Public Services
Become the compassionate, visionary, and dedicated leader our public services need now more than ever.
How to apply Apply through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to us/filters:format(webp)/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/03-courses/public-services/ba-public-services.jpg)
UCAS Code
L430
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Pontypridd
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
80
International students: £17,600*
Course Overview
Build the knowledge, skills, and values needed to make a real difference to people and communities. This flexible and practical course prepares you for leadership roles across the public services, from emergency response and community safety to leading teams and improving public services.
If you're ready to start a rewarding and fulfilling journey that empowers you to discover your strengths and contribute meaningfully to society, then our public services undergraduate course is for you. Become the catalyst for change that our world needs today.
Why study this course?
What you'll study
Explore the law, different public services, and their influence on society.
Establish a solid academic base through intelligence-led responses to critical and contemporary social issues. Test your teamwork and leadership skills during outdoor search and rescue operations.
Understand why and how public services use data to improve lives as you examine the key challenges and strengths of an identified community.
Understand political ideologies and the political and democratic processes guiding UK governance, applying this understanding through stakeholder mapping and analysis.
Explore how notions of crime have been constructed and why people offend, considering criminological, sociological, developmental, biological and psycho-social theories.
*This module can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh
Examine the English Legal System, taking a close look at how certain key procedures and legislation affect public services.
Traverse gorges and mountains as you get to grips with the planning, risk assessment, leadership and technical skills required in search and rescue activities.
Develop the professional practices and values required of public servants, as well as the academic skills that ensure you thrive on the course.
Deepen your knowledge of social policy, welfare, equality, and human rights.
Experience how public services handle emergencies through simulations. Complete a focused 10-week internship in a public service organisation to gain real-world experience.
Study key human rights legislation and examine how well states are upholding their obligations. Apply your knowledge to policy development.
Critically analyse the UK Welfare State. Explore key issues such as poverty, education and health inequalities, and identify potential policy solutions.
Experience emergency response situations through simulations, field visits, and hands-on practice, exploring risk management.
Undertake a major placement based on your aspirations, where you’ll develop critical skills and identify gaps in your development.
Foster your understanding of research and evaluation in the Criminal Justice Sector, to prepare for your final year research project. Explore quantitative and qualitative data preparation, analysis, interpretation, and hone your presentation skills.
Grow into public service leadership, exploring new technologies and embracing innovation.
Conduct a major research dissertation aligned with your career goals and choose optional modules to further specialise in your areas of interest.
You will also be able to choose one optional module.
Explore leadership theory and practice about public services and begin to develop your own methods of leadership.
Analyse different approaches used to identify areas for change and innovation and examine how tech and innovation impact public service stakeholders.
Finalise your project proposal from year two and produce a coherent and in-depth analysis of an issue of contemporary relevance to sociology and/or public services.
Examine different types of conflict and their impact from historical and contemporary perspectives and look at how current conflicts may be resolved.
Design and conduct a social science research project in criminal justice. Develop your competence in research design, data collection, and analysis for contributions to evidence-based practices in the criminal justice sector.
Investigate the risks associated with natural and man-made disasters and the role health and social care interventions play across the disaster cycle.
Evaluate the impact of serious and organised crime in the UK and explore legislation, policies and processes for policing and investigating it.
Explore how civil society and community activism have changed the world at local and global levels, looking at their complex relationships with the state.
Understand a range of environmental issues and examine sustainable policy development in Wales and around the world.
We regularly review our courses to keep pace with changing skills and employer needs. If a review leads to significant changes, we’ll contact you to explain what’s changing for the coming year.
Teaching and Assessment
This course offers a dynamic blend of hands-on and theoretical learning to prepare you for a variety of roles. You'll engage in practical workshops, real-world challenges, and a year-two placement that will develop your skills and build your confidence. Reflection on these experiences is a crucial part of your assessments.
From emergency incidents to community challenges, you'll tackle real-world scenarios through case studies, simulations and collaborative seminars that develop the skills and knowledge employers are looking for. Assessments are flexible, letting you showcase your unique perspective, and best of all, there are no exams!
The assessments on our public services course are flexible, allowing you to showcase your individuality and unique perspective.
There are no exams on our degree, however you will complete a variety of practical and written coursework tasks as well as a final dissertation.
In your second year, you’ll complete a ten-week placement that aligns with your career goals and interests.
You’ll collaborate with the university’s placement officer and your host organisation to tailor your experience to suit your needs.
This hands-on opportunity helps you build valuable contacts, gain real industry insights, and showcase your experience to future employers. You could find yourself working with local authorities, South Wales Fire and Rescue, NHS, Citizen’s Advice, police forces, or even HM Prison Parc in Bridgend, gaining unique experience in various settings.
There’s no classroom quite like the real world.
Throughout the course, you’ll step out into various environments to hone your practical skills, leadership, and decision-making under pressure.
Experience simulations with our Hydra suite and VR headsets on campus, tackling diverse scenarios.
Enhance your learning with trips to places like the Senedd, Welsh Ambulance Service, South Wales Fire & Rescue, and even Parliament and the Royal Court of Justice in London.
Combine this with modern classrooms, IT support, and collaborative workspaces to round out your education.
Entry Requirements
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
How to applyContextual admissions policyAsk us a question80 UCAS points or above
Typical qualification requirements
A Level:
CDD
BTEC:
BTEC Extended Diploma Merit Merit Pass
Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate:
C/D in the Skills Challenge Certificate and DD - CC at A Level
Access to HE:
Pass the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points.
T Level:
Pass (C and above)
Additional requirements include:
The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.
International studentsPre-Sessional EnglishEnglish language requirements
International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.
Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
Fees and Funding
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
per year
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
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Explore our facilities
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How to apply
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS
You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).
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Apply direct
Public Services
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Pontypridd
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If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
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