BA (Hons) Health and Social Care (Top-up)
Key Details
- Available at:Rhos-on-Sea, Dolgellau
- Study Mode:Part-time, Full-time
- Course Length:
Full-time: 1 year, 1 days per week OR part-time: 2 years, half a day a week. Also available on a modular basis.
Dolgellau: Monday & Wednesday, 9:15am - 4:15pm
Rhos: Thursday, 9am - 7pm
- UCAS Codes:D515/L515/L511/L512
BA (Hons) Health and Social Care (Top-up)University-level Courses
Full Time
There are two ways to apply to study for a full-time higher education course - either through UCAS or directly to the college.
Applying through UCAS:
You cannot apply for this course through UCAS.
Applying to College:
If you only want to study at the college, or if you already have the qualifications/experience to meet the requirements for your course, you should apply directly to the campus of your choice.
The application system is currently closed.
Part Time
If you are applying to study part-time you can apply directly to the campus of your choice.
The application system is currently closed.
Course Description
This course is currently under revalidation in consultation with employers and stakeholders, in order to refresh course content for delivery from September 2025
Are you looking for employment or promotion within Healthcare, Social Care, Childcare, or the field of public and social policy? Could your career benefit from an in-depth knowledge of current health, social, childcare, public or social policy?
This course is designed for new and existing professionals practising in a range of public, private and voluntary sector environments. The course is flexible, and can be fitted around other commitments students may have, as it is delivered on one day per week for part-time students and two days per week for full-time students. This allows opportunities for either part-time or full-time study, either for those returning to education or those who are in employment and wish to enhance their qualifications and employment status or opportunities.
Modules from this degree are available on an individual basis as Continuous Development Opportunities (CPD) for the sector.
More detailed information on the various pathways and modules is to be found in the ‘Additional Campus/Course Information’ section.
Entry Criteria
Academic requirements
- Applicants should have completed a relevant qualification in Health or Social Care, vocational or professional, successfully gaining 120 credits at Level 4 and 120 credits at Level 5, and have achieved an overall pass grade of 50 or above.
- Students unable to demonstrate 120 credits at HE level 5 may support their application with the submission of a portfolio for accreditation of prior/experiential learning (APL/APEL/RPEL). The portfolio should clearly identify the learning derived from their experiences.
- For students gaining entry via prior learning, APEL can also be used for exemption from part of the Award.
Access will be flexible, but conditions rigorously enforced according to Grŵp regulations.
Students looking to progress onto and graduate with the BA (Hons) Health and Social Care (Social Policy) will first need to have successfully completed the FdA Health and Social Care (Social Policy) or RPL equivalent.
Where students take a break from their studies following completion of their Foundation Degree, applications for direct entry should be made via the Credit Transfer process.
Language requirements:
- GCSE in Welsh or English as first language, grade C/4 or above
- For overseas applicants, for entry onto Level 4: English fluency to IELTS 5.5 or higher (with no element less than 5.0)
If your qualifications do not meet the entry requirements listed above, we would still encourage you to apply for the course you're interested in, as many of our courses will consider learners based on their previous work and skills experience rather than their qualifications.
Delivery
The course is delivered through a blend of the following:
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Guest speakers
- Student centred learning
- Workshops/Practical work
- Virtual learning environment (MOODLE)
Timetable
Dolgellau:
- 1 year, 1 days per week OR part-time: 2 years, half a day a week.
Rhos-on-Sea:
- 1 year, 1 days per week OR part-time: 2 years, half a day a week.
Fees
Visit our course fees page for information on full and part-time degree course fees.
Financial Support
Visit our financial support page for information on the range of support available.
Additional costs
All associated costs will need to be met by the student. These can include DBS, travel associated with work experience, field trips, suitable clothing for work/placement, PC and wifi access, travel to college, printing and other stationery related costs.
More detailed information on other costs associated with your course and work placements/work experience (if applicable) will be outlined in the programme validation document and explained to you at your interview.
