BASocial Policy (Year Abroad)

Study location	United Kingdom, Birmingham
Type	Bachelor courses, full-time
Nominal duration	4 years
Study language	English
Awards	BA
Course code	L40A

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/..icy-year-abroad-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:

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
To be able to take a year abroad you must have an average weighting of 55% by the end of this academic year.

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 initially is upon supporting students in developing their research and analytical skills so that you have the capabilities of both conducting your own small scale investigations of a social problem of your choice in your final year of study. Additionally this equips you with a range of practical skills and knowledge needed in the wider world of work after your degree.

During your second year you must apply for a place at an overseas institution. Full information will be provided during your study and you are supported in making this application. Allocation of places for international exchanges is done by the international office (university-wide competition), alongside this there are a number of Erasmus exchange schemes you can consider. The Year Abroad tutor will assist you and be able to offer advice during your studies.

There are two core modules in year two:

Policy Analysis
Social Research II
You can also choose a further four optional modules which reflect your particular interests from a range of subject areas. You may wish to continue developing analytical skills and your understanding of the social and political worlds, or develop specialist knowledge in a range of key social policy topics.

Optional modules include:

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

Year abroad

Your third year will be spent abroad at a university in the EU or elsewhere in the world. After completing your year abroad, you will return for your fourth and final year to the same BA degree programme. There are a wide range of countries and universities from which you can choose. As well as a range of European universities, you may also choose from a range of current institutional partners worldwide. These include countries in which a variety of languages are spoken, including universities at which courses are taught in English.

Modules in the final year

By your final year you will be ready to conduct your own research project. 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, further enabling you to benefit from research excellence and leading, contemporary research.

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.

Optional modules 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