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What makes Applied Health and Social Care at Worcester special?

Our Applied Health and Social Care Top-up degree will advance your knowledge and practice to enable you to develop your career in sectors related to health and social care.

The programme is open to those who have completed a foundation degree, diploma, or equivalent, who are looking to achieve an honours level qualification. However, we welcome students without the usual formal qualifications. Your application will be considered based on your skills, experience and how prepared you are to complete the course.

This course will help you to apply compassion and human dignity to improve the welfare and wellbeing of service users.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Available as a 1-year (full-time) or 2-year (part-time) top-up degree
  • Additional study skills support and guidance is available throughout your studies
  • Benefit from the strong practice links already established across the institute and engage with senior practitioners from across the sector
  • Specialist supervisor support for your dissertation
  • A nurturing environment for those who wish to top-up their foundation degree or for those returning to education
  • Careers advice and guidance, including information on both progressing to further clinical/academic studies and obtaining jobs in the Health and Social Care sector

Register your interest

Enter your details below and we will keep you up to date with useful information about studying at the University of Worcester.


"Thank you to you all for your help and encouragement over the past academic year. I feel I have gained a great deal from my time at university both academically and personally."

Applied Health and Social Care BA (Hons) Top-Up Student

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

  • A Foundation degree, DipHE, HND or equivalent qualification in health, care or welfare or related subject
  • Supportive academic reference

We will also consider applicants from non-standard entry routes.

We encourage applications from candidates who can provide evidence of their ability to work at Level 6 and substantial experience of working within health, care or social welfare.

If your qualification is not listed, please contact Registry Admissions for advice.

Other information

Non-standard entry routes will be considered. We encourage applications from candidates who can provide evidence of their ability to work at Level 6 and substantial experience of working within health, education, care or social welfare. If your qualification is not listed, please contact Admissions for advice.

Further information about the UCAS Tariff can be obtained from the UCAS website.

"We have learnt so much and we will take a lot of it away with us and use it in practice. The tutors really are brilliant, and played a huge part in this course being so enjoyable. The teaching was very interactive and we always had good discussions."

Applied Health and Social Science BA (Hons) Top-Up Student

A teacher is sitting on the floor playing with children A nurse is speaking to a smiling older gentlemen Group Therapy
Course content

Course content

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

Modules

Mandatory

  • Dissertation
  • Person Centred Care Across the Life Course 

Optional

  • Participatory Planning and Social Prescribing in Health and Social Care
  • Substance Misuse
  • Understanding Domestic Abuse
  • Contemporary Issues in Mental Health
  • Promoting CAMH in Universal Settings
  • Children and Young People's Rights

"I would like to thank you both for your time and teaching on the course. It has been an incredibly useful learning experience and I can certainly say that I have learned a significant amount about family law, domestic abuse and human rights."

Recent graduate

Jade Heaysham

Jade Heaysham

I chose the Applied Health and Social Care Top-up course following enjoying my time studying with Worcester for my Mental Health FdSc. I knew I was passionate about helping people, but didn’t yet know the specific branch of Health and Social Care that I wanted to work in, as it is such a diverse sector.

The course was supportive, friendly and most importantly interesting, with modules reflecting what is important in current practice. I am now working as a Wellbeing Coach, a branch of Social Prescribing, through a local Worcester based charity. This role involves helping people with low-level mental ill health via psycho education and evidence-based self-help techniques.

I have the lecturers on this course to thank for this, as they arranged guest speakers from different organisations, helping to inspire and raise awareness of roles I had never heard of- including the role I am now practicing as!

In the future I hope to return to Worcester to enrol on the Psychology MSc, in order to aid my practice and further enrich my understanding of mental health.

Jade Warmington

Jade Warmington

I chose this course because, at the time, I was working as a family support worker and wanted to finish my degree and study something that would be relevant and complement the job I was doing.

The way the course ran was flexible and allowed me work and study at the same time. I absolutely loved the course. The modules were interesting and interactive, and I enjoyed having in-depth conversations during our lectures. My tutors were so helpful and available whenever I needed guidance. I am now working for Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid as a Specialist Domestic Abuse Family Support Worker and studying the course definitely helped to inform my current practice. I am also studying for my Masters in Psychology.

Charlotte Bush

Charlotte Bush

I chose the Applied Health and Social Care Top-up course as I thoroughly enjoyed completing the Health and Social Care FdSc. I wasn’t entirely sure which area in Health and Social Care I wanted to specify in, however, I knew my passion was to support and help others.

