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The BA Social Policy with Quantitative Research is one of several new Quantitative Research Minor programmes set up by the University of Kent’s Q-Step Centre as a response to the shortage of analytical skills needed by employers. By studying with the Q-Step centre you can pursue your interest in social policy whilst gaining valuable quantitative research skills which are in high demand by employers across the public, private and third sectors.
Overview
A quantitative research minor opens your mind to new ways of thinking. It provides rigorous training to develop your skills through a series of specialist quantitative modules, alongside your subject specific modules in Social Policy. As well as classroom based learning, all of our minor programmes offer the opportunity to hone your research skills and boost your employability in a work-place setting through one of our quantitative placements.
Social policy looks at the ways in which we as a society promote the welfare of individuals and families. You will study central issues such as poverty, health, crime, education, homelessness and child protection. This includes looking at the nature of social problems and also at the policies directed towards them by government, and at the role of voluntary and private welfare.
On the BA Social Policy with Quantitative Research you are taught by international experts in the field of social policy. We use a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, case study analysis, group projects and presentations, and individual and group tutorials.
As a student at the University of Kent’s prestigious Q-Step Centre you will be trained to a high level of statistical skill through innovative teaching. In your courses and placements you will use your skills to solve real life social problems.
However, it is not just about numbers! Being able to analyse real life data is crucial in today’s workplace and we want you to be confident in dealing with information in all its forms. You don’t need to be a maths whizz to be a successful researcher. All you need is a logical mind and an enthusiasm for solving the big questions about people’s lives.
To change the world, you first have to understand it. In the 21st century, that means being able to understand data. Today, not many people have these skills. By taking this degree, you will become one of them.
Kent’s criminology programmes are based in the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR), which has consistently achieved the highest ratings for the quality of its teaching and research.
Careers
As Hal Varian, the chief economist for Google, famously said, the sexiest jobs in the next 10 years will involve statistics! The ability to take data—to be able to understand it, to process it, to extract value from it, to visualize it, to communicate it – is a hugely important skill. The advanced quantitative skills gained through our degree programme can lead to a career in a range of areas, including business analysis, charity fundraising, journalism, and marketing.
Alongside advanced quantitative skills, you will gain excellent research skills, the ability to analyse complex information and a range of transferrable skills which will place you in an excellent position for future studies and many types of graduate employment.
Please see ‘Careers’ for more information.
Placements
During your studies, you will carry out at least one quantitative research project for an external organisation and are encouraged to gain experience in more than one sector. As a result you will gain experience not only using your skills in assignments and modules, but also through work experience in an area fitting with your future career plans.
Placements are an important part of your degree and are highly sought after by employers. You will have the opportunity to apply your quantitative and transferable skills to real-life workplaces across many sectors including government (national and local), think-tanks, charities, cultural organisations and the private sector.
Please see ‘Course Structure’ for more information.
Q-Step initiative
This degree is part of a range of quantitative research minor programmes offered by Kent’s Q-Step Centre, one of only 15 such prestigious centres in the UK and funded by, among others, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). In addition to the BA Social Policy with Quantitative Research, the University also offers joint degrees in Criminology; Sociology; Politics and International Relations; Law; and Business Administration with Business Analytics where you can also specialise in quantitative research. We also offer our flagship programme BSc in Statistical Social Research.
Please see www.kent.ac.uk/qstep for more information.
Think Kent video series
Our everyday lives are awash with stereotypes. Even if, consciously, we passionately disagree with these stereotypes, they may still affect our unconscious thoughts and reactions. In this lecture, Dr Robert de Vries from the University of Kent explores these unconscious attitudes, with particular reference to how we might feel about a particularly maligned social group – welfare benefit claimants.
Independent rankings
In the National Student Survey 2015, 90% of Social Policy students were satisfied with the overall quality of their course. Social Policy at Kent was ranked 4th in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2016, and received the 3rd highest score for graduate prospects in The Complete University Guide 2016.
Course structure
Students can choose two different routes onto quantitative research minor programme:
Firstly, students can choose the minor from the start of their studies, taking the module ‘An introduction to Quantitative Social Research’ in Stage 1.
Alternatively, students taking single honours Social Policy can move onto the Social Policy with Quantitative Research programme at the end of Stage 1, taking a shorter, non-contributory five-credit module ‘A short introduction to Quantitative Social Research’ within the new Kent Q-Step Centre summer school (being launched summer 2016). This non-contributory module is a Pre-Sessional Course for Stage 2.
