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Social Work at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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This course is not accepting applications for deferred entry.

University of Portsmouth has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Open days

7Dec
University of Portsmouth Open Day
Undergraduate

Course summary

Overview Social workers change lives for the better and help protect some of society’s most vulnerable people. On this BSc (Hons) Social Work degree, which is approved by Social Work England, you’ll be supported by passionate industry experts with many years of social work experience. Once you graduate, you'll have the skills and knowledge you need to apply to register as a social worker.

  • Practise your social work skills in our Centre for Simulation in Health and Care, a safe and supportive environment where we use innovative technologies to simulate real-life scenarios
  • Work closely with the University of Portsmouth Social Work Inclusion Group (SWIG), to help you understand service user experiences
  • Build your professional experience by spending 200 days on placement working with vulnerable people, service users and carers in the community
Approved by: This course is approved by Social Work England. Supporting your application We welcome students from diverse backgrounds including those who have experience of social care. If you're a care leaver, or if you feel you need further information or support to apply for this course, we can offer you a virtual support session to help guide you through the admissions process. We'll send you details of this after you apply. You'll also get as much support as you need through phone and email, and have access to ongoing personal and financial support during your course. Careers and opportunities Social workers provide essential care and support to adults and children who need it most. They work directly with people in need, as well as their families and other carers, and offer care that includes counselling, independent life skills, and mental and/or physical health support. This BSc (Hons) Social Work degree will train you for a rewarding and challenging career as a social worker. You'll study topics including safeguarding, law and social policy, and social work practice with children and adults, and learn through simulation, group work and skills workshops. When you successfully complete the course, you'll be eligible to apply to be a registered social worker and to work in settings such as social care, drug and alcohol services, domestic abuse services and schools. You could also continue your studies to postgraduate level with an MSc Social Work. What areas can you work in with a social work degree? You could work in areas such as:
  • social care settings
  • rehabilitation services
  • criminal justice
  • voluntary organisations
  • advocacy agencies
  • housing advice
  • education settings such as schools and colleges
Graduate roles and destinations Roles our graduates have taken on include:
  • social worker
  • care manager
  • missing children and child exploitation coordinator
  • family support worker
  • housing adviser
  • independent domestic violence adviser
  • adult wellbeing manager
  • primary mental health worker
  • learning disability practitioner
They've gone to work for organisations including:
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
  • Mind
  • Hampshire County Council
  • Portsmouth City Council
  • Essex County Council
  • Spectrum Centre for Independent Living
  • Southern Advocacy Services

Modules

Year 1 Core modules in this year include:

  • Equality Diversity and Inclusion (20 credits)
  • Human Development and the Life Course (20 credits)
  • Readiness for Learning and Practice (40 credits)
  • Social Issues, Policy and the Law (20 credits)
  • Social Work Theories and Models (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year. Year 2 Core modules in this year include:
  • BSc Social Work Practice Placement 1 (40 credits)
  • Service User Inclusion and Co-Production (20 credits)
  • Social Work with Adults (20 credits)
  • Social Work with Children and Families (20 credits)
  • Using Evidence and Research in Social Work (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year. Year 3 Core modules in this year include:
  • BSc Social Work Independent Study for Contemporary Social Work (40 credits)
  • Professional Development and Employability (20 credits)
  • Safeguarding - Adults and Children (20 credits)
  • Social Work Practice Placement 2 (40 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year. We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment method

You’ll be assessed through tests (academic or practical/skills based), compilation of filmed and recorded artefacts, online assessment, academic written work/portfolios, presentations, dissertation/project. You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark. You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future. The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

  • Year 1 students: 25% by practical exams and 75% by coursework
  • Year 2 students: 17% by practical exams and 83% by coursework
- Year 3 students: 100% by coursework

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:
L500
Institution code:
P80
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

We welcome applications for advanced entry. If you’d like to apply for advanced entry, you need to select the required year when you complete your UCAS application.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Additional entry requirements

Admission tests

Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)

Applicants must pass Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before starting the course.

Health checks

Applicants must pass Occupational Health check before starting the course.

Interview

Successfully shortlisted applicants will be invited to a staged, holistic and multidimensional selection day which has been designed in accordance with Social Work England's standards. The assessment day will commence with all shortlisted applicants completing a written task, which is assessed as a pass or fail. In accordance with Social Work England standards, the written element will assess applicants’ command of English, ability to analyse and present written information, motivation to become a social worker, knowledge of the social work profession and relevant policies and legislation and ICT skills. Applicants who pass the written assessment will be invited to attend an individual interview on the same day. If successful, applicants will be required to declare if they have been subject to any disciplinary procedures of fitness to practice by any other regulator, professional body, employer or educational establishment.

Other

International applicants must provide a satisfactory police check/certificate of good conduct from their home country (with a certified English translation if necessary), before admission to the programme can be confirmed.

Institutions Own Test (IOT)

Successfully shortlisted applicants will be invited to a staged, holistic and multidimensional selection day which has been designed in accordance with Social Work England's standards. The assessment day will commence with all shortlisted applicants completing a written task, which is assessed as a pass or fail. In accordance with Social Work England standards, the written element will assess applicants’ command of English, ability to analyse and present written information, motivation to become a social worker, knowledge of the social work profession and relevant policies and legislation and ICT skills. Applicants who pass the written assessment will be invited to attend an individual interview on the same day. If successful, applicants will be required to declare if they have been subject to any disciplinary procedures of fitness to practice by any other regulator, professional body, employer or educational establishment.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)7English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 7.0 with no component score below 6.5.
PTE Academic76An overall score of 76 with a minimum of 65 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)100100 with a minimum of 24 in Reading, 23 in Listening, 25 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 185 with no component score less than 176.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 185 with no component score less than 176.
Trinity ISETrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
85%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
95%
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

EU £9535 Year 1
England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1
International £17900 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

Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship Placement Year and Year abroad (at the time of publishing for 2025/26): UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £1,430 EU – £1,430 International (Non-EU) – £2,875. Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Please check the course page on our website for the most up to date fee information. All fees are subject to annual increase. For more information about fees, go to port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance/tuition-fees-living-costs-and-other-study-costs
Social Work at University of Portsmouth - UCAS