Social Work
Prepare to empower lives and become a qualified social worker through academic study and comprehensive practice learning opportunities hosted by Welsh local authorities.
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UCAS Code
L500
Start Date
September 2026
Location
Newport
Campus Code
C
UCAS Points
96
Fees
Home students: £9,790*
International students: £17,200*
UCAS Code
L500
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Newport
Campus Code
C
UCAS Points
96
International students: £17,600*
Course Overview
Through placements, you’ll gain invaluable real-world experience and develop the skills required for professional practice in various settings. In the third year, you’ll have the chance to specialise in areas such as children, adults, or mental health, further enhancing your employability prospects.
A Social Work degree is ideal for those who wish to work with individuals to improve their lives and well-being. You’ll empower others to achieve independence while understanding the challenges and injustices in society. If you’re ready to confront these issues head-on, this course is for you.
Regulated by
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We’re regulated by Social Care Wales.
Why study this course?
What you'll study
Get a thorough grounding in the frameworks, theories, legislation and skills involved in social work.
Undertake a 