From Stage 2, these two pathways are identical, and are therefore included in the same programme specification here.
At each stage of your studies, you take a balance of compulsory and optional modules from social policy and quantitative research, providing you with subject-specific knowledge while enhancing your quantitative research skills.
In addition, you will undertake several placements and will carry out at least one quantitative research project for an external organisation during your degree. See www.kent.ac.uk/qstep for details.
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
Stage 1
You build a strong foundation in and improve your quantitative skills and advance your statistical knowledge, while developing a strong background in social policy. You develop your skills in using quantitative data to support your critical thinking.
Stage 2
You continue to study social policy as well as take an advanced module in causal thinking in quantitative research, and improve your skills in communicating quantitative analyses to a range of audiences. You choose from a list of advanced quantitative options including Big Data analysis, spatial analysis, longitudinal analysis, and multilevel analysis, and are trained in non-quantitative research. You undertake a quantitative project as part of one of your modules.
Stage 3
As in Stage 2, you continue studying social policy topics and complete a dissertation based on your own quantitative research, and a placements module (see below). You are also encouraged to take further advanced quantitative options (as outlined in Stage 2).
Year in industry
Placements are an important part of your degree and allow you to apply your quantitative and transferable skills in the workplace.
Subject to achieving an average of 60% in Stage 1 and 2, you can apply to take the placements module, The Practice of Social Research. This module runs for one full academic year and includes a 200-hour placement within an academic learning experience. We encourage you to undertake additional placements in the summer after Stage 2 or Stage 3, and to do a placement linked to your dissertation. It is also possible to undertake a full-time paid sandwich year placement.
Placements provide you with invaluable career experience and insight into the professional world, while the practical use of your skills in the workplace builds your confidence. With these experiences we hope that you will be well equipped to move seamlessly into quantitative methods careers, in academia or beyond upon graduation.
Please see the ‘Careers’ tab for more information.
Teaching and assessment
In addition to learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, project supervision, and statistics classes, this degree prides itself in its aim to let students carry out hands-on research in the ‘field’ through placements and field trips. Most modules are assessed by examination and coursework in equal measure.
Programme aims
This programme aims to:
- produce thoughtful, well-trained and flexible social scientists with an up-to-date knowledge of social welfare provision in industrial societies.
- help students to link theoretical knowledge with empirical enquiry and to identify and understand different ideological positions on welfare provision.
- give students the skills and abilities to enable them to become informed citizens, capable of participating in the policy process and equipped for a dynamic labour market
- provide students with the statistical and analytical tools to independently and successfully conduct advanced quantitative research.
- help students make persuasive arguments using quantitative research, and to critically assess the arguments made by others in the course of social life.
- help students link theoretical knowledge with empirical enquiry, so that they understand how to conduct and critique social research in the real world.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- the origins and development of UK welfare institutions.
- the current sources of welfare in the UK, including health and social services, social security, housing and education.
- the operation and financing of the policy process and an understanding of the political economy of welfare.
- the welfare provided by the private and voluntary sectors, and an understanding of the mixed economy of care.
- the key concepts used in social policy, such as need, equity, inequality, poverty, exclusion, identity, difference and diversity.
- the local, regional, national and supra-national dimensions of social policy and understanding of the links between them.
- the main sources of data about social welfare and a grasp of the research methods used to collect and analyse data.
- inter-disciplinary approaches to issues in social policy and the ability to use ideas from other social sciences.
- the key concepts and theories of welfare and the ability to apply these in a comparative approach.
- the strengths and weaknesses of statistical techniques applied to the study of social issues.
- cross-disciplinary understanding of advanced quantitative reasoning and application of these methods to the analysis of complex societal problems.
- how to abstract findings from the application of quantitative research methods to examine essential features of complex societal problems and provide a framework for assessment of contemporary institutional arrangements.
- the value of comparative analysis across disciplines.
- ethical implications of social sciences’ inquiry.
Intellectual skills
You develop the following intellectual skills:
- problem solving skills and the ability to seek solutions to social problems and individual needs.
- research skills, including the ability to identify a research question and to collect and manipulate data to answer that question.
- evaluative and analytic skills, to assess the outcomes of social policy intervention on individuals and communities.
- sensitivity to the values and interests of others and to the dimensions of difference.
- quantitative: the appropriate use of analytical methods – including advanced methods – in handling, analysing and presenting statistical data across relevant disciplines. Ability to interpret both research data and official statistics.
