Health and Social Care Policy focuses on policy issues facing our society such as providing and financing healthcare, health inequalities and ageing.
The BSc in Health and Social Care Policy is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to work in graduate level roles within the Health and Social Care sector. Based in the discipline of social policy, this specialist degree has a strong emphasis on developing your intellectual, professional and personal skills. The degree focuses on the policy and theoretical context for the management and delivery of Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland and further afield.
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Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
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We look forward to hearing from you.
In this section
This course provides a strong grounding in the development and implementation of health and social care policy regionally, nationally and internationally. You will study key issues around the funding and delivery of health and social care in a dynamic and fast-changing environment. You will also explore concepts relevant to health and social care policy such as human need, welfare, the sharing of risk and citizenship in contemporary globalised societies. The course will provide you with practical and transferable skills in research and policy analysis. There is a strong emphasis in developing your theoretical, intellectual and personal skills to equip you for graduate employment in a range of fields. Teaching is research-led and grounded in the course team’s close contact with research and practice. A key feature of the course is a six-week work placement at the end of Level 5.
As a passionate team of internationally recognised researchers and educators, we are dedicated to the pursuit of evidence-based policy-making and committed to facilitating students’ personal, intellectual, and professional development.
All staff are members of the Social Policy Association and many are members of the Advanced Higher Education Authority.
Attendance is during the day in classes where you will study alongside the full-time students. Modules are delivered in two 12 week teaching semesters per year. Contact hours are normally three hours a week per module, but students are expected to study independently for up to a further nine hours a week per module. In addition a studies advisor will be available for consultation as will your year tutor. Meetings with staff can also be arranged at set times and by appointment.
A variety of teaching and learning methods are used on the degree including lectures, seminars, supervised group-work sessions, directed reading, blended learning using Blackboard Learn, case study work, directed electronic information retrieval, independent learning, and a work-based-learning opportunity to impart knowledge and understanding of the subject. In addition, a broad range of assessment methods are utilised to measure knowledge and understanding of the subject, including academic essays; report writing; policy analysis/policy brief-writing; directed seminar discussions, small-group project work; writing and delivering seminar papers; presentations; online tests; the dissertation, e-portfolios, blogs and unseen examinations.
The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.
Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.
In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
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Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module introduces students to the nature of policy making and and delivery of services in the UK. They will develop an understanding of how policy issues are identified (or not) and the role of actors involved in policy networks. They will also be introduced to contemporary agendas influencing the delivery of welfare. The system of devolution in the UK is explained and they will be introduced to elements of global policy making.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module will introduce students to essential features of qualitative research through: conceptualizing research, constructing appropriate and effective data collection instruments, interpreting research findings and presenting significant research conclusions.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module introduces students to key issues and themes in Social Policy. They are introduced to contemporary issues and debates in Social Policy that impact upon individuals and communities and discuss the effectiveness of policy in tackling these issues.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module introduces students to the evolution and development of health and social care in the UK and Ireland. Some reference will be made to policy and provision in the European Union, Canada and the USA. The core of the course is organised around three main areas: the structure and administration of health and social care services; awareness of the impact of ideological, political, social and economic factors on the nature of health and social care provision; and key contemporary developments in health and social care policy and delivery.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module introduces students to key Social Policy concepts. They are also introduced to a number of contemporary issues in Social Policy and key debates on topics including the welfares state, demographic change, technological advancements, and the financing of welfare. It also explores how governments respond to global challenges such as migration, pandemics and globalisation.
Year: 2
Status: C
Social policies are continuously undergoing reconstruction and change. This module examines, in their political, economic and historical contexts, the most significant and instructive changes in the approach to social policy in the UK, from Victorian times to the 1970s. Provision by voluntary action and privately is reviewed as well as action by the state. The module is particularly concerned to show the heuristic value of perspective and process in understanding key modern controversies over the ideas and practices taken to be central to the formation and delivery of social policy.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module introduces students the main contemporary concerns of social policy in relation to poverty and social security. They will learn about the History, Concepts and Context of today's social security system, charting the development of the British welfare state; the impact of different ideologies on the welfare state; and dimensions of poverty, inequality and social exclusion through the life-cycle stages. It also asks students to consider the concept of Sustainable Development and imagine inclusive growth that embraces the SDG principle of Leave No One Behind.
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
This module covers major debates, perspectives and challenges associated with children and families. It will consider policy and services for children's well-being and recent reviews of children's services including child protection services and key areas of provision. Students will examine perspectives on policy, child poverty, mixed economy of care, partnership and inter-agency work and children's participation and rights.
