Social Policy (4 years including placement) BSc (Hons)

Explore the mechanisms of policymaking to understand the key dilemmas and challenges around social rights, equality and the distribution of resources.

On this course, you’ll learn about the social and political underpinnings of key policies affecting our lives. Understand the implications social policy has for questions of identity, political organisation, social justice and human rights.

You'll learn about the origins and transformations of the institution of the state and how it interacts with the economy and third sector in the UK and beyond. You'll relate these changes to societal, technological and economic developments in Britain and around the world.

Your first year will introduce you to social policy, sociology, and research methods, where you'll explore how social issues become constructed as policy problems. You'll learn about the major social, political and economic factors shaping equality and welfare in 21st century Britain.

In your second year you'll focus on key policy areas such as the family, poverty, social inequality and analysis of the policy process. You'll be able to choose from a range of social science options and explore international perspectives on social policy including European perspectives and examples from further afield. This will help you locate social policy debates critically within global policy challenges.

In your final year you’ll carry out a year-long, supervised dissertation in social policy, explore policy evaluation and study social protection and welfare reform, alongside options that allow you to undertake advanced analysis of specific policy areas.

Study in an enriched learning environment

You’ll learn from committed academics with expertise across the social sciences. Their international collaborations and research activities inform teaching and contribute to your learning experience.

Prepare for your future

Those who study our social sciences degrees have excellent graduate prospects with diverse options. Our graduates have worked as social and policy researchers, civil servants, international consultants, journalists, and in multiple government, charity sector and business-related roles.

Our recent graduates have gone on to work for:

• Amazon
• BBC Worldwide
• Goldman Sachs
• Guide Dogs
• Parliamentary Research Service

Placement

The placement year will give you valuable practical experience and is an excellent opportunity to try different careers. It enables you to leave university with a strong CV and may set you apart from other graduates entering the job market. You can take placements in commercial, voluntary or government organisations, or in a research setting.