social work whilst also earning a generic qualification that allows you to practice as a social worker in whatever field you might choose. The third year dissertation represents an opportunity to apply your knowledge and understanding in independent supervised research on a topic of your interest. Within limits, this major piece of work can be on any topic of relevance to social work.

Modules

The modules and course structure shown here applies to 2013 entry only.

How you'll be taught

Your lectures, seminars and tutorials will be delivered by enthusiastic and knowledgeable academic staff who are experienced practitioners. Guest speakers with specialist expertise, including service users, will also contribute to various modules.

Teaching is delivered via lectures and seminars. In keeping with the applied nature of the course, most modules also include some degree of group work. Students also have the opportunity to develop professional skills via presentations based on both academic and practice based work throughout the programme. Some modules also provide extra online input via module specific discussion boards.

As well as time spent in class, you will need to develop knowledge and understanding via focused and guided reading. You will also need to read preparatory material in advance of taught sessions. The library is very well stocked with appropriate reading, while sometimes materials will be provided or made available via the VLE.

The structure of the programme, and its provision within an intellectually stimulating and satisfying environment, is geared to ensuring that you develop both academic and practice-based skills which will be useful both in your future work as a practitioner, or in other fields you might choose to enter.

We are constantly seeking to improve the organisation and delivery of the programme and there are various opportunities for students to provide feedback, both face-to-face and in writing, to the teaching team, which we welcome and take on board wherever possible. For example, in response to student feedback we have recently introduced regular Professional Development Groups which new students will participate in throughout their 3 years at York. These additional sessions will foster further development of applied, clinical knowledge and skills via tutor led debate and discussion.

• See our student showcase on what it means to be a social worker

Support

All students are allocated a personal supervisor who is responsible for providing both academic and pastoral support throughout your three years. Your supervisor will be a member of the teaching staff well placed to advise on how best to engage with the content of the programme and your assignments. Whilst undertaking placements, you will also receive additional specialist support from a practice educator or work based supervisor who will induct you into the organisation you are placed with and provide you with guidance for the duration of the time which you spend there.

How you'll be assessed

The majority of programme modules are assessed via written assignments. You will receive both formative and summative feedback on your work. Formative feedback enables you to develop your academic skills in advance of formal submission of work, and is provided on the basis of either written work or presentations undertaken at various interim points during modules. Summative feedback on your assignments will offer constructive comments about your work, clarifying issues or misunderstandings and commenting on how you might improve your writing or analysis in the future. We provide written feedback on all assignments within 4 weeks of submission.

You will also be assessed via examination in the Social Work Law module.

Your performance on placement is assessed by your practice educator, who will assess your competence to practice via observation of your interaction with service users, reading your written work and the collation of feedback from service users and colleagues.

Careers and employability

On successful completion of the degree, you will be eligible to register as a social worker in England. Qualified practitioners remain in demand and so career prospects for social work are very good.

At key points in their early career, our graduates are more likely to be employed in a professional role, have higher employment rates than undergraduates in comparable disciplines and achieve higher salaries.

Some of our students choose to undertake further study, often towards a PhD. The department offers a Masters degree in Social Work Research which is designed to bridge the gap between undergraduate and PhD level study.

Health and Care Professions Council

Social work is a regulated profession and qualified social workers are registered with the HCPC. As a social work student you will be expected to adhere to the standards set out in the HCPC codes of practice. Completion of the degree/MA/Dip in Social Work makes you eligible to apply for registration. As well as regulating individual social workers and students, the HCPC also regulate social work courses. For more information visit the HCPC website.

How to apply

All applications to undergraduate degree courses at York must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

• UCAS web site: Course search
• How to apply via UCAS

To use the UCAS course search, choose courses starting in 2013, select search by course code, and use course code L500. The UCAS institution code for the University of York is Y50.

Help and advice about the application process may be directed to Student Recruitment and Admissions.

Detailed information regarding our degrees is not available on UCAS and is only available through course profiles on our website.

Once you have submitted an application

Before acceptance you will be expected to attend an interview. You will have the opportunity to learn a little more about the subject, our Department and the University. We are particularly looking for candidates who have:

• Some understanding of the various roles and responsibilities of social workers
• Motivation to become a social worker, shown by having a clear rationale for doing so gained from experience in a helping role
• Some self-awareness and empathy for others
• Awareness of and a commitment to the values of social work
• Ability to succeed academically

Successful offer holders will then have access to You@York, our dedicated site for accepted applicants to the University.

Important notes

Please see the important notes on the 'Overview' tab.

Non-traditional education backgrounds

We are very committed to making offers to people from a range of different backgrounds that have varied educational, employment and life experiences after leaving school. If you have a non-traditional educational background and want to know more about whether you would qualify for entry then please have an informal discussion with our admissions tutors for guidance. We particularly encourage students who have completed Access courses to apply.

Entry requirements

Mature students

Many mature students have studied successfully in the Department. Interest in social work is often aroused through life experience, which enriches the course for all widens the knowledge and skills base of the profession.  We welcome applications from mature students and we have a firm commitment to supporting their progression through all our courses.