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
This module will examine the justifications for and the basis of state involvement in the housing market and evaluate the main policy mechanisms used such as the provision of social housing, the right to buy and the regulation of the private sector. The module aims to provide students with the tools to assess housing problems and policies. It also examines the interplay between housing, health and inequalities.
Year: 3
Status: C
This module will seek to provide students with knowledge and skills of quantitative research methods, designing surveys and analysing secondary datasets. It will also emphasise the wide variety of applications of statistical techniques and social survey data, and to assess the use of quantitative methods in research and evidence.
Successful learners will be able to:
1. Understand of quantitative data as a tool for social policy design and analysis;
2. Develop skills in quantitative data collection, analysis and application; and
3. Successful learners will be able to move on to advanced statistical methods or to apply these skills in a real world context.
Year: 3
Status: C
This module examines some of the key concepts, ideas and theories relating to social policy in the UK and other countries. It provides the theoretical foundation necessary to understand the basis of policy and practice and contemporary debates about them.
Year: 3
Status: C
This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake a six week placement so that they may improve their skills and understanding of social policy by direct experience.
Year: 3
Status: C
This module provides students with a knowledge of policy and provision of Adult Social Care. The core of the module is organised around the major issues in the development and delivery of Adult Social Care. Also included are administrative and governance arrangements and the financial and economic context. Key issues related to social care users are covered. Attention is also paid to differences in policy and provision in Northern Ireland compared to England, Scotland and Wales and internationally.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to gain structured and professional work experience, in a work-based learning environment, as part of their planned programme of study. This experience allows students to develop, refine and reflect on their key personal and professional skills. The placement should significantly support the development of the student's employability skills, preparation for final year and enhance their employability journey.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Republic of Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline whilst generating educational and cultural networks.
Year: 5
Status: C
The module introduces students to how the discipline of economics can help day-to-day management and decision making in respect of social and health issues providing an introduction to economic principles, examining a range of social and health problems and using economic analysis to shed light on these problems and the policies aimed at addressing them.
Year: 5
Status: C
This module gives students the opportunity to explore the major themes and issues in disability and social policy and how they have been changing. The study of disability will afford the opportunity to understand how social problems are socially constructed and how assumptions about the nature of social needs will affect policy responses. It aims to build on prior learning to enable students to reach a deeper and more analytical understanding of disability as a complex political and social issue.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
The module introduces a range of theoretical positions, academic debates and real-life examples to assist students in conceptualising the associations between gender and social policy. The content also allows students to critically assess how policies may interact, and how they affect the outcomes and experiences of genders in societal structures such as education, the economy and the family. Other outcomes such as health and experience of violence are also considered, providing a wide range of topics for students to identify the implications social policy has on gender.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
This module delves into the intricate civil society landscape, comprising diverse organisations in humanitarian, human rights, philanthropy and development sectors along with those act as social movements. Ranging from local to global levels, these entities vary in aims, resources, and affiliations. Social policy and practice engagement with such actors, whether as service providers, advocates, or repositories of knowledge, is crucial. While social policy graduates excel in analysing states and traditional political players, understanding civil society actors remains a challenge. This module bridges that gap, aiding participants in comprehending the complex civil society landscape and its profound impact on social policy and practice.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
This module seeks to develop critical understanding of ageing and old age with particular reference to policy and practice in relation to older people in the United Kingdom. The aim of this module is to equip students with conceptual, analytical and reflective tools to examine the lives of older people in society. A holistic view of older people is presented in relation to the realities and possibilities of the older years.
Year: 6
Status: C
This module provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, intellectual, practical and transferable skills acquired in levels 3, 4 and 5 of the course. As the largest and most substantial piece of work in the degree course, the dissertation is designed to require maximum student input and to foster independent working and self-directed learning, towards demonstrating the ability to plan, design, complete and report a theoretical and/or applied investigation into a well-focused social policy topic of the student's choosing, in a systematic and coherent manner.
Year: 6
Status: C
This module provides students with the opportunity to study selected issues in contemporary healthcare and health policy in depth. Healthcare takes place in a rapidly changing policy and delivery environment and students need to understand the context of change. The issues selected have occupied a central position in recent debates and are likely to do so in the future.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module introduces students to the sociology of migration, 'race' and ethnicity, with particular focus on the UK experience. It explores how international population movements and the global forces behind them continue to create the societies we have in the UK, Ireland and the EU today. The module examines the origins and development of racism, incorporating human rights perspectives to explore how it has shaped, and continues to shape the nature of society. We look at the role 'race thinking' has played in the production of inequalities and exclusions, as well as engage with contemporary debates and theoretical advances, particularly in relation to antiracism, whiteness, antisemitism, Islamophobia, citizenship and multiculturalism. The module specifically examines the debates in the local Northern Ireland context with reference to specific groups: ethnic minorities, Travellers, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module will engage students in the study of social policy in an international comparative perspective. It will explore rationale for the welfare state and its instruments. It provides the foundations of the comparative method. The course will also cover substantive policy areas relevant for international social policy, such as income security, education, health care, environment, and language policy.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
No other health condition matches mental ill-health in the combined effect of prevalence and impact across individual, social, economic and mortality measures. This module aims to show how our knowledge and understanding of mental illness have changed over time, as well as indicate the problematic nature of the definition of mental illness. Students will also study the social patterning of mental health and illness and consider variations according to age, gender and social class. Particular attention is paid to the role and influence of user groups in the development of policy and strategy.
