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Social Work at Kingston University - UCAS

Kingston University

Degree level: Undergraduate
Awarded by: Social Work England

Social Work

Course options

2025 - 2026
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Kingston University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

Reasons to choose Kingston

  • This course is accredited by Social Work England. Once you graduate, you can apply to register with Social Work England so you can start work as a qualified social worker.
  • Kingston is ranked top in London for Social Work (Guardian University Guide 2025).
  • Kingston is part of a sector-leading social work teaching partnership network with nine local authorities and three voluntary organisations.
  • Our commitment to high quality teaching has been recognised with a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold rating. The University has received an overall rating of Gold, as well as securing a Gold award in the framework's two new student experience and student outcomes categories.
About this course This course offers hands-on experience of social work theory, perspectives and models of intervention, and a foundation in ethics, diversity, social policy and law. You’ll study mental health, disability, ageing, adoption, fostering, substance misuse, youth justice, safeguarding, domestic violence and practice research. You’ll learn directly from people with lived experience and social workers in practice. You’ll develop your skills in our award-winning Practice Learning Suite through simulated interactions with people with lived experience. We have a wide range of placement opportunities throughout South West London and Surrey, including child protection, youth justice, mental health, vulnerable adults settings, schools, drugs and substance misuse services. Future Skills Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability. As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge. At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it. Career opportunities This is an exciting time to enter social work and a very high percentage of graduates quickly obtain qualified social work posts. There are excellent employment and career opportunities in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors for qualified practitioners. Social workers increasingly work in integrated inter-professional teams in social care, health, education and criminal justice settings.

Modules

Examples of modules: – Practice Skills and Methods – Working with Ethics and Diversity in Social Work Practice – Readiness for Direct Practice. For a full list of modules please visit the Kingston university course webpage.

Assessment method

Teaching and learning opportunities are varied and stimulating. They include field visits, classroom discussion of case studies and film clips as well as lectures and seminars led by experienced social workers, service users and academics. Our Practice Learning Suite enables simulated interactions with service users (on doorsteps, in living rooms, in reception areas and interview spaces). Recording facilities enable you to observe and reflect on your practice. Teaching also comprises lectures, problem-solving approaches and small group sessions for learning support.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • Social Work England

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
L501
Institution code:
K84
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

We expect all applicants to have experience of direct contact with service users in a social work setting or in a setting in which social work tasks are undertaken. As important as the amount of experience is what applicants have learned from their reflection on that experience. As a guideline, we look for the equivalent of six months part-time experience, but we adjust this for younger applicants eg school leavers. Experience gained whilst at school or during the course of a placement undertaken as part of an Access or BTEC course can be included. (There is a facility in the electronic process whereby more information about experience can be sought). It is very important that you give clear and complete details of your relevant experience in your Personal Statement – what you have done, how many hours per week you have done it and for how long. Your Personal Statement should also explain your motivation to train as a social worker, and should be well-written and free from errors in punctuation, spelling and sentence construction as it plays a significant role in our decision about whether to shortlist you.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://www.kingston.ac.uk/undergraduate-course/social-work/entry-requirements.html

Additional entry requirements

Admission tests

Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)

Health checks

Interview

Institutions Own Test (IOT)

Our selection process consists of a 30-minute written test, a group exercise and also four interviews, each of six minutes, with a service user or carer, a social worker, and two social work lecturers. If you have a diagnosed learning need, then you will be given extra time for the written test, provided you bring with you appropriate evidence of your need.

English language requirements

Non-native speakers who do not have the equivalent of GCSE English at grade 4 (formerly grade C) (eg. Functional Skills Level 2 Literacy) require an IELTS score of 7.0 overall with 7.0 in all elements

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
85%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
85%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

International/EU fees: For international fees, please visit: https://www.kingston.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-and-funding/fees/ Please visit the provider course webpage for further information regarding additional course costs.
Social Work at Kingston University - UCAS