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Change people's lives for the better. Protect vulnerable people in very challenging situations. Make the world a fairer place.
Studying for the BA (Hons) Social Work course is the essential first step to becoming a qualified social worker. When you graduate, you'll be eligible to apply for registration as a social worker with Social Work England.
Social workers improve the lives of a huge range of people. For example, you could work with people with learning difficulties, children and families, older people, people who have problems with drug and alcohol misuse, people who experience mental health problems, or disabled people. Placements are an important part of this social work degree and will allow you to gain real-world experience of working in a social work setting, preparing you for a successful career in this field when you graduate.
The BA (Hons) Social Work course is taught via workshops, small group work, lectures, computer-based learning, presentations, and independent learning.
Your progress will be assessed with group projects/presentations, written assignments, portfolios of work, and exams at the end of some modules. Throughout this social work degree, you'll have one-to-one support from academic staff.
You'll learn about the role of a social worker and the legislation which is applicable to social work theory, research, ethics, and values.
Two practice learning opportunities (70 and 100 days) in your second and third year will help you to put your learning into practice.
You'll develop skills in problem-solving, communication, working with others, and patience. You'll also learn about law, partnership working, assessment, intervention, mental health, and disability issues.
The BA (Hons) Social Work degree is also available to study on a part-time basis.
If you choose a degree in social science, you could be presented with a wide variety of job opportunities when you graduate. We’ve compiled a list of seven potential jobs you could go into with a social science degree to give you some inspiration.
Read about the jobs you could get with a social science degree
Are you considering becoming a social worker but want to find out more about what this career involves? Here, we explore everything you need to know, including the roles and responsibilities of a social worker, the skills and qualifications you’ll need, and more about our social work courses.
Find out more about social work
We caught up with Senior Lecturer, Drew Dalton, to find out why social sciences are a great area to study at degree level and how they can make you think differently.
Explore the impact studying social sciences can have on the way you think
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade - SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement | GPA 3.0 or above and: |
| Sat score of 1250/1600 from SATs | |
| AP (Grades 3+ in at least 3 subjects) | |
| ACT (score of 30+) |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.
If English isn't your first language, you'll also need International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at a score of 7.0 in all components.
As social work is a regulated profession and successful completion of the course gives you basis to apply for registration with the English regulator, Social Work England, there are several stages to our selection process.
The first stage involves your application where you showcase your knowledge and experience and make it clear why you want to study social work. If your application is shortlisted, you'll be invited to complete a written exercise online that looks at your written ability and assesses your attitude and values towards a social work-related scenario.
If successful, you'll then be invited to an interview, where you'll meet staff who teach the course, as well as some current students. You'll complete an assessed group discussion with other applicants and an individual interview. During the interview, it’s important that you show some understanding of social work and demonstrate your motivation and commitment to becoming a social worker. This is your opportunity to tell us more about yourself and why you'd be a great candidate for the course. Both your group discussion and individual interview will be scored by staff and co-educators and offers will be made based on these scores.
To apply for this degree, you must have experience (voluntary or paid) in a social care setting. You can include placements which you've undertaken as part of college, but we do expect more experience than this. Experience could include volunteering during weekends, evenings, or holidays. We may also consider any personal experience you might have.
You should clearly describe this experience in the personal statement section of your application and show how this relates to a career in social work.
Social work involves working with some of the most vulnerable people in society, and social work education is regulated by Social Work England. We must therefore be satisfied that you're 'fit to practise' before we can accept you onto this degree.
In addition to the academic qualification and work experience, you'll need:
We also require you to complete a declaration form about any previous criminal convictions and any disciplinary hearings or investigations related to vulnerable adults or safeguarding young people. Social work is listed in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 [amended 2013] so this means that we must ask you for an enhanced DBS check.
Some spent convictions and cautions are now ‘protected’, which means that we can't take them into account when deciding on your suitability for this course. You must read the Disclosure and Barring Service Filtering Guide carefully to decide whether or not you need to tell us about your spent convictions or cautions.
While it isn't mandatory that you hold a driving licence and have access to a vehicle to undertake this course, please be aware that the availability of placements may be limited by not driving. Many Local Authorities in the North East also require driving or access to mobility support as an essential requirement for employment.
The annual, full-time fee for this course is:
*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.
Tuition fees for part-time students are £7,145 per 90 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.
Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.
A limited number of social work bursaries are available. See the NHS Business Services Authority website for more information.
If you currently serve (or have recently served) within the Armed Forces, then the Ministry of Defence's ELCAS scheme may be able to help cover your funding for this course. Read more about funding for Armed Forces personnel.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
The BA (Hons) Social Work degree is a highly practical qualification. After graduation, you'll be eligible to apply for registration as a social worker with Social Work England.
Social work is a very broad discipline. You could work with older people, young offenders, people with mental health issues, foster carers, children at risk of abuse, or any other individuals at risk of harm to themselves or others.
Social workers work in a variety of organisations including local authorities, NHS Trusts, residential care, schools, and the voluntary and private sectors.
Read more about what you can do with a Social Science degree.
The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS) regularly hosts research seminars presented by faculty academics and also visiting speakers and it can be an excellent way to learn about current and up to date research on contemporary social care issues. You may also find opportunities to collaborate with the academic team.
Placements are an essential part of this social work course, accounting for 70 credits in total. Placements allow you to apply your learning in a real-life context and get a sense of what type of social work you might want to specialise in. When you’re ready to start searching for a job in social work, you'll already have a wide network of professional contacts who can help you find the right opportunities.
It has been an exciting journey gaining further knowledge and a critical understanding of the world.
My time here can be summed up as challenging and rewarding, and I am proud to have studied here.
The delivery of the course is very student-centred – the small cohort encourages discussions.
Lecturers are qualified social workers, bringing real-life experiences to teaching.