Start date
September
For specific course enquiries, please contact:
Contact (Coleg Llandrillo):
Sarah Harris (Programme Leader): harris2s@gllm.ac.uk
Celine Rea (Administration): rea1c@gllm.ac.uk
Contact (Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor):
Jean Parry Jones (Programme Leader): jones12j@gllm.ac.uk
Rhiannon Jones (Administration): jones9r@gllm.ac.uk
For general enquiries about our degrees, please contact: degrees@gllm.ac.uk
Assessment
The course is assessed through a blend of the following:
- Essay
- Case study
- Dissertation
- Presentation
- Poster presentation
- Research project
Feedback
Where relevant, assessments will be marked and returned to students with constructive and developmental feedback. Effective feedback combines information which enables students to understand the strengths and limitations of their past performance, and information which enables them to recognise how future performance can be improved. Students will be provided with feedback in a timely manner and this feedback will justify how the grade has been awarded. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on the feedback given and identify their strengths, things they found challenging and areas for development that they will feed forward to their next assessment. Feedback will include linking evidence to assessment criteria to demonstrate how the student will have met the learning outcomes.
Progression
Completion of this course can lead to a number of options in education and employment.
If you are starting your career in health and social care, or are already employed in the sector, having a full Honours degree will demonstrate high-level skills and boost or advance your employability. You will be able to seek work in a variety of public and private sector contexts, with the possibility of supervisory or managerial responsibilities.
Alternatively, you may choose to continue your education and study for a postgraduate or professional qualification, which could also be undertaken whilst you work.
Completion of this degree bilingually will make you more employable in Wales, showing that you can work effectively in a bilingual workplace.
Successfully completing this course will afford students with a great range of potential progression opportunities including:
- Careers in the voluntary, statutory and private sectors including opportunities within the Welsh Assembly and local government in areas of housing, health, social work and social care, social inclusion as well as the developing voluntary and private sectors.
- Careers within local Health or Social Care private or public employers including within the NHS, Hospices, Care homes and Domiciliary agencies.
- Careers within organisations such as the Prison Service, SOVA, NCH, and Shelter. These organisations work and actively recruit in North Wales.
- BSc Nursing pathways.
The course also provides a sound basis for progression into postgraduate recruitment programmes such as Social Work, Social Policy, Psychology and Teaching and Postgraduate Certificates in Education, and the MA Social Policy.
Some students remain in work throughout the programme, and progress to managerial or leadership positions within their workplace.
Campus Information Dolgellau
Over the last few decades, health, social care, childcare and social policy work has become an important focus of public, academic and media interest. The importance of this area has underlined the need for skilled and educated personnel, with a broad and in-depth understanding of theory and practice.
The Level 6 modules help you to meet this need by continuing to contribute to a more professionalised and respected workforce. You will further develop your understanding of the sector and its management, focusing on contemporary issues and practices. You will also examine the core values that underpin health and social care management, as well as strategic issues that have a local, regional, national and international impact.
The links between theoretical study and professional work are central to the course, and your studies will inform and enrich your practice. The course provides a valuable educational experience for a wide range of health and social care professionals. It boosts your employability and your professionalism, helping you develop your career.
Module Information
The course consists of the following modules which are available to all part-time and full-time students, or on an individual module basis.
For every 10 credits, students should engage with around 100 notional hours of learning. This will be approximately 30% direct learning contact and 70% independent student learning.
Dissertation (40 credits, compulsory)
This module prepares and supports students to undertake an extended piece of independent writing around a topic of their choice related to their area of professional interest supported by an experienced supervisor. It will allow students to demonstrate depth and breadth of knowledge in a particular subject area of professional interest. The dissertation will be a mark of the students overall academic ability.
Assessment 1: A poster presentation detailing the research dissertation topic and rationale for methodology. (10 mins, 20%.)
Assessment 2: Evidence of record keeping of all supervisory meetings students are to accurately record meetings, reflect on progress and identify personal action points. (5%)
Assessment 3: An individual research dissertation that encompasses all learning outcomes. (8,000 words, 75%)
Ethical Considerations in Health and Welfare (20 credits, compulsory)
Students must be able to critically analyse the ethical principles that emerge from core values underpinning the provision of health and social care and social policy, and research related to these fields. Students must be able to apply ethical principles and construct, with justification, relevant solutions, relating to the delivery of services and associated research methodologies. Students should be able to critically analyse the ethical implications of relevant legislation, policy and/or codes of practice that influence health and social care and welfare, along with existing research relevant to their field of practice.
