Health and Social Care Policy focuses on policy issues facing our society such as providing and financing healthcare, health inequalities and ageing.
The BSc in Health and Social Care Policy is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to work in graduate level roles within the health and social care sector. Based in the discipline of social policy, this specialist degree has a strong emphasis on developing your intellectual, professional and personal skills. The degree focuses on the policy and theoretical context for the management and delivery of health and social care in Northern Ireland and further afield.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
In this section
This course provides a strong grounding in the development and implementation of health and social care policy regionally, nationally and internationally. You will study key issues around the funding and delivery of health and social care in a dynamic and fast-changing environment. You will also explore concepts relevant to health and social care policy such as human need, welfare, the sharing of risk and citizenship in contemporary globalised societies. The course will provide you with practical and transferable skills in research and policy analysis. There is a strong emphasis in developing your theoretical, intellectual and personal skills to equip you for graduate employment in a range of fields. Teaching is research-led and grounded in the course team’s close contact with research and practice. A key feature of the course is a six-week work placement at the end of Level 5.
As a passionate team of internationally recognised researchers and educators, we are dedicated to the pursuit of evidence-based policy-making and committed to facilitating students’ personal, intellectual, and professional development.
All staff are members of the Social Policy Association and many are members of the Advanced Higher Education Authority.
Diploma in Professional Practice DPP
Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS
Three years full-time, four years for those completing the optional module in Diploma in Professional Practice. Teaching takes place over two 12 week semesters. Contact hours during the teaching weeks are 9 hours a week, supplemented by at least 25 hours of independent study. In final year, students have additional dissertation supervision sessions and throughout the course students have access to their studies advisor and year tutor when the need arises. All course team staff are available for individual consultation at set times and by arrangement.
A variety of teaching and learning methods are used on the degree including lectures, seminars, supervised group-work sessions, directed reading, blended learning using Blackboard Learn, case study work, directed electronic information retrieval, independent learning, and a work-based-learning opportunity to impart knowledge and understanding of the subject. In addition, a broad range of assessment methods are utilised to measure knowledge and understanding of the subject, including academic essays; report writing; policy analysis/policy brief-writing; directed seminar discussions, small-group project work; writing and delivering seminar papers; presentations; online tests; the dissertation, e-portfolios, blogs and unseen examinations.
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 59% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (25%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (20%) or Lecturers (55%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic staff (81%) are accredited fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advanced HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures correct for academic year 2021-2022.
High quality apartment living in Belfast city centre adjacent to the university campus.
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The Belfast campus is situated in the artistic and cultural centre of the city, the Cathedral Quarter.
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.
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Year: 1
Status: C
This module introduces students to key Social Policy concepts. They are also introduced to a number of contemporary issues in Social Policy and key debates on topics including demographic change, globalisation, technological advancements, climate change and the financing of welfare.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module introduces students to the nature of politics and governance and delivery in the UK. They will develop a deeper understanding of how policy issues are identified (or not) and the role of actors involved in policy networks. They will also be introduced to issues relating to multi-level governance and contemporary principles and agendas influencing the delivery of welfare. The system of devolved government in Northern Ireland is also explained with some reference to Scotland and Wales, and also governance in the Republic of Ireland. The context of constitutional, political and economic factors is also described.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module will introduce students to essential features of qualitative research through: conceptualizing research, constructing appropriate and effective data collection instruments, interpreting research findings and presenting significant research conclusions.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module introduces students to key issues and themes in Social Policy. They are introduced to contemporary issues and debates in Social Policy that impact upon individuals and communities and discuss the effectiveness of policy in tackling these issues.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module introduces students to the evolution and development of health and social care in the UK and Ireland. Some reference will be made to policy and provision in the European Union and the US. The core of the course is organised around three main areas: the structure and administration of health and social care services; awareness of the impact of ideological, political, social and economic factors on the nature of health and social care provision; and key contemporary developments in health and social care policy and delivery.
Year: 1
Status: C
Social policies are continuously undergoing reconstruction and change. This module examines, in their political, economic and historical contexts, the most significant and instructive changes in the approach to social policy in the UK, from Victorian times to the 1970s. Provision by voluntary action and privately is reviewed as well as action by the state. The module is particularly concerned to show the heuristic value of perspective and process in understanding key modern controversies over the ideas and practices taken to be central to the formation and delivery of social policy.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module will seek to provide students with knowledge and skills of quantitative research methods, designing surveys and analysing primary and secondary data sets. It will also emphasise the wide variety of applications of statistical techniques and social survey data, and situate quantitative methods in the wider discipline of social policy and the field of public administration.
