BASocial Policy

Study location	United Kingdom, Birmingham
Type	Bachelor courses, full-time
Nominal duration	3 years
Study language	English
Awards	BA
Course code	L400

Entry qualification	High school / secondary education (or higher) The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English IELTS: 6.5 (with a minimum of 6.0 in each skill) CAE: 176 (with a minimum of 169 in each skill)

Other requirements	At least 1 reference(s) must be provided. A motivation letter must be added to your application.

More information	birmingham.ac.uk/..y/social-policy-ba.aspx

Overview

Interested? To learn more about this study programme, entry requirements and application process, please contact one of our consultants in a country nearest to you.

Programme structure

First year

Your first year is designed to help you find your feet and get up to speed with the subject. Modules in the first year offer an introduction to our key themes which shape our Social Policy degree:

These include:

Key concepts in social policy: for example, need, citizenship, equality, difference, globalisation and risk
The mixed policy economy of wellbeing
Key topics of social policy: health, education, housing, migration, poverty, social security and income maintenance
The demographic and socio-economic context of social policy provision
The construction of social issues and problems and changing policy responses over time;
Introductory research skills
An introduction to criminology to explore the criminalisation of social problems and the shifting nature of social policy responses

Core modules

Introduction to Social Policy
Social Science, Social Problems and Social Policy
Social Research I
Philosophies of Welfare
Introduction to Social Divisions
Widening Horizons Module
Taken together, your core and optional modules will provide you with opportunities to develop your understanding of social policy, and the space to explore new areas of academic study.

Second year

In your second year you will consolidate and build upon the knowledge base and skills gained in your first year. The focus here is initially upon supporting students in developing their research and analytical skills so that you have the capability to conduct your own small scale investigation in your final year of study and also the ability to effectively appraise and use bodies of research at every stage of your studies. This will provide you with a range of practical skills and knowledge needed in the wider world of work after your degree.

There are two core modules in year two:

Policy Analysis
Social Research II
Choose a further four optional modules which reflect your particular interests:

Optional modules

Social Theory and Social Policy
Comparative Social Policy
Poverty, Class and Inequality
Gender and Sexuality
‘Sociology of Race’ and Ethnicity – A Global Perspective
Social Policy and Disability
Managing Health and Social Care
Third Sector and Social Enterprise
Housing and Communities
Terror, Threat and Security
Punishment in a Global Context
Education, Policy and Social Justice
Self and Society
Media and Society
Global Societies

Third year

By your final year you will be prepared to conduct your own research project (or extended essay) providing you with the opportunity to select a topic which is of particular interest to you and explore knowledge and policy within that policy area. As such your core module is a choice between a research-based dissertation or an extended essay.

Module options at this level will enable you to focus on additional areas of the research expertise of the School of Social Policy and the research centres of the School, further enabling you to benefit from research excellence and leading, contemporary research. As such you can explore issues such as:

Matters of personal finances, wealth and the relationship these have with social policy
The role of religion in politics and social policy
The future prospects and developments within social policy
Political histories of the ways in which social policies have developed
The challenges of migration and diversity for social policy aims and ambitions
If you choose to do the dissertation (40 credits) as your core module then you can select four optional modules. If you choose to do the extended essay (20 credits) you can choose five optional modules. Example optional modules may include:

Prospects for Social Policy
From Beveridge to May
Quantitative Analysis I and Quantitative Analysis II
Migration and Super-Diversity
Your Money and Your Life
Harmful Societies
Sociology of Personal Life
Divided Publics
Doing or Not Doing God? Religion, Policy and Politics
Crime and the City
Sociology of Health and Illness
Political Sociology
Technology and Society
‘Freedom’, Control and Critique
Professional Development Module

Career opportunities

There are a number of job paths for you to take after graduating. There are graduate schemes in managing welfare services in health care, the third sector and local government which can be popular choices with our graduates. Since a degree in Social Policy is based upon how policy is made it is a great degree for working in the civil service, local government or for think tanks. Our graduate also gain students many transferable skills such as critical thinking, written and verbal communication and team work which give them the flexibility to go into a wide range of employment opportunities:

NHS management trainee scheme
Planning Officer
Charity co-ordinator
Marketing project manager
Social enterprise co-ordinator
Campaign manager for an MP
Youth worker
Researcher
Communications officer
Graduate land buyer
Benefits Officer