Assessment:
Assignment 1: Select an existing piece of relevant research, and identify and assess ethical considerations taking into account any ethical issues which may have arisen and illustrate possible solutions (2,000 words - 40%).
Assignment 2: An individual essay to critically analyse the core values of legislation and policy that underpin practice and the ethical principles that emerge from them as they are applied (3,000 words - 60%).
Global Inequalities, Diversity and Social Issues (20 credits, compulsory)
The purpose of this module is to illustrate the global and international context within which social issues arise and social policies are constructed. Global social problems will be identified, including health inequalities, poverty, environmental destruction, and crime, with an illustration presented of how their impact is uneven between developed and underdeveloped nations, along with how globalisation has impacted upon their development. Alongside this an analysis will be made of the international mechanisms and structures which are in place which with nation states combat social problems on a global scale.
Assessment:
Assignment 1: By means of a 10-minute presentation learners will identify one global social issue and evaluate its unequal global impact 30%
Assignment 2: By means of a written assignment, students will illustrate the extent to which contemporary global issues have been impacted upon by economic and political globalisation which has determined their global distribution (3,500 words - 70%).
Social Policy in Wales (20 credits, compulsory)
With the advent of devolution and the growing authority of the National Assembly for Wales the purpose of this module is to demonstrate the increasingly distinctive approach to social policy which is taking place in Wales. A focus upon the political factors which have shaped an alternative approach in Wales will be demonstrated along with an overview of the recent historical evolution of social policy during the era of devolution. An analysis of key areas of social policy will be made illustrating the divergence of approaches adopted in Wales compared to other parts of Britain. While recognising the uniqueness in Wales, it will also be illustrated that there remain similarities between Wales and other regions of Britain, and that the National Assembly for Wales does not have authority over all aspects of social policy.
Assessment:
Assignment 1: An essay critically analysing the impact of political agenda on social policy in Wales (2,500 words - 50%).
Assignment 2: By means of a case study, students will evaluate how distinctive Wales has become compared to other parts of Britain in one or more key areas of social policy (2,500 words - 50%).
Risk and Resilience across the Lifespan (20 credits, compulsory)
This module aims to explore the themes of risk and resilience in relation to selected well-being issues of mental health, addiction, homelessness, and interpersonal abuse. An exploration will be made of the extent to which different service user groups are exposed to such issues, the contexts within which the risk of their exposure may arise, and how their resilience can be enhanced and facilitated via varying policies, procedures and legislation.
Assessment 1: Essay whereby students select one primary issue critically exploring its prevalence, theories of causality to include psychological and sociological determinants. (3,000 words, 60%)
Assessment 2: Case study oral presentation. Students will respond to a fictional case study (based upon assessment 1 focus) identifying potential impact upon the individual, illustrating the extent to which the specific psychological and sociological contexts of the individual may exacerbate and alleviate the issue, and evaluate available and appropriate resilience strategies. (15 minutes, 40%)
Campus Information Rhos-on-Sea
Over the last few decades, health, social care, childcare and social policy work has become an important focus of public, academic and media interest. The importance of this area has underlined the need for skilled and educated personnel, with a broad and in-depth understanding of theory and practice.
The Level 6 modules help you to meet this need by continuing to contribute to a more professionalised and respected workforce. You will further develop your understanding of the sector and its management, focusing on contemporary issues and practices. You will also examine the core values that underpin health and social care management, as well as strategic issues that have a local, regional, national and international impact.
The links between theoretical study and professional work are central to the course, and your studies will inform and enrich your practice. The course provides a valuable educational experience for a wide range of health and social care professionals. It boosts your employability and your professionalism, helping you develop your career.
Module Information
The course consists of the following modules which are available to all part-time and full-time students, or on an individual module basis.
For every 10 credits, students should engage with around 100 notional hours of learning. This will be approximately 30% direct learning contact and 70% independent student learning.
Dissertation (40 credits, compulsory)
This module prepares and supports students to undertake an extended piece of independent writing around a topic of their choice related to their area of professional interest supported by an experienced supervisor. It will allow students to demonstrate depth and breadth of knowledge in a particular subject area of professional interest. The dissertation will be a mark of the students overall academic ability.