We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.
In this section
Provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE English Language grades A-C/ 4-9 or equivalent); and Provide evidence of passes in five subjects, two of which must be at A level (grades A-E) and three at GCSE level* (grades A-C/4-9); or provide evidence of passes in four subjects, three of which must be at A level (grades A-E) and one at GCSE level* (grades A- C/4-9); or Provide evidence of an approved qualification at an equivalent level such as a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma or Access to Higher Education qualification or equivalent**; or Provide evidence, for a process of formal accreditation by the University, of learning you have gained through work or other experience.The subject committee will consider a range of qualifications, experience and other evidence of ability to complete the course satisfactorily when considering applications for part-time study.
* GCSE English Language (grades A-C/4-9) may be used as part of the GCSE requirement.
GCSE Profile to include [Enter specific subjects and grades].
English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.
Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.
Students on the foundation degree in Health and Social Care may enter year two directly. Please contact admissions for further information.
Graduates who progress to the four year social work degree programme can qualify for up to two years exemption.
In this section
Graduates from this course are now working for:
With this degree you could become:
This degree is excellent preparation for a wide range of careers within the health and social services sector and further afield. Graduates have high employment rates with many working in health and social care or related areas and are well-equipped with the knowledge and skills to develop a career in local and central government, in consultancy or management and in research settings. This degree will enable students to apply for the fast-track relevant graduate route in social work. Our graduates have also progressed to postgraduate study in related areas such as social policy, health promotion, public health and community and youth work.
A key feature of the course is a six-week block work-based placement at the end of Level 5. Opportunities to study abroad include the Erasmus Scheme and International Student Exchange Programme.
The price of your overall programme will be determined by the number of credit points that you initiate in the relevant academic year.
For modules commenced in the academic year 2024/25, the following fees apply:
| Credit Points | NI/ROI Cost | GB Cost | International Cost* |
|---|---|---|---|
120 | £4,750 | £9,250 | £16,320 |
60 | £2,375 | £4,625 | £8,160 |
30 | £1,187 | £2,312 | £4,080 |
20 | £792 | £1,542 | £2,720 |
NB: A standard full-time undergraduate degree is equivalent to 120 credit points per year.
*Please note our on campus part-time undergraduate courses are not open to international (non-EU) students.
George Mitchell prize for the best dissertation
Best placement prize
Please note that this course is a "regulated and/or care provision" within the meaning of the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (NI) Order 2003 and the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007. They may involve access to children and/or vulnerable adults and students are required to be subject to the criminal records check and may not complete the course without it. The fee for this is £33.00.
It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.
Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.
There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.
See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Rebecca Hunt, Final Year Health and Social Care Policy
I attended Limavady Grammar School, completing my A-levels to then venture on to higher education. I have always had an interest in politics and the inequalities faced within society and so I knew that Health and Social Care Policy was a perfect choice. During my placement at the end of second year I worked in the NI Assembly’s Research and Information Service. This enabled me to gain confidence in carrying out research. I appreciate the support that I have received over the past few years whilst studying at Ulster. I received the Academic Excellence Award at the end of first year which recognised my academic achievement and this also gave me the confidence to realise my future career potential. I have a young daughter and I am grateful to my lecturers for their understanding and support. I recommend Ulster University as the lecturers are very supportive, wanting everyone to succeed. It is a friendly and welcoming University with so much to offer and the course is empowering and informative!
Ulster continues to develop and support sustainability initiatives with our staff, students, and external partners across various aspects of teaching, research, professional services operations, and governance.
At Ulster every person, course, research project, and professional service area on every campus either does or can contribute in some way towards the global sustainability and climate change agenda.
We are guided by both our University Strategy People, Place and Partnerships: Delivering Sustainable Futures for All and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Our work in this area is already being recognised globally. Most recently by the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact rating where we were recognised as Joint 5th Globally for Outreach Activities and Joint Top 20 Globally for Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals.
Visit our Sustainability at Ulster destination to learn more about how the University strategy and the activities of Ulster University support each of the Sustainable Development Goals.
