Social Work

BA (Hons)

Location

Stoke-on-Trent campus

UCAS code

L500

Start dates available

  • September 2026

Social Workers support people of all ages and diverse backgrounds. They promote human rights and social justice in a career that is flexible, varied and challenging. Our Social Work England regulated degree course prepares you to be a professional within your chosen field of work in a range of social welfare settings including safeguarding, community and therapeutic services.

All of the staff who teach on your course have qualifications in social work and, in total, have over 120 years of practice experience in a wide variety of specialisms. We also have excellent links with employer partners across the region who will often support the teaching by bringing topics to life through case studies and discussion of contemporary issues.

A total of 170 days of assessed practice learning, through highly rewarding vocational placements in the community, will also help ensure you are well prepared for life as a Social Worker following graduation. You can read more about these below.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) Social Work

Duration

University of Staffordshire undergraduate courses are usually 3 years for full-time study.

Courses which offer other study options have longer durations:

  • Full-time with a placement year, 4 years
  • Full-time with a foundation year, 4 years
  • Part-time, 4-9 years

Work placements

A mandatory element of the course, in line with the regulatory requirements set by Social Work England, is the requirement to complete 200 days in practice-based learning. Throughout the course you will undertake 30 university based 'skills days', a significant number of these will take place in your first year, with a small number in the second and third year. You will undertake two practice-based learning opportunities, a 70 day placement in your second year, and 100 days in your final year. In each of these placements you will be expected to attend the placement setting on a full time basis, in line with the placement organisations usual working practices.

As all placement providers are quality assured by the university, you will not be required to source your own placement, this will be managed by the university. These placements will take place in local, social care and social work providers across the west midlands region particularly in the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent area.

Unfortunately it is unlikely that we will be able to provide placements outside of the area.

Ideally, you should be a car driver or aim to have passed your test and have daily access to a vehicle by the start of your first placement, but no later than the start of your final placement. Whilst we do support students who cannot drive, an inability to drive and lack of daily access to a vehicle will limit the placement opportunities you can be considered for as many organisations will not accept students who cannot drive.

Course content

Your first year of study (Level 4) begins with a period of study skills development before you move on to cover modules which explore, law, sociology and psychology and their links to the social work profession before completing your preparation for practice module.

The second year (Level 5) allows you to put the knowledge gained in the previous year into a practice context. It includes an introduction to research, teaching regarding mental health and two modules with a focus on safeguarding (children and adults). You will also complete your 70-day placement.

Your final year of study (Level 6) includes a module focused on professional social work practice in organisations, a more advanced research module and an opportunity to explore a topic of your choice within risk and complexity module. You will complete your 100-day placement within a statutory setting.

Academic year

The course runs over two semesters from September to June each year (Although there is also an opportunity to attend summer school sessions in semester three). The majority of modules are 20 academic credits with a smaller number of 40 credit modules. Each credit taken equates to a total study time of around 10 hours. Total study time includes scheduled teaching, independent study and assessment activity.

All students take a total of 120 credits per level and 360 credits for the degree as a whole. Your overall grade for the course and your degree classification are based on the marks obtained for modules taken at levels 5 and 6.

Professional body accreditation

Social Work England

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module where available.

Year 1 compulsory modules
Foundations Of Law 20 credits
Preparation For Practice 40 credits
Psychology For Social Work 20 credits
Sociology For Social Work 20 credits
The Law In Practice 20 credits
Year 3 compulsory modules
Professional Social Work Practice 20 credits
Research 2 20 credits
Social Work Practice Learning 2 40 credits
Working With Risk And Complexity 40 credits

Entry requirements

112-120 UCAS Tariff points plus GCSE English - Grade 4 or above

  • GCE A Levels - grades BBC or equivalent
  • Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM
  • Access to HE Diploma - Pass Access with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points. Applicants to Staffs who are taking the Access to HE Diploma receive a reduced tariff point offer as part of our access and participation plan activity
  • UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall
  • OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM
  • T Levels - Eligible T Level applications will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of P (A*-C) or Higher Pass as a condition of offer

Please be aware students must undertake and pass a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. If you have any questions regarding this element of the recruitment process please do not hesitate to contact us.

Occupational Health screening 

The admissions process will also include consideration of any specific health requirements, however disclosure of physical or mental health issues, or specific learning needs at any point of the recruitment process will not affect whether you are offered a place on the course.

If a conditional offer of a place is made, a health check is undertaken through a student self-declaration, initial occupational health screening and if appropriate, occupational health assessment, to inform decisions regarding support and suitability for the course.

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

Facilities

Immersive Suite

Our Immersive Suite can simulate almost any environment including home, hospital and pub. The suite allows 360 projection putting you in a more realistic environment to enhance simulations.

Watch video

Mock Courtrooms

One room is designed as a crown courtroom and the other for cases at magistrates’ court. Read more

Students can present legal arguments, act as expert witnesses, or take part in mooting.

Our digitally enabled mock court rooms are designed to create simulated scenarios for students to put theory in to practice and gain confidence, skills and knowledge to take forward in to their career. 

One room is designed as a crown courtroom and the other for cases at magistrates’ court. Students can present legal arguments, act as expert witnesses, or take part in mooting. Each space includes a dock, lawyers’ area and a bench for the judge or magistrates.

The courtrooms are used by a wide range of students from different perspectives including law students, policing, forensics, international relations and more, to give practice with not only mooting but also in presenting evidence and various other aspects of trials.

