BA (Hons) Health and Social Care

Course Marketing Title
BA (Hons) Health & Social Care.

Overview
This course has been designed to develop knowledge, understanding, intellectual and practical skills appropriate for working in the field of health and social care. This degree will help you to identify and respond to the needs of children, adults and families who often fall into vulnerable categories. If you are a person centred individual who is flexible, creative and independent, then this is the employment sector for you

Entry Requirements
All applications will be considered individually on merit but offers will normally be based on:

160 UCAS tariff points to include at least one A2

4 GCSEs at grade C or above (or equivalent) to include English Language and Maths. Candidates without GCSE English Language or equivalent will be required to write a short essay at the time of interview.

If you are unsure if your qualifications meet our requirements please contact HEenquiries@stockport.ac.uk

A supportive reference

You will also need a current enhanced Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) certificate that has been issued within 12 months of the start of the course. You can apply for one at enrolment, for a fee, if necessary.

Students with considerable relevant experience but without a level 3 qualification may be considered, but would need to demonstrate academic competence through a piece of written work.
Please Note: For students whose education has not been in English, evidence will be required of proficiency in English. Typically, applicants will need to have achieved: Band 6.5 in the IELTS (International English Language Testing Scheme), and/or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 580 or above (completed within 2 years of date of application to the BA).

Please note that the course will only run if a minimum number of students enrol.

Composition of the Course
On this programme you will study the following units:

• Level 4
• Health and Wellbeing
• Human Growth and Development
• Professional Development and Employability
• Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• Social Policy
• Working Together
• Level 5
  • Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups
  • Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care
  • Inclusiveness, Anti-Discrimination and Equality
  • Social Research
  • Specific Needs
  • Reflective Practice
• Level 6
• Sociology of Crime and Justice
• Family, Gender and Society
• Current Issues in Health and Social Care
• Perspectives on Mental Health
• Dissertation

The full-time course runs over 3 years. You will attend two days per week and be expected to be in a placement setting for one day per week; the remaining time will be available for independent study.

It is possible to study the course on a part-time basis. Each level of the course would take two years to complete (six years total). You can switch from part-time to full-time (or vice versa) having completed and passed all of the assessments in a given level.

Your timetable will include taught sessions, assignment support sessions, group tutorials and individual tutorials.

The programme is delivered by a combination of lecturers and senior lecturers and a number of the team hold Higher Education Academy Fellowships. Several members of the team have many years' experience teaching degree programmes, others are newly qualified tutors. The tutors have a mix of backgrounds including mental health, social work and youth justice.

A range of assessment methods are used from reports and essays to presentations and portfolios. Typically each unit has two forms of assessment attached to it. Assessments have been carefully designed to support and develop your skills in independent thinking and learning.

The programme takes place at our Town Centre campus. Placement locations vary as you will be able to find your own placement, tailoring it to your career plans; designated staff can help with this if necessary.

Award Received
Upon successful completion of the course you will receive BA (Hons) Health and Social Care awarded by the University of Chester.

Progression
Some graduates will choose to go on to post-graduate study and training such as a Masters degree in Social Work.

This degree will present opportunities for graduates to work in Health, Education or Social Care fields. There are a number of career opportunities in the statutory, private and voluntary sector, all of which continue to grow and diversify. The list of potential career opportunities for a Social Care graduate is very long, and growing - by the time you graduate there will no doubt be new jobs developed that are not, at present, in existence.

Course Fees
The fees for the first year of the course in 2016 are £7,500.

Fees may increase should there be a significant change to the underlying cost of providing the course, such as in periods of high inflation, or fundamental changes to course structure due to regulatory or legal obligations. In all cases we will seek to set the maximum of any annual fee rise to the greater of the Retail Price Index or 5%. The maximum cost for the three year programme will be £23,644 (Year two cost = £7,500 + 5% = £7,875; Year three cost = £7,875 + 5% = £8,269)

Fees are due at enrolment each year and can be paid either through a Student Loan or by your personal funds (an instalment plan is available if you are paying yourself). Once you have enrolled you are liable for the full year's fee, regardless of whether the full year is completed or not.

If you will need to apply for an enhanced DBS certificate at enrolment you will need to pay an additional fee. Please use the link below to find the current cost.

The DBS also offer an ‘update service’, which you can apply for online. This is beneficial if you need to carry out multiple checks within the workforce and is free for volunteers. For additional information and costs please check this link.

There may be trips or visits arranged throughout the course. These will be discussed, along with any costs, with you at the appropriate time. Attendance on trips/visits will not affect your academic success but they will enhance your overall experience.



Quality Assurance (QA)
QA systems are embedded throughout the College and the College is regulated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The College is also routinely inspected by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).