Social Work - Two Year Accelerated Route

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Start date: September 2024

Deadlines for on-time applications

2024 entry application deadlines

For courses starting in 2024 (and for deferred applications), your application should be with us at UCAS by one of these dates – depending on what courses you apply for. If your completed application – including all your personal details and your academic reference – is submitted by the deadline, it is guaranteed to be considered.

16 October 2023 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. You can add choices with a different deadline later, but don’t forget you can only have five choices in total.

31 January 2024 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses.

Some course providers require additional admissions tests to be taken alongside the UCAS application, and these may have a deadline. Find out more about these tests at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/admissions-tests

Check course information in the search tool to see which deadline applies to you at the application weblink below.

Apply as soon as possible: Student funding arrangements mean that as offers are made and places fill up, some courses may only have vacancies for students from certain locations. It’s therefore really important that you apply for your chosen courses by the appropriate deadlines mentioned above, as not all courses will have places for all students.

All applications received after 30 June are entered into Clearing - find out more about Clearing at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing

Overview
This Course provides relevant graduates with the knowledge, skills and values to practice as a professional Social Worker across a range of settings.

Summary
The BSc Honours Degree in Social Work is a professional qualification that meets the requirements of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council. Training to become a social worker involves a mixture of academic study and professional practice learning opportunities for a total of 185 days during the Degree. During Practice Placements (two episodes of 85 days and 100 days) students will work full time alongside social work practitioners and supported and assessed by a Practice Teacher. A range of placement opportunities are provided by a wide range of agency partners from Health and Social Care Trusts and other voluntary and statutory agencies and these providers are integral to the development and delivery of the programme.

The design and delivery of this ‘fast track’ degree programme is premised on the relevant graduate qualities of the applicant in meeting the demands of this accelerated learning programme.

Successful applicants found the information in the Northern Ireland Social Care Council learning zone, helped them prepare and conduct a good interview.

About
The programme is for those who intend to work as professional social workers, and includes a substantial element of practice learning. You will undertake two contrasting practice placements - one of 85 days duration in Year 1, and one of 100 days duration in Year 2. The programme is recognised by the Northern Ireland Social Care Council for purposes of registration as a social worker. It is also recognised internationally, for example, by the Australian Association of Social Workers via their International Qualifications Assessment process.

Although the programme includes underpinning learning in the social sciences, such as social policy, psychology, sociology and law, the focus of the programme is on the development of skills, values and knowledge required for practice. You must successfully complete a preparation for practice learning module (Year 1, Semester 1) prior to undertaking supervised practice learning on placement.

Why choose a Career in Social Work?
- When you become a Social Worker, you will have the opportunity to make a positive difference in people’s lives, and to champion human rights and social justice.

- You will be part of a profession where you feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment.

- You can apply for an incentive payment of £4,500 for each year of study if you live and study Social Work in Northern Ireland.

- You can expect to choose from a number of social work employers - the Health and Social Care Trusts, Probation, Youth Justice, the Education Authority or in the third sector (voluntary, community and independent organisations).

- Your starting salary as a newly qualified Social Worker in HSC will be over £22,000, with an automatic pay rise to £26,000-£32,000 after successfully completing the Assessed Year in Employment (AYE).

- Newly qualified Social Workers receive extra support through the ‘Assessed Year in Employment’.

- Your Social Work training will blend academic and practice learning, offering you direct contact with service users and carers.

- When you graduate, there will be a variety of job choices working across the life-course (with children, adolescents, adults and older people); as part of specialist teams (mental health, addictions, family support), residential and day care settings, hospitals, schools, prisons and community development projects.

- As a qualified Social Worker, your career will offer excellent opportunities for promotion, and access to high quality post-qualifying courses at Master’s and Doctoral level for continuous personal and professional development.

- Your Degree in Social Work will enable you to work in countries outside of the UK throughout your career.

Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.

Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.

Year 1
Social Work Law 1
Introduction to Lifecourse Psychology
Introduction to Social Work Practice
Preparation for Practice Learning
Sociology & Social Policy for Social Work
Building and Maintaining a Professional Identity
Social Work Law 1
Theories and Methods of Intervention
Experts by Experience, Citizen Educators and Communities
Preparation for Practice Learning
Theories and Methods for Assessment

Year 2
Assessment and Risk Assessment in Practice Settings
Assessed Practice 1
Reflection on Practice 1
Case Study
Working in Organisations
Critical Perspectives and Skills for Contemporary Practice
Assessed Study and Practice Abroad 2 - Optional

Year 3
Social work law 2
Family and Child Care
Interventions in Practice
Assessed Practice II
Reflection on Practice 2
Evidence Based Case Project

Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.

Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.

Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.

Associate awards
Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS.

Professional recognition
Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)
Accredited by the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC).

Work placement / study abroad
There is an opportunity to participate in Erasmus+ which offers the exciting opportunity of studying in in Germany during your course. There are also opportunities to complete a 3-week Summer School in Oslo during the course.

The Diploma in International Academic Studies (module code SWK302). This is a separate and additional award to the degree. Students will be provided with opportunities to reflect upon and assimilate their knowledge learned in the earlier parts of the programme through their work with service users in a foreign country.

Ulster University,
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Londonderry
BT48 7JL
T: 02870 123 456