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This programme focuses on health and social care policy and offers both a stimulating course of study and a route into a large and growing number of careers.
Overview
Health and social care policy presents numerous challenges within society today: should ‘cloning’ or ‘assisted suicide’ be permitted? Should fertility treatment be available as a right on the NHS? Should older people pay for their own care? Are services delivered fairly to all sections of the community? You will have the opportunity to consider these and many other questions relating to these important topics.
Think Kent video series
Over a third of the UK’s 6.5 million carers are aged 65 years and over. In this talk, Dr Alisoun Milne explores why older carers are at significant risk of poor physical and mental health, reduced quality of life and poverty, and cannot be assumed un-problematically to protect their own health and well-being. These are matters of social justice.
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
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. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.
Teaching and assessment
Most modules in the School are assessed by 50% coursework and 50% end-of-year examination. A small number are assessed entirely by coursework. To see details for individual modules, click 'read more' within the module information in the course structure.
Programme aims
This programme aims to:
- produce well trained social scientists with a broad knowledge of the field of health and social care
- enable students to link theoretical knowledge with empirical enquiry to evaluate research findings and engage critically with the principal debates in the subject
- give students a good grounding in the areas of health and social care and corresponding political and policy issues
- equip students with the skills and knowledge that will enable them to enter a dynamic and diverse labour market and carry forward their interest in the area further.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- the origins and development of UK welfare institutions with particular emphasis on those of health and social care
- current structures of health and social care, including an ability to locate them in a wider context
- the operation and financing of health and social care and an understanding of the political economy of social welfare
- the roles of the private and voluntary sectors in relation to health and social care, with an understanding of the mixed economy of welfare
- key concepts of social policy such as need, equity, inequality, poverty, exclusion, identity, difference and diversity as they relate to health and social care
- local, regional, national and supranational dimensions of policy and understanding of the links between them
- the main sources of data in relation to health and social care and a grasp of the research methods used to collect and analyse data
- interdisciplinary approaches used to analysis issues in health and social care with an ability to use concepts from other social sciences
- key concepts and theories in relation to health and social care and an ability to apply these in a comparative approach.
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 policy interventions in relation to health and social care as they impact on individuals and communities
- sensitivity to the values and interest of others and to the dimensions of difference
Subject-specific skills
You gain subject-specific skills in how to:
- identify and use theories and concepts to analyse the field of health and social care
- seek out and use statistical data relevant to the subject
- undertake an investigation of an empirical issue, either on your own or with other students
- distinguish between technical, normative, moral and political questions.
Transferable skills
You gain transferable skills in the following:
- independent study and learning
- having an appetite for learning and being reflective, adaptive and collaborative in your approach
- making short presentations to fellow students and staff
- communicating ideas and arguments to others, both in written and spoken form
- information technology
- preparing essays and correctly referencing the materials referred to
- time management
- developing interpersonal and teamwork skills to enable you to work collaboratively, negotiate, listen and deliver results
Careers
Our programmes provide you with knowledge and skills that will appeal to employers such as the NHS, local authority adults’ and children’s services, and the voluntary and private social and healthcare sector. You also develop transferable skills such as planning and organisation, teamwork, leadership
Our graduates have gone on to careers in: research and policy-oriented work in the NHS, local government or the voluntary sector; postgraduate training in social work and other professional courses; research and evaluation; social care work in the public, voluntary and private sectors; management and organisation posts in the health services; personnel and resource management posts in the private sector, local authorities and voluntary organisations.
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 University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above. |
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma) | Distinction, Distinction, Merit. Health and Social Care or Public Services 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
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.