Social Sciences

All of our courses are developed in partnership with practice agencies to ensure you acquire the latest knowledge and relevant qualifications.

Careers

You will gain the knowledge and skills needed for careers such as police, probation service, youth and community work, health promotion, victim services, migration/asylum services, health/ social policy, security services, and for those studying on the social work programmes, qualified social work status. We have an excellent take up of graduate training schemes and many of our students move on to postgraduate nursing, social work and teaching programmes. Our courses are developed in partnership with practice agencies to ensure that they are up-to-date, relevant. Our staff have professional, academic, teaching and research qualifications, and teach from direct experience.

Q&A

Dr Alison Tresidder

Head of Applied Social Sciences

What opportunities does studying at Bedfordshire offer students?

A key focus is on real-world relevance and research informed responses to current issues in the human services and wider society. We focus on employability skills and academic excellence in a supportive environment where students are challenged to achieve. Students have opportunities to hear from leading academics and researchers in the field. They are also encouraged to engage with their communities and to be part of our '#SASSchangemakers' initiative. Involvement in community projects, volunteering and social enterprise projects form a part of our curriculum with many opportunities available for hands on experience.

Did you know?

The Social Sciences staff team combines extensive research across social work, youth work, criminal justice, social studies, child and adolescent studies, and health and social care. You will have the opportunity to be taught by these internationally renowned researchers and to play an active role in research projects.

Courses

Child & Adolescent Studies BA (Hons) Criminology BA (Hons) Criminology & Sociology BA (Hons) Health & Social Care BA (Hons) Professional Policing BA (Hons) Professional Social Work Practice BA (Hons) Social Studies BA (Hons) Social Work BA (Hons) 164 165 166 167 168 169 170

171

Related foundation degrees: 195

Have You Also Considered...?

Early Childhood Education (Graduate Practitioner) BA (Hons) 89 Psychology & Criminal Behaviour BSc (Hons) 159

For more information on any of the courses visit: beds.ac.uk/courses For up-to-date information on part-time study options see: beds.ac.uk/parttime

Social Sciences

Key facts

UCAS Course Code: L550 With Professional Practice Year: L558 With Foundation Year: L5FY  September, February  Luton campus  3 years full-time (options available: part-time), alternatively 4 years with a Professional Practice (UK/EU) or Foundation Year  UK/EU/International students  UCAS Tariff 80-96 points – see website for more information

Explore child development, welfare, and the right to equal access to services and life opportunities regardless of social difference, as you study current practice and expectations of working with children and young people. Academic and practical knowledge of the needs of children, young people and families equips you to provide a skilled service, preparing you for your career.

Key features

• Real practice issues and experiences inform the curriculum • Sound foundation of applied social studies knowledge • Opportunity to choose units in your second and final year

Career opportunities

Careers include: education welfare officer; social work assistant; family support worker; and therapeutic worker with children and families. Combined with postgraduate study, this degree also offers entry to social work training, the probation service, youth work and teaching.

Areas of study may include:

• Narratives of childhood and youth • Working Together: multi-agency approaches to risk and assessment in child welfare • Gangs and serious youth violence • Disability in childhood: critical perspectives on policy and practice • Perceptions and discourses of childhood • Child protection and safeguarding: the contexts of vulnerability • The lived experiences of children and young people in diverse family and social circumstances: developing participatory responses • Special educational needs and challenging behaviour in schooling • Youth Justice: models and approaches

Amanda Davies

Child & Adolescent Studies BA (Hons)

“The lecturers all have industry experience, so that furthers my professional development. We also have outside speakers come in to share their knowledge and experiences with us, and we receive bulletins via BREO with information about voluntary and work experience opportunities, which again furthers my professional development.”

Key facts

UCAS Course Code: M931 With Professional Practice Year: M938 With Foundation Year: L4FY  September, February  Luton campus  3 years full-time (options available: part-time), alternatively 4 years with a Professional Practice (UK/EU) or Foundation Year  UK/EU/International students  UCAS Tariff 80-96 points – see website for more information

Criminology examines the problem of crime, why people offend and how crime is controlled. This course will prepare you for a career in the criminal justice system or wider human services as you develop both theory and practical skills and understand how to apply them in real-world settings. Your lecturers are involved in world-leading research in community safety, offending and youth justice which informs this course.

Key features

• Range of different units for those with individual interests • Opportunities to undertake postgraduate research degrees within the

Vauxhall Centre for the study of crime on completion of the course

Career opportunities

This course is designed to facilitate your entry to a career in the field of human services with a particular emphasis on criminal justice. Careers include teaching criminology, youth justice and youth work, offending teams, policing, community safety, local government and research into criminal behaviour.

