BSc (Hons)

Health, Wellbeing and Social Care Management including Foundation Year

Build your confidence and lay the foundations to successfully complete a full degree in Health, Wellbeing and Social Care Management.

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Key Course Details

  • UCAS Code

    L51F

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £9,790*

  • International students

    £17,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
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Build confidence and academic skills while exploring health, wellbeing and social care, preparing you to progress onto the full degree and future professional study.

DESIGNED FOR

Designed for students who do not currently meet the entry requirements for the Health, Wellbeing and Social Care degree and who aspire to work in the health, wellbeing and social care sector. This Foundation Year provides a supportive introduction to university study and prepares you for progression onto the full degree which is endorsed by the Institute of Health and Social Care Management.

Career Paths

  • All Wales Graduate Programme
  • Community Services Manager
  • Liaison Officer/Manager (multi sector)
  • Housing, People Partner
  • Entrepreneurship, social enterprise

Skills taught

  • Critically evaluation
  • Analytical skills
  • Effective communication

Course Highlights

Gain key skills

Develop a range of skills and qualities that will enrich your learning in year one of the degree and beyond. 

Outstanding facilities

USW is one of the few universities in the world to have an integrated immersive learning facility – the Hydra Simulation Centre.

Interactive learning

Taught by research-active staff who have strong partnerships with health, wellbeing, and social care sectors.

Placement Opportunities 

Students who progress to the full degree will have the opportunity to undertake various placements, giving them a competitive advantage upon graduating.

Module Overview

This year combines academic skill-building with real-world health, wellbeing and social care topics, helping you explore the field, think critically and grow in confidence. 

Starting your University Journey
This module helps you develop academic, personal and professional skills for university study. You’ll reflect on your progress, build confidence, and create an evidence-based portfolio to support your future learning. 

Understanding Research: People, Health and Society
Develop core research skills, including data collection, analysis and presenting findings, to help you understand and carry out research in applied contexts. 

Childhood through the Ages
Explore how childhood has changed over time, examining key thinkers, ideas and policies. You’ll develop research and presentation skills while investigating how societies have understood and shaped children’s lives.

The Impact Challenge: Shaping Real World Solutions
The Impact Challenge is a Foundation Year project module where students work in teams to tackle real-world issues, developing solutions through research, curiosity, teamwork, and responsible problem-solving.

For details of the modules you will study after successful completion of the Foundation Year, please see the main course page.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

UCAS points: 48 (or above)

Typical qualification requirements:

  • A Level: DD 
  • BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Pass Pass Pass
  • Access to HE: Pass Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 48 UCAS Tariff points

Additional requirements include:

GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 3 GCSEs including Mathematics and English at Grade C/Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent but consideration is given to individual circumstances.

An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child & Adult Workforce and Child & Adult Barring List and subscription to the DBS Update Service is required. (Overseas equivalent required for non-uk applicants).

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.

English 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.

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.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£9,790

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£17,200

per year*

Further Information

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.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

Additional Costs

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.

 Students will be expected to pay for a DBS or certificate of good behaviour from their home country. The DBS fee includes £49.50 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee

Cost: £64.74

Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £16. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate

Cost: £16

Course Highlights

How you'll learn

You will learn through active, real-world learning experiences that encourage curiosity, collaboration and independent thinking. Teaching helps you understand how learning works at university, while building academic confidence, critical thinking and self-reflection. You’ll work independently and with others through discussions, practical activities and guided reflection, supported by digital tools. Regular feedback helps you recognise progress and plan next steps, supporting wellbeing, resilience and a strong sense of belonging as you prepare for a higher level of study. 

Teaching staff

Our students benefit from excellent academic and pastoral support, as well as being taught by research-active staff who have strong partnerships with health, wellbeing, and social care sectors.

  • Karyn Davies (Course Leader)
  • Katie Wiergowski
  • Owain Jones
  • Paul Griffiths
  • Tania Davies
  • John Witcher
  • Stephane Nzouekon
  • Temilade Adeleke

How you’ll be assessed

You’ll be assessed in different ways, including short tasks, coursework, presentations, and group work. Early assessments are designed to support your learning and help you understand what is expected at university. Most assessments are coursework-based and help you develop key skills such as research, academic writing, teamwork, and communication. You’ll also reflect on your progress and use university systems and digital tools. Clear, timely feedback will help you understand how to improve and support your next steps.  

Placements

Once you progress onto the full Health, Wellbeing and Social Care Management degree, you’ll have opportunities to engage in work-based learning across a range of settings, including social services, the NHS, and third and independent sector organisations. These experiences allow you to explore different roles, work with diverse groups, and understand how services operate together in multi-agency environments. You’ll be supported to research and choose opportunities that match your interests and career goals, helping you build practical insight, professional confidence and a strong foundation for future employment or postgraduate study. 

Facilities

Students on the Health, Wellbeing and Social Care management degree benefit from access to our Hydra Simulation Centre - the only facility of its kind in Wales - where you can practise responding to realistic, work-based scenarios in a safe and supportive environment. This immersive experience allows you to develop confidence in decision-making, problem-solving and professional judgement, helping you understand the impact of your actions and prepare for real-world practice in health, wellbeing and social care settings. 

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

Health, wellbeing and social care graduates can pursue a wide range of roles across statutory and non-statutory sectors, including service manager, complaints officer, business manager, training manager, and service coordinator. Many also work in advocacy, education, or as support workers and technicians. Graduates are well-prepared for postgraduate study in fields such as social work, public health, nursing, occupational therapy, education, and research, providing excellent career prospects. 

Possible career paths

Employment opportunities post study are excellent and Health and Social Care graduates have gained roles as service managers, advocacy, service coordinators, educators and trainers, technician and support workers. Some students progress onto postgraduate study in education, public health, social work, occupational therapy, nursing and research

Careers support

You’ll have access to advice from our careers and employability service throughout your studies and when you graduate. This includes one-to-one appointments with career advisers either in person or virtually through video call or email. We also have online resources to help explore career options and ensure you present yourself well to employers. These include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, an interview simulator, and application help. We also have over 2,000 registered employers targeting business graduates, so we’ll sign you up to receive weekly email alerts for jobs that match your interests too. 

Next Steps

How to apply
Apply Through UCAS
Book an Open Day
Chat to Us