Why study this course?
This Health and Social Care (including foundation year) BSc degree is designed for those who want to progress their career, but don’t meet the entry requirements for the standard Health and Social Care undergraduate course. On completion of this four-year degree you’ll graduate with the same award and title as students on the three-year health and social care course.
The foundation year will develop your academic study skills, which will prepare you for successful further study at undergraduate level. In the subsequent three years, you’ll focus more on the issue and practices within health and social care, gaining practical skills that will allow you to enter management and leadership roles in the sector.
More about this course
On our Health and Social Care (including foundation year) BSc, you’ll consider principles, knowledge, values and policies that underpin good health and social care practice and explore the formal and informal mechanisms required to promote good practice by individuals in the workforce.
Throughout your degree there will be opportunities to work on your abilities outside of the classroom. We offer a number of workshops to help our students improve their academic skills, such as essay writing, and also increase their career prospects with workshops on interview and application practice. An academic tutor and mentor will be assigned to you and they will guide you through your time at the university, ensuring that you settle in and perform to the best of your ability.
The foundation year will be shared with students from different degree specialisms. This will be the perfect opportunity to explore different academic interests and work with students who have different perspectives on a wide range of topics within social professions and social sciences. During this year you’ll focus on developing your academic and study skills that will enable you to take on the challenge of a degree with confidence. You’ll also explore the importance of critical assessment, consider the importance of different views, and be guided through the process of researching, planning, drafting and proofreading your essay.
You’ll take one specialised module that will introduce you to the study of health and social care, preparing you for the subsequent three years of your degree.
After the foundation year, you’ll join students starting on the three-year degree and study the same content.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course.
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2022/23 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 0 modules include:
Critical Thinking (core, 15 credits)
Fundamentals of Health and Social Care (core, 15 credits)
Interventions for Change (core, 15 credits)
Media, Crime and ‘Race’ (core, 15 credits)
Reflecting on Self and Society (core, 15 credits)
Researching Discrimination (core, 15 credits)
Researching Inequality (core, 15 credits)
Social Issues in Context: Text to Essay (core, 15 credits)
Year 1 modules include:
Academic skills & literacy: finding & presenting information (core, 15 credits)
An introduction to Knowledge and Inquiry in Health & Social Care (core, 15 credits)
Introduction to Effective Practice in Health & Social Care (core, 15 credits)
Introduction to Health & Social Care; concepts of health & well-being (core, 30 credits)
Personal & Professional Development; self-management (core, 15 credits)
The Context of Health & Social Care: cultural, social & ethical perspectives (core, 30 credits)
Year 2 modules include:
Academic skills & literacy: developing critical thinking (core, 15 credits)
Advancing the health of the population: Understanding Public Health (core, 30 credits)
Becoming employable (core, 15 credits)
Ethical Research in Professional Contexts (core, 30 credits)
Issues in Health, Illness & Society (core, 15 credits)
Personal & Professional Development; managing professional relationships (core, 15 credits)
Year 3 modules include:
Academic skills & literacy: effective critical thinking (core, 15 credits)
Effective responses to emerging issues in health & social care (core, 30 credits)
Personal & Professional Development; management & leadership of others (core, 15 credits)
Project (core, 30 credits)
Global Health (option, 15 credits)
Homelessness and Housing Policy (option, 15 credits)
Housing Issues and Housing Solutions (option, 15 credits)
Mental health & well being (option, 15 credits)
Where this course can take you
Successful completion of your degree offers excellent career opportunities in the fields of health and social care. This may be within the NHS, voluntary or independent sectors. Our graduates have found careers in mental health and medical rehabilitation, and as support workers in the NHS, housing associations and charity organisations.
What is a degree with foundation year?
This is a four-year degree course with a built-in foundation year (Year 0). It’s the perfect route into university if you can’t meet the necessary entry requirements or don’t have the traditional qualifications required to start a standard undergraduate degree. You’ll graduate with a full undergraduate degree with the same title and award as those who studied the traditional three-year course.