Assessment 1: A poster presentation detailing the research dissertation topic and rationale for methodology. (10 mins, 20%.)
Assessment 2: Evidence of record keeping of all supervisory meetings students are to accurately record meetings, reflect on progress and identify personal action points. (5%)
Assessment 3: An individual research dissertation that encompasses all learning outcomes. (8,000 words, 75%)
Ethical Considerations in Health and Welfare (20 credits, compulsory)
Students must be able to critically analyse the ethical principles that emerge from core values underpinning the provision of health and social care and social policy, and research related to these fields. Students must be able to apply ethical principles and construct, with justification, relevant solutions, relating to the delivery of services and associated research methodologies. Students should be able to critically analyse the ethical implications of relevant legislation, policy and/or codes of practice that influence health and social care and welfare, along with existing research relevant to their field of practice.
Assessment:
Assignment 1: Select an existing piece of relevant research, and identify and assess ethical considerations taking into account any ethical issues which may have arisen and illustrate possible solutions (2,000 words - 40%).
Assignment 2: An individual essay to critically analyse the core values of legislation and policy that underpin practice and the ethical principles that emerge from them as they are applied (3,000 words - 60%).
Global Inequalities, Diversity and Social Issues (20 credits, compulsory)
The purpose of this module is to illustrate the global and international context within which social issues arise and social policies are constructed. Global social problems will be identified, including health inequalities, poverty, environmental destruction, and crime, with an illustration presented of how their impact is uneven between developed and underdeveloped nations, along with how globalisation has impacted upon their development. Alongside this an analysis will be made of the international mechanisms and structures which are in place which with nation states combat social problems on a global scale.
Assessment:
Assignment 1: By means of a 10-minute presentation learners will identify one global social issue and evaluate its unequal global impact 30%
Assignment 2: By means of a written assignment, students will illustrate the extent to which contemporary global issues have been impacted upon by economic and political globalisation which has determined their global distribution (3,500 words - 70%).
Social Policy in Wales (20 credits, compulsory)
With the advent of devolution and the growing authority of the National Assembly for Wales the purpose of this module is to demonstrate the increasingly distinctive approach to social policy which is taking place in Wales. A focus upon the political factors which have shaped an alternative approach in Wales will be demonstrated along with an overview of the recent historical evolution of social policy during the era of devolution. An analysis of key areas of social policy will be made illustrating the divergence of approaches adopted in Wales compared to other parts of Britain. While recognising the uniqueness in Wales, it will also be illustrated that there remain similarities between Wales and other regions of Britain, and that the National Assembly for Wales does not have authority over all aspects of social policy.
Assessment:
Assignment 1: An essay critically analysing the impact of political agenda on social policy in Wales (2,500 words - 50%).
Assignment 2: By means of a case study, students will evaluate how distinctive Wales has become compared to other parts of Britain in one or more key areas of social policy (2,500 words - 50%).
Risk and Resilience across the Lifespan (20 credits, compulsory)
This module aims to explore the themes of risk and resilience in relation to selected well-being issues of mental health, addiction, homelessness, and interpersonal abuse. An exploration will be made of the extent to which different service user groups are exposed to such issues, the contexts within which the risk of their exposure may arise, and how their resilience can be enhanced and facilitated via varying policies, procedures and legislation.
Assessment 1: Essay whereby students select one primary issue critically exploring its prevalence, theories of causality to include psychological and sociological determinants. (3,000 words, 60%)
Assessment 2: Case study oral presentation. Students will respond to a fictional case study (based upon assessment 1 focus) identifying potential impact upon the individual, illustrating the extent to which the specific psychological and sociological contexts of the individual may exacerbate and alleviate the issue, and evaluate available and appropriate resilience strategies. (15 minutes, 40%)
Other details
Course type: University-level Courses
Level:
6
Programme Area:
- Health & Social Care
Awarding Body: Bangor University
Bilingual:
This programme is available bilingually at the following campus(es):
- Dolgellau
Health & Social Care
Learn more about this area and see our course level guide:
Awarding Body