In our video, learn about simulation in our Mock Court Room, used by students to practice their skills to prepare them for their future career.
Watch video

Libraries

We have Libraries and service desks at both sites in Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford. Our experienced and friendly staff can answer your IT queries, help you to access resources, show you how to research for your assignments and help with referencing.

Immersive Technologies

This collection of rooms and resources allows for exploration and development with Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies. Read more

Find out more about our Immersive Technology Facilities.
Watch video

Careers

Graduate Destinations

Many of our Social Work graduates gain employment with one of our employer partners and often with the setting in which they completed their placement. Some return to the University of Staffordshire to complete our Practice Educator award course as part of their continuing professional development.

All students have access to Careers, Placements & Employability, our dedicated careers team.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

You will be taught through a combination of teaching sessions which will include classroom lectures, working in groups and engaging in interactive simulations. As social workers you will be interacting with a wide variety of people, so we build in activities to help you develop the skills you need to be successful in your future career. In addition, you will be assigned an academic mentor who will meet with you at least three times a year.

Assessment

Your course will provide you with opportunities to test your understanding of your subject informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark. Each module normally includes practice or ‘formative’ assessments, for which you receive feedback from your tutor. Practice assessments are developmental and any grades you receive for them do not count towards your module mark. There is a formal or ‘summative’ assessment at the end of each module. This includes a range of coursework assessments, such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations, final year, independent project and written examinations. The grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark.

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include:

  • study skills such as reading, note-taking and presentation skills
  • written English, including punctuation and grammatical accuracy
  • academic writing and how to reference
  • research skills
  • critical thinking and understanding arguments
  • revision, assessment and examination skills
  • time management

Additional support

Our Student Inclusion Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Feedback

You will normally receive feedback on coursework assessments within 20 working days following the date of submission. Examination feedback may take a variety of formats. However, as a minimum, generic feedback will be made available to all students who take written examinations.

Staff

You will be taught by an expert teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics and professional practitioners with specialist practice experience. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teaching training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader.

Please note, teaching team staff members may change during your studies.

Anthony Bruner

Senior Lecturer

Anthony is the course leader for BA(Hons) Social Work. Originally from America he is a social worker and Psychotherapist. As part of his PhD he is researching how social workers use mental health knowledge in practice.

Anthony's profile

Rebecca Ford

Course Director And Social Work Lead

I am a qualified social worker and practice educator, with 15 years experience in practice with children and their families in statutory settings. Working with and safeguarding older children, has been a driving factor throughout my career.

Rebecca's profile

Zoe Yeomans

Course Lead

I am Academic Lead on the BA (Hons) Social Work Course, Lecturer in Practice Learning, and student placements and preparatory modules coordinator. My area of expertise is social work with adults, including learning disability and hospital discharge.

Zoe's profile

Claire Skelson

Senior Lecturer

Dr Sharon Mallon

Senior Lecturer

Jacob Finney

Senior Lecturer

Jake is a Senior Lecturer and Masters course lead in Social Work at Staffordshire University. Jake has also worked as a qualified Social Worker, Practice Educator and Team Manager in both London and Stoke-On-Trent.

Jacob's profile

Fees

For the course starting on 21 September 2026 the tuition fees are:

Study option UK / Channel Islands International
Full-time £9,535 per year of study £17,085 per year of study

UK and Channel Island students: This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation. If the UK government passes appropriate legislation, the fee for subsequent years of study may increase in each academic year. But this increase will not exceed the rate of inflation as measured by RPIX**. Any change in fees will apply to both new and continuing students. The University will notify students of any change as early as possible. Further information about fee changes would be posted on the University’s website once this becomes available.

**RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to all the items in the Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

Included in the fees:
  • The School will fund uniforms, occupational health screening and DBS services
Not included in the fees:

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS ONLY

International Students, like all others, should be aware of the additional costs they will incur of travelling to their Practice Learning Placements. This is in addition to the costs associated with studying away from home of accommodation etc. International students are unlikely to be eligible for the additional financial support offered to some UK/EU students. In addition, there will be a Practice Learning Placement tariff of £1240 per year which covers the cost of the accessing the full range of learning experiences.
Accommodation and living costs

Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Sources of financial support

If you receive funding from Student Finance you may be eligible to apply for additional benefits. Details can be obtained by reading our additional funding web pages, or visiting www.gov.uk.

Scholarships and additional funding

As an undergraduate student at Staffordshire, you may be eligible for additional financial support through one of our scholarships and bursaries. You can visit our funding page to find out more and check your eligibility.

Our students

[For] the 100-day placement, I was working at MPFT in an adult social care team. It was a fantastic experience. I felt so green at the beginning, really knew so little despite having two years of studying here. But then suddenly we're putting it into practice in a statutory environment and the team that I was under, the practice educator, work-based supervisor was just so supportive.

Matt Wilson

It was the whole idea of being a student, being a mum, being a support worker at the same time, that was a bit difficult, but the lecturers are very helpful, very supportive. They supported each one of us throughout the course. Any time you send an email, if you request a tutorial, someone is there to give you that support as well.

Betty Opppong

I think the simulations were really good, especially where they use the [Community] house. It’s probably about as realistic as it can get, and it's a safe space for when you're making judgments, doing analysis and it doesn't matter if you do something wrong because it's not affecting anyone, but it supports you moving into practice and the placement.

Stephanie Dodd

Apply now to Social Work

Location Award Study option Start date
Stoke-on-Trent campus BA (Hons) Full-time 21 September 2026 Apply now

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at University of Staffordshire, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of University of Staffordshire enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.

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of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

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of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

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