Subject-specific skills
You gain the following subject-specific skills:
- identify and use theories and concepts in social policy to analyse social issues.
- handling and interpreting statistical data relevant to social issues.
- undertake an investigation of an empirical issue, either on their own or with other students.
- distinguish between technical, normative, moral and political questions.
- construct criminological arguments using quantitative empirical evidence.
Transferable skills
You gain the following transferable skills:
- study and learn independently, using library and internet sources.
- have an appetite for learning and be reflective, adaptive and collaborative in your approach.
- make short presentations to fellow students and staff.
- communicate ideas and arguments to others, both in written and spoken form.
- prepare essays and reference the material quoted according to conventions in social policy.
- use IT to word process, conduct on-line searches, communicate by email and access data sources.
- develop skills in time management by delivering academic work on time and to the required standard.
- develop interpersonal and team work skills to enable you to work collaboratively, negotiate, listen and deliver results.
- appropriately use analytical methods – including advanced methods – in handling, analysing and presenting statistical data in diverse real-world settings.
Careers
In an increasingly competitive job market, graduates with quantitative skills are in high demand by all employers from across the public, private and third sectors. Our social policy graduates have been extremely successful in finding employment in a wide range of areas including social work and health care; policy analysis in the public and voluntary sectors; human resource management and advice services; education and research; and management in the Civil Service, local authorities and other public agencies, and the voluntary sector, among others.
The University of Kent as a whole is committed to enhancing the employability of all our students, in order to enable them to compete and flourish in a competitive, fast-moving and knowledge-based economy. Kent’s Q-Step Centre's quantitative research minor programmes, take this concern further than other degrees through its inclusion of work experience during your degree as well as through modules where you apply your newly gained skills to real-life issues.
With the BA Social Policy with Quantitative Research you will gain and develop advanced quantitative research skills through modules that offer specialist training in cutting-edge techniques as well as training in how to understand, explain and critique data in diverse real-world settings.
These quantitative skills are combined with all the attributes associated with a Kent Social Sciences degree; verbal and written communication, social awareness, organisation and teamwork skills – giving graduates a clear advantage in the job market.
The ability to understand and apply various methods of analysing, concluding and presenting data is essential to any social scientist and the skills are just as crucial in business and journalism as they are in education or the police.
Placements
You will be provided with multiple opportunities to apply your new found skills in professional settings through placements and applied research modules which will equip you to work in a wide range of careers such as business analysis, charity fundraising, journalism, marketing and advising government on policy implications and will help place you in an excellent position for graduate employment.
We have links to placements across many sectors, including government (national and local), think tanks and charities, cultural organisations and the private sector and you are encouraged to gain experience in more than one sector.
Some important reasons to consider taking a placement year include:
- gaining valuable experience - research shows that over 70% of employers prefer students with work experience
- exploring career possibilities and making potentially valuable contacts
- improving your CV
- greatly increasing the possibility of being offered a graduate job with your placement company
- putting the Quantitative and employability skills you have into practice and having the chance to develop them further.
Job prospects
Across the four main Q-Step schools, there is a high percentage of students in work or further study within 6 months of graduation - with students earning typical salaries of up to £25,000 within six months of graduating:
- Social Policy - 90%
- Sociology - 95%
- Criminology Joint Honours - 94%
- Business – 87%
- Politics and International Relations – 83%
- Law – 80%
As well as the vast range of support you will receive from the Q-Step centre to enhance your employability, the University of Kent has an award-winning Careers and Employability Service (CES) which offers a range of information, advice and guidance services free-of-charge to all students. These services encompass many aspects of career development and planning and provide the opportunity for students to realise their vocational potential.
Entry requirements
Home/EU students
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
| Qualification | Typical offer/minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| A level | BBB |
| Access to HE Diploma | The School is committed to widening participation and has a long and successful tradition of admitting mature students. We welcome applications from students on accredited Access courses. |
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma) | Distinction, Distinction, Merit. Health and Social Care or Public Service preferred. |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points overall or 15 at HL |
International students
The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.
Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.
English Language Requirements
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
General entry requirements
Please also see our general entry requirements.
Fees
The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
| UK/EU | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | ||
| Part-time |
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
UK/EU/International students on an approved Year Abroad for the full 2016/17 academic year pay an annual fee of £1,350 to Kent for that year. Those on an approved Year in Industry pay an annual fee of £865 to Kent for that year. Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page.