University of the West of Scotland
Social Work BA (Hons)
University of the West of Scotland

Course modalities offered

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews for 35 graduates of Social Work BA (Hons) at University of the West of Scotland for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Social Work.

Overall student satisfaction
47 /100
35 total respondents
The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Social Work

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Social Work at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £34500 £30500 £32500
25-75 percentile range £33000 - £37000 £23500 - £32000 £26000 - £35500


Salary of all UK Graduates of Social Work

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £30014 £24882 £27670
25-75 percentile range £26322 - £32477 £17078 - £30541 £18866 - £34301

Course Description

OVERVIEW

The UWS BA (Hons) Social Work has been designed to provide you with the knowledge and practical experience to qualify as a practising social worker and it is approved by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

If you want to help improve the lives of others and kick-start your journey towards qualifying as a practising social worker, then the BA (Hons) Social Work is the place to start.

This degree has been designed in collaboration with employers and service users to provide you with the knowledge and practical experience to qualify as a practising social worker.

  • PRACTICAL FOCUS

The first two years of the course cover the theoretical base for social work. The final two years concentrate on applying that theory and knowledge into practice on two practice learning placements.

Placements are varied and have taken place in organisations, including:

// Prisons // Children’s units // Hospices // Addiction teams // Women’s support and aid organisations 

In Year 3, you will complete 85 days of assessed practice learning placement in Term 2*.

In Year 4, you will complete a social work dissertation and 115 days of assessed practice learning placement over Terms 1 & 2*.

*Please note that start dates for placements can vary within the term, therefore your placement might run into Term 3.  

  • PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

This degree has been approved by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) .

  • CAREER PROSPECTS

Jobs

Your Social Work degree will qualify you to work in a wide range of settings both in statutory and voluntary roles within adult services, children and families and criminal justice sectors in Scotland, across the UK and in many other countries.

Further Study

Social Work graduates can further their studies to master's and research degrees.

Accredited by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) for the purpose of fully meeting the educational requirements for registration with this body.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Social Work BA (Hons) at University of the West of Scotland

90% Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
5% Elementary occupations
5% Conservation and environment professionals

Grading & Study Time

Teaching covers a wide range of topics including assessment, critical reflection, anti-oppressive practice, legislation and theories to inform your practice as a social worker. In addition, teaching is research-informed, practice-focused and has been designed to enhance the necessary skills and qualities required for you to thrive in practice. Your studies contain a variety of formative and summative assessments, ranging from traditional exams and essays to case studies, group and individual presentations, real life scenarios (e.g. policy briefs, research proposals) or policy analysis and evaluation.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for this course

Qualification requirements

Including a relevant subject/science @ C or above (80 UCAS tariff points)

HNC in Care and Administrative Practice or Applied Science with B required in graded unit for entry to Year 1 Sufficient science and discursive subjects and a strong academic profile to be competitive. English and Maths at least at National 5 Grade B.

Scottish Higher qualifications are considered on an individual basis

Including one in a relevant subject/science (90 UCAS tariff points)

Entry to Year 1 with SWAP Access to Humanities; Access to Social Work; Access to Social Sciences with Grades ABB.

English language requirements

test Grade Additional Details
IELTS (Academic) 6

IELTS 60 with 5.5 minimum in each skill / component.

Cambridge English Advanced

176 overall with no sub-test less than 169

Cambridge English Proficiency

176 overall with no sub-test less than 169

Trinity ISE

ISEII with the minimum of a Pass in all sub-tests

PTE Academic 54

An overall score of 54 with no element below 51

TOEFL (iBT) 78

no sub-test less than: Reading: 17; Listening: 17; Speaking: 17; Writing: 17

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. These are shown below.

Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Social Work, BA (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Social Work BA (Hons)

Scotland £1820 year 1
England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Channel Islands £9250 year 1
Ireland £9250 year 1
EU £15250 year 1
International £15250 year 1

Additional fee information

  • TUITION FEE INFORMATION - SCOTTISH STUDENTS:

Eligible Scottish domiciled students can usually apply to have their tuition fees paid for them each year of their studies by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). If you're not sure about your eligibility, you should contact SAAS. You need to apply to SAAS each year of study to have your tuition fees paid directly to UWS.

  • TUITION FEE INFORMATION - UK, IRISH & GIBRALTARIAN STUDENTS:

Eligible students who are domiciled in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland as well as from the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar or the Republic of Ireland will qualify for tuition fees of £9,250 per academic session of study to a maximum of three years if you are studying on a four year bachelor degree course (eg. BAcc (Hons) / BA (Hons) / BEng (Hons) / BSc (Hons)). So, if your degree is four years' duration, you will only be charged tuition fees for three years. Similarly, if you are studying a five year integrated master's degree course (eg. MEng (Hons)) the you will only be charged tuition fees for four years.

  • TUITION FEE INFORMATION - INTERNATIONAL (NON-EU) & EU STUDENTS:

These tuition fees apply to all non-EU, EEA, and all other EU students (excluding those from Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar, whose fee level is as per UK (non-Scottish) students - see section above for more details).

  • ADDITIONAL COSTS:

The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career.

In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs such as consumable study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms. You may also want to purchase some core texts and technology such as a new laptop etc. Some of these additional costs are optional, some, such as uniforms or safety equipment may be mandatory.

Check the course entry on our website for more more information

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of University of the West of Scotland in top UK and global rankings.

See all 20 university rankings of University of the West of Scotland

About University of the West of Scotland

Located in the Scottish town of Paisley, we find the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). This institution also owns and operates three other secondary campuses in Ayr, Blantyre and Dumfries. Paisley campus is attended by a medium-sized student population of roughly 10,000 and provides the opportunity to study a selection of programmes related to Nursing, Engineering, Social Sciences, Business, and Computing.

List of 62 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of the West of Scotland - Course Catalogue

Where is this programme taught

Dumfries Campus
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Paisley Campus
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