Successful learners will be able to:
1. Critically analyse the methods, rigour and findings of a quantitative research study
2. Design a social survey with consideration for ethical implications and appropriateness to the participant group
3. Choose and analyse secondary data sets to answer a chosen research question
4. Successfully apply their statistical and analytical skills in a professional setting, such as a mock assessment centre
Year: 2
Status: C
This module examines some of the key concepts, ideas and theories relating to social policy in the UK and other countries. It provides the theoretical foundation necessary to understand the basis of policy and practice and contemporary debates about them.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake a six week placement so that they may improve their skills and understanding of social policy by direct experience.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module introduces students the main contemporary concerns of social policy in relation to poverty and social security. They will learn about the History, Concepts and Context of today's social security system ? charting the development of the European Social Model and the British welfare state; the impact of different ideologies on the welfare state; and dimensions of poverty, inequality and social exclusion through the life-cycle stages.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module provides students with a knowledge of policy and provision of Adult Social Care. The core of the module is organised around the major issues in the development and develivery of Adult Social Care. Also included are administrative and governance arrangements and the financial and economic context. Key issues related to major vulnerable groups are covered. Attention is also paid to differences in policy and provision in Northern Ireland compared to England, Scotland and Wales and internationally.
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
This module covers major debates, perspectives and challenges associated with children and families. It will consider policy and services for children's well-being and recent reviews of children's services including child protection services and key areas of provision. Students will examine perspectives on policy, child poverty, mixed economy of care, partnership and inter-agency work and children's participation and rights.
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
This module will examine the justifications for and the basis of state involvement in the housing market and evaluate the main policy mechanisms used such as the provision of social housing, the right to buy and the regulation of the private sector. The module aims to provide students with the tools to assess housing problems and policies. It also examines the interplay between housing, health and inequalities.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to gain structured and professional work experience, in a work-based learning environment, as part of their planned programme of study. This experience allows students to develop, refine and reflect on their key personal and professional skills. The placement should significantly support the development of the student's employability skills, preparation for final year and enhance their employability journey.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Republic of Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline whilst generating educational and cultural networks.
Year: 4
Status: C
This module provides students with the opportunity to 'showcase' their knowledge, understanding, intellectual, practical and transferable skills acquired throughout levels 4 and 5 of the course. As the largest and most substantial piece of work in the degree course, the dissertation is designed to require maximum student input and to foster independent working and self-directed learning, towards demonstrating the ability to plan, design, complete and report a theoretical and/or applied investigation into a well-focused social policy topic of the student's choosing, in a systematic and coherent manner.
Year: 4
Status: C
The module introduces students to how the discipline of economics can help day-to-day management and decision making in respect of social and health issues providing an introduction to economic principles, examining a range of social and health problems and using economic analysis to shed light on these problems and the policies aimed at addressing them.
Year: 4
Status: C
This module gives students the opportunity to explore the major themes and issues in disability and social policy and how they have been changing. The study of disability will afford the opportunity to understand how social problems are socially constructed and how assumptions about the nature of social needs will affect policy responses. It aims to build on prior learning to enable students to reach a deeper and more analytical understanding of disability as a complex political and social issue.
Year: 4
Status: C
This module provides students with the opportunity to study selected issues in contemporary healthcare and health policy in depth. Healthcare takes place in a rapidly changing policy and delivery environment and students need to understand the context of change. The issues selected have occupied a central position in recent debates and are likely to do so in the future.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
The module introduces a range of debates and theoretical positions, which help students to conceptualise gender relationships to social policy and provision. It uses particular examples, such as reproductive rights, family relationships, and community care, to enable students to identify the implications social policy has on gender.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
Voluntary organizations have become to play a central role in current policies to modernise the delivery of welfare services and are at the centre of key debates on the future of welfare, the obligations of citizenship and government hopes for civic renewal. This module will enable students to gain an understanding for the reasons why voluntary agencies have come to play such an important role in these debates and an insight into some of the dilemmas and contradictions that these changes have given rise to. It draws on contemporary research in a rapidly changing field.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module introduces students to a range of debates related to migration, racism and ethnicity with a focus on the United Kingdom and Ireland. Historical developments are reviewed but the focus is in current policy debates and perspectives. This includes international and national governance of migration flows and citizenship processes. Key policy areas covered include: immigration, refugee and asylum processes, equality and human rights.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module will engage students in the study of social policy in an international comparative perspective. It will explore rationale for the welfare state and its instruments. It provides the foundations of the comparative method. The course will also cover substantive policy areas relevant for international social policy, such as income security, education, health care, environment, and language policy.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module seeks to develop critical understanding of ageing and old age with particular reference to policy and practice in relation to older people in the United Kingdom. The aim of this module is to equip students with conceptual, analytical and reflective tools to examine the lives of older people in society. A holistic view of older people is presented in relation to the realities and possibilities of the older years.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
No other health condition matches mental ill-health in the combined effect of prevalence and impact across individual, social, economic and mortality measures. This module aims to show how our knowledge and understanding of mental illness have changed over time, as well as indicate the problematic nature of the definition of mental illness. Students will also study the social patterning of mental health and illness and consider variations according to age, gender and social class. Particular attention is paid to the role and influence of user groups in the development of policy and strategy.
