Course Overview
You will share cutting-edge knowledge and your degree will provide you with up-to-date information on professional development and a critical approach to understanding Social Work in contemporary society.
This degree requires a high level of vocational commitment, so you should be prepared to undertake two practice placements. These are an excellent way of getting to know the role of a social worker and give hands-on experience to back up classroom learning. This ensures that when you graduate you are prepared for work in the rapidly changing environments of social care.
The two first year courses, Social Work Practice and Social Work and Social problems, will give you an introduction to the nature, origins and values of Social Work and to the economic, organisational policy and social circumstances in which Social Work is practised. You will set issues in the context of class, gender, race and ethnicity, and disability to start developing a critical understanding of Social Work.
Currently, undergraduates go on a placement from the beginning of the August preceding their second year through to the middle of December. This is followed by second-year courses that include: Children, young People and Families, Care and the Life Course and The Research Minded Practitioner.
Your third-year courses include Mental Health and Distress and Social Work and Substance Use. In addition, all Social Work students write a dissertation. Your final practice placement currently runs from January to May of your final year.
Related Courses
Modules
Lancaster degree programmes are flexible, offering students the opportunity to cover a wide selection of subject areas to compliment their degree. The following is an example list of modules which our previous students have studied. For a full list contact the Applied Social Science department.
Year 2
- Social Work with Children and Families 2
- Placement 1
- Social Work Practice 2
- The Research-minded Practitioner
- Social Work in Adult Social Care
- Social Work and Young People
- Social Work and Drug Use
- Preparation for Practice II
- The Reflexive Practitioner
Year 3
- Dissertation
- Placement 2
- Care and the Life Course
- Social Work and Young People
Lancaster University offers the chance to follow a structured study programme or the option to devise a more flexible programme. We divide academic study into 2 sections - Part 1 (Year 1) and Part 2 (Year 2, 3 and sometimes 4). In Part 1 you will take three modules of study which, depending upon your programme, will be drawn from one, two or three different academic subjects, a higher degree of specialisation then develops in subsequent years. For more information about our teaching methods at Lancaster visit our Teaching and Learning section.
For further information about the department, staff and courses please visit the Applied Social Science department website.
Entry Criteria
A-level: ABB
General Studies: Accepted as one of the best 3 grades, if 4 A-levels presented
Preference: None
GCSE requirements: Social Work entrants must hold at least a GCSE grade C in English Language and Mathematics (or the Key Skills level 2 equivalent)
Scottish Highers: BBBBB
Irish Leaving Cert: Offers will be made on the basis of 5 or 6 Higher level subjects. Please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office (01524 592028) for further information
International Bacc: 32 pts overall with 16 pts from best three HL courses
BTEC: Overall grades DDM
HNC/HND: Pass
IELTS: 7
Applicants for the Social Work course must have experience of voluntary or paid work in a social service or welfare setting. Shortlisted candidates will normally be interviewed.
Careers
Many Social Work graduates go on to work as professional social workers in social services departments and specialist agencies. A large number of Lancaster graduates now hold senior managerial posts or are actively involved in training, consultancy and research.
By graduating in Social Work you are eligible to apply to register as a professional social worker, but the skills, values and knowledge gained are highly valued in other careers that involve training, consultancy and research.
The Social Work degree also provides a solid foundation for postgraduate study.
Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, but that you also graduate with relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development. Visit our Employability section for full details.
Studying
Teaching and Learning Methods
At Lancaster we offer a broad range of learning environments designed to best support the requirements of your chosen degree programme. These may include lecture and tutorials, interactive workshops, laboratory sessions, other practical activities, student-led seminars and web-based elivery.
The modules which make up a programme of study are assessed using a variety of different methods, enabling students to demonstrate their capabilities in a range of ways. Typical coursework assignments include laboratory reports, essays, literature reviews, short tests, short and sharply focussed critical reports, poster sessions and oral presentations. Formal examinations include short answer questions, essays and data analysis. Multiple choice formats are also employed where appropriate. Students are supported in the production of final year project reports and dissertations. Details of the assessment methods for individual modules can be accessed via the university's online module catalogue.
In addition to these learning and teaching methods we encourage independent study, meaning you take responsibility for your own learning. For more information visit our Teaching Approach page.
Assessment Methods
We offer you a variety of stimulating and effective approaches to teaching, learning and assessment. This enables you and your tutors to explore the very latest thinking within your subject and develops your skills in problem solving, analysis and critical reflection, communication, application of knowledge and modern technologies.
As a University, we commit to providing all our undergraduates with a minimum number of contact hours per week, providing you with timely feedback on your work and a maximum number of 15 students per seminar group.
Funding
Lancaster University has committed £2.7m in scholarships and bursaries to help with your fees and living costs. Our financial support depends on your circumstances and how well you do in your A-levels (or equivalent academic qualifications) before starting study with us.
Lancaster University's priority is to support every student to make the most of their life and education. For students starting their study with us in 2014, over 600 each year will be entitled to bursaries and/or scholarships to help them with the cost of fees and/or living expenses. For UK students entering in 2014 we will have the following financial support available:
- An Academic Scholarship of £2,000 for the first year of study to any student from the UK entering with A*, A*, A or equivalent academic qualifications
- An Access Scholarship of £1,000 per year for all UK students from households with an income of less than £42,600 who achieve grades of A*, A, A or the equivalent academic qualifications
- A Lancaster Bursary of £1,000 per annum for all students from England with a household income of more than £25,000 but less than £42,600
- As part of the National Scholarship Programme, a £1,000 Bursary, a £1,000 Fee Waiver and a £1,000 Accommodation Discount in the first year of study, for students from England with a household income of less than £25,000. Plus a Lancaster Bursary of £1,000 in subsequent years.
*All of the financial awards above are subject to approval by the Office for Fair Access July 2013.
For full details of the University's financial support packages including eligibility criteria, please visit our fees and funding page
View details of our current Undergraduate fees.