Areas of study may include:

• Anti-racism: movements and campaigns • Introduction to criminology • Law, society and controversy • The contemporized criminological environment • Rehabilitation of the offender: probation, restoration and social justice • Crimes of the powerful • Gangs and serious youth violence • Victims and victimology • Violence in modern society • Terrorism in a global context • Youth Justice: models and approaches • Crime and the media • Green criminology

Key facts

UCAS Course Code: ML23 With Professional Practice Year: ML28 With Foundation Year: L3FY  September, February  Bedford campus  3 years full-time (options available: part-time), alternatively 4 years with a Professional Practice (UK/EU) or Foundation Year  UK/EU/International students  UCAS Tariff 96-120 points – see website for more information

Explore your interest in the causes of crime, criminal behaviours, the criminal justice system, international crime, punishment and policing and the impact of race, gender, class, health, and the media. Your introduction to theory and research in criminology and sociology covers domestic violence, serial killing and racial and gender discrimination, followed by topics like punishment, theories of deviance and the mass media. The final year covers specialised areas like forensic mental health, and a research project of your choice.

Key features

• Opportunity to choose units in your second and final year • Study with expert staff including social scientists from a variety of backgrounds including forensic psychiatry and youth justice

Career opportunities

This course leads to a wide range of graduate careers in the police force, the prison service, juvenile justice, youth work, educational welfare, family care, teaching criminology and/or sociology, probation and social work, as well as other jobs in social services. Other careers include local government, administration, and human resources.

Areas of study may include:

• Modern political thoughts and governance • Understanding society, identity and structures • Introduction to research and social enquiry • Power in political thought • Theorising crime, punishment and justice • Introduction to criminology • Cybercrime • Gangs and serious youth violence • Refugees, displacement, and the politics of migration • Addictions and society • Sociology of health and illness • Urban crime • Human rights and global governance • Childhoods in a global context • Green criminology: environmental crime & ecological justice • Forensic mental health • Terrorism

Key facts

UCAS Course Code: L590 With Professional Practice Year: L598 With Foundation Year: L2FY  September, February  Luton campus  3 years full-time (options available: part-time), alternatively 4 years with a Professional Practice (UK/EU) or Foundation Year  UK/EU/International students  UCAS Tariff 80-96 points – see website for more information

This course is designed to develop your knowledge of health and social care, and the wider social, policy, legal and organisational environment within which they are situated, both within the UK and internationally. You will study areas including the sociology of health, public health, mental health, disability, and multi-agency working, as well as welfare and social care issues faced by vulnerable individuals and groups. There is a strong employability focus at all levels of the course, which will enable you to develop a range of transferable, employability enhancing skills.

Key features

• Broad introduction to health and social care means many career paths are possible • Vocational, relevant curriculum which focuses on the needs of vulnerable people

Career opportunities

Careers include working with users of health and social care services, children and families, drug and alcohol abusers, providing services for people with mental health problems, older and disabled people, and for young people, as well as health promotion, welfare, housing sector, health policy, community development and liaison roles in health and social care.

Areas of study may include:

• Global public health • Introduction to health and social care • Inter-professional working in health and social care • Refugees, displacement and the politics of migration • Mental health and society • Disability in childhood: critical perspectives on policy and practice • Comparing welfare internationally • Sociology of health and illness • Safeguarding children, young people and adults • Addictions • Care of older people: health and social care in an ageing society • Human rights and global governance

Key facts

UCAS Course Code: L720  September  Luton campus  3 years full-time (options available part-time)  UK/EU/International  UCAS Tariff 80-96 points – see website for more information

The degree in Professional Policing will develop both your skills and knowledge so you can progress into employment as a Police Officer. This course will give you the knowledge of core police functions such as attending incidents, interviewing suspects and witnesses, problem solving and using legislation. As the course progresses you will develop a critical awareness of contemporary issues such as terrorism, cyber-crime, contextual safeguarding, mental health and analysing the effects of crime and victimisation. You will learn the skills to reflect and evaluate your decision-making skills, ensuring you are inclusive, evidence-based, and ethical.

Key features

• This degree allows you to apply for Police Officer roles under the new professional recruitment strategy • Multidisciplinary teaching in line with police reform and practice changes outlined by the College of Policing towards 2025

Career opportunities

You can expect to be taught a nationally agreed curriculum that will develop the skills and knowledge to prepare you for a career in Policing and the wider Criminal Justice System. This will allow you to apply for a role as a Police Officer as part of the new professionalisation of policing in England and Wales. These lifelong skills are transferrable to other investigative organisations and private sector companies. The course will use real-world examples to develop your problem-solving approaches that Police Officers need.

Areas of study may include:

• Police powers and procedures • Crime and criminology • Evidence based policing (EBP) • Terrorism and cyber-crime • Policing and society • Introduction to criminal legislation and police powers • Responding to incidents • Criminal legislation and investigations • Community policing, partnerships and intelligence • Research, evidence based policing (EBP) and crime prevention strategies • Roads policing • Mental health and offending • Managing incidents and crime scenes • Public protection, vulnerability and contextual safeguarding

Key facts

Apply direct to the University

 February  Luton campus  2 years full-time  UK/EU students  UCAS Tariff 80-96 points. GCSE grade C/4 in mathematics and English

Language. IELTS score of 7. Relevant work experience. Selection process.