We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.
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The A Level requirement for this course is BBC*.
* Applicants can satisfy the requirement for the third A-Level by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications recognised by the University.
Overall BTEC QCF Extended Diploma award profile DDD
OR
BTEC Level 3 RQF National Extended Diploma with profile DMM.
You may also meet the course entry requirements with combinations of different qualifications to the same standard. Examples of combinations include:
A levels with BTEC Level 3 QCF Subsidiary Diploma or BTEC RQF National Extended Certificate
A level with BTEC Level 3 QCF Diploma or BTEC Level 3 RQF National Diploma.
For further information on the entry requirements for this course please contact the administrator as listed in Contact details.
112 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at Higher Level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher Level or 04 if studied at Ordinary Level. .
The Scottish Highers requirement for this course is grades BBCCC.
The Scottish Advanced Highers requirement for this course is grades CCD.
Overall International Baccalaureate profile minimum 25 points (12 at higher level).
Pass Access Course (120 credits) with an overall mark of 63%.
GCSE Profile to include CGSE English Language grade C or above (or equivalent).
English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.
Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.
Please note that this course is a "regulated and/or care provision" within the meaning of the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (NI) Order 2003 and the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007. They may involve access to children and/or vulnerable adults and students are required to be subject to the criminal records check and may not complete the course without it. The fee for this is £33.00.
Students with two distinctions, two merits and four passes in the HND in Health and Social Care may enter year two directly. Please contact Admissions for further information.
Graduates who progress to the four year social work degree programme can qualify for up to two years exemption.
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Graduates from this course are now working for:
With this degree you could become:
This degree is excellent preparation for a wide range of careers within the health and social services sector and further afield. Graduates have high employment rates with many working in health and social care or related areas and are well-equipped with the knowledge and skills to develop a career in local and central government, in consultancy or management and in research settings. This degree will enable students to apply for the fast-track relevant graduate route in social work. Our graduates have also progressed to postgraduate study in related areas such as health promotion, public health and community and youth work.
A key feature of the course is a six-week block work-based placement at the end of year two and an optional module in Diploma in Professional Practice, lasting 12 months, taken in year 3. Opportunities to study abroad include the Erasmus Scheme and International Student Exchange Programme.
£4,710.00
£9,250.00
£15,840.00
George Mitchell prize for the best dissertation
Best placement prize
Please note that this course is a "regulated and/or care provision" within the meaning of the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (NI) Order 2003 and the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007. They may involve access to children and/or vulnerable adults and students are required to be subject to the criminal records check and may not complete the course without it. The fee for this is £33.00.
It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.
Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.
There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.
See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Rebecca Hunt, Final Year Health and Social Care Policy
I attended Limavady Grammar School, completing my A-levels to then venture on to higher education. I have always had an interest in politics and the inequalities faced within society and so I knew that Health and Social Care Policy was a perfect choice. During my placement at the end of second year I worked in the NI Assembly’s Research and Information Service. This enabled me to gain confidence in carrying out research. I appreciate the support that I have received over the past few years whilst studying at Ulster. I received the Academic Excellence Award at the end of first year which recognised my academic achievement and this also gave me the confidence to realise my future career potential. I have a young daughter and I am grateful to my lecturers for their understanding and support. I recommend Ulster University as the lecturers are very supportive, wanting everyone to succeed. It is a friendly and welcoming University with so much to offer and the course is empowering and informative!