Choosing this course was perfect for studying contemporary issues within Health and Social Care. It is an interesting course with a variety of teaching, visitors and study time which was a good balance for my work, study and home life. The course was supportive and interesting throughout and perfect for my current role as a Wellbeing Coach for Worcester Primary Care Network. This role involves supporting people with low-level mental health conditions using a variety of self-help, healing strategies and techniques, many learnt from this course.

Completing this course has branched my career and future options to continue studying in many different avenues. In the future, I hope to return to studying to complete a Diploma in Counselling to become a qualified Counsellor. This strengthens my ability to support people in healing and overcoming trauma.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and assessment

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

The majority of teaching sessions are face to face on campus. Lectures or lecture workshops for some modules will be delivered online either ‘live’ or pre-recorded. Individual and small group tutorials will be arranged online as this has proven to be convenient and popular with students.

You are taught using a variety of teaching methods including lectures, seminars, tutorials, group work, and independent learning. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures. Group work focuses on developing and applying subject-specific skills. Independent learning includes a Dissertation that enables you to pursue research in a topic of interest under the supervision of a lecturer. Meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least three occasions over the academic year.

Contact time

In a typical week, students will have around 8 - 12 contact hours, including seminar, tutorial and small group activities. Supervision for the student’s Dissertation is separate and this important supervisory relationship is established early in the academic year. Students are encouraged to meet regularly for dissertation supervision and it is usual for the supervisor / supervisee relationship to be maintained for the duration of the study. Work based learning is not a requirement for the Top-up Degree but students are encouraged to work or volunteer within the sector as this helps link theory to practice and provides opportunities to explore ‘live’ challenges emerging in practice.

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 24 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments and presentations.

A range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources, supports independent learning.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics, professional practitioners with practice experience and contributions from guest speakers who are experts in their fields. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader.

Teaching is informed by research and consultancy and lecturers are often experience practitioners and practice managers prior to taking up teaching positions at the university. A majority of lecturers on the course have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.

You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments, which are graded and count towards the overall module grade. Assessment methods include a range of coursework assessments such as essays, reports, presentations and a final year Dissertation.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for the course is:

  • 1 major Dissertation of approximately 6,000 to 8,000 words
  • 7 summative essays ranging from 500 to 3500 words
  • 1 report
  • 1 individual or group presentation
  • 1 media tool

Feedback

You will receive feedback on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback supports learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate. We aim to provide feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

You will also receive feedback on formative assessments.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Careers

Careers

Study at Level 6 enables you to secure knowledge and experience within your field of interest. Students who successfully complete our health and social care degree will have access to a wide range of employment opportunities, such as:

  • Statutory, voluntary and independent sector health and social services
  • Statutory and voluntary sector organisations working with older people, families and people with disabilities
  • Advice and guidance services
  • Advocacy and social justice services
  • Social enterprise
  • Housing support services targeting young people
  • Community based provision and services
  • Health promotion services
  • Welfare services
  • Care services

On completion of your award you may also consider further study at Masters level. Relevant Masters Programmes include:

  • MA Social Work
  • MSc Counselling
  • MSc Psychology
  • PgDip/MSc Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine
  • PgCert/Grad Cert Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner in Specialist Adult Mental Health
  • MA/PgCert/PgDip Understanding Domestic and Sexual Violence
Costs

Fees and funding

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2024/25 academic year is £9,250 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2024/25 academic year is £16,200 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Part-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fees for part-time UK and EU students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the academic year 2024/25 are £1,156 per 15-credit module, £1,542 per 20-credit module, £2,312 per 30-credit module, £3,083 per 40-credit module, £3,469 per 45-credit module and £4,625 per 60 credit module.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Additional costs

Every course has day-to-day costs for basic books, stationery, printing and photocopying. The amounts vary between courses.

If your course offers a placement opportunity, you may need to pay for an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Chestnut Halls' at £131 per week to 'Oak Halls' at £221 per week (2024/25 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.
How to apply

How to apply

Applying through UCAS

Applied Health & Social Care BA (Hons) - 5L28

UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for entry onto full-time undergraduate courses in Higher Education in the UK.

Read our How to apply pages for more information on applying and to find out what happens to your application.

UCAS Code

5L28

Apply Via UCAS

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Admissions Office

admissions@worc.ac.uk
01905 855111

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