DBS check. Health check. Working with a suitable organisation who will provide the final practice placement – see website for more information

This course enables you to gain a professional social work degree in two years, giving eligibility to apply for professional registration as a qualified social worker with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). You will gain the knowledge, skills, and attributes necessary for social work practice at qualification level with adults and children in statutory and private, voluntary, and independent sectors.

Key features

• An entry pathway to qualified social worker status • Approved by the Health & Care Professions Council • You will study this course alongside your current relevant practice and be supported by your employer

Career opportunities

Successful students will be eligible to apply to enter the HCPC professional register and work in a wide range of organisations. You will also, following on from your assessed and supported year in employment, be able to access our post qualifying social work courses.

Areas of study may include:

• Foundations for social work practice • Professional social work practice: issues and contexts • Research informed social work practice • Social work theories and methods of intervention

Key facts

UCAS Course Code: L310 With Professional Practice Year: LL31 With Foundation Year: L9FY  September, February  Luton campus  3 years full-time (options available: part-time), alternatively 4 years with a Professional Practice (UK/EU) or Foundation Year  UK/EU/International students  UCAS Tariff 80-96 points – see website for more information

A degree you can tailor to your interests, while enhancing your career prospects; employers’ value the transferable skills gained by graduates of this course. Gain a deep understanding of the lives of individuals, communities and workplaces, the issues faced by vulnerable individuals and groups in our society, and the policy, legal, cultural, and organisational contexts. After a foundation in the first year, choose specific areas like: human rights, cultural studies, welfare systems, social change, globalisation and the law.

Key features

• Vocational, relevant curriculum which focuses on the needs of vulnerable people • Taught by world-leading researchers in human rights, forced migration, asylum, and trafficking of children • Opportunity to choose units in your second and final year

Career opportunities

Studying areas informed by research and at the forefront of policy, politics, and societal issues. This course will equip you to undertake a range of career options in the human services and a range of areas such as: children and families, criminal justice system, social care sector, public policy and access to post graduate study in social work, international welfare and working for NGO’s.

Areas of study may include:

• Sociology of modern Britain • Social change and the UN sustainable development goals • Understanding societies, identities and structure • Power in political thought • Cultural studies • Comparing welfare internationally • Refugees, displacement and the politics of migration • Identity, inequality and difference • Ideas and issues in globalisation and neoliberalism • Work and welfare in the 21st century • Climate change: the sociology of survival and loss • Arts, activism and social change • Human rights and global governance • Career planning for social scientists

Key facts

UCAS Course Code: L501  September  Luton campus  3 years full-time  UK/EU students  UCAS Tariff 112-120 points. GCSE grade C/4 in English language and mathematics. One year’s experience in a social care-based setting.

Selection day. Health check. DBS check. References required.

IELTS score of 7 – see website for more information

If you want a career in social work, working with people in need, this degree is the qualifying award you need. On successful completion you will be eligible to apply for professional registration and employment as a qualified social worker. The new regulatory body, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), has adopted the Professional Capabilities Framework for social workers and qualifications endorsed by the College of Social Work: tcsw.org.uk Qualified social workers follow professional careers in a variety of settings and thrive in complex and unpredictable situations. Social work graduates are equipped with resilience, in-depth knowledge of specialist areas and the ability to respond to change. This recently updated degree is endorsed by the College of Social Work (TCSW), and is at the forefront of knowledge, skills, and practice development for social work. It combines practical experience, skills development, and academic study to prepare you to work in the rapidly changing and challenging field of social work, through a mix of theoretical and skills-based units – with a focus on applying theory to your practice. This is a popular, competitive course – selection involves an interview, written task, and group exercise. Local employers and people with experience of social work services are involved in our selection processes, and we look for students showing a natural ability to work with people in need. We are also interested in how your life/work experience has developed your interest in social work, and your knowledge of the Professional Capabilities Framework – expect to discuss these in your application and at interview. Selection also involves an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and checks on any previous offences. This degree is the first step towards a professional career in which continuous professional development will play an important part in your future.

Key features

• You will have a personal tutor who is a qualified social worker and who will support your professional and academic development • Some practice placements are offered through the University’s innovative Centre for the Development of Social Care Practice:

unibeds.info/UG22_Social

• Excellent relationships with local and regional employers provide high quality practice placements and graduate employment • Teaching and learning is informed by research activity in key areas including: drug and alcohol abuse; unaccompanied asylum seeking children; human trafficking; personalisation; developing practitioner resilience; gangs and domestic violence

Career opportunities

You will be eligible to apply for entry to the HCPC professional register and pursue a rewarding career in social work across a range of statutory, voluntary, private sector and independent organisations providing services for vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals, children, families, groups and communities.

Areas of study may include:

• Social work processes • Human growth and development • Foundations for social work practice • Diversity and difference • Professional practice in a range of social work and related agencies • Law for social work practice • Social work theory and methods of intervention • Inter-professional working • Reflective practice • Working within and across different welfare contexts • Understanding the experience of people who use services • Research informed social work practice