Course summary

On our BA Social Policy degree you will be studying at one of the top universities for social policy, ranked 5th in the UK in the 2024 Complete University Guide. Food banks, zero hours contracts, unaffordable housing. We see these terms in the news, but what do they actually mean? A social policy degree at Birmingham is ideal for students who want to challenge the status quo – those with a keen interest in current affairs and tackling contemporary issues which cause injustice. When you study for this degree at Birmingham, you’ll be equipped with the theoretical knowledge and research skills to tackle social problems. From poverty to homelessness, and from health care to criminal justice systems, social policy engages in a range of contemporary social problems to find new ways of securing people’s welfare. It is essentially about changing the present and creating a new future. On this 4-year Year Abroad programme, you can spend a year overseas in your third year at a partner institution. This will give you the opportunity to experience a different academic environment and way of teaching (and even different approaches to the subject). The Social Policy degree at Birmingham enables you to understand the nature of social issues in the UK and beyond. The research-led teaching on our flexible Social Policy degree course ensures an inspirational and enquiry-based learning environment in the lecture theatre, seminar room and on placement. You will graduate as a highly employable, independent global citizen with a broad range of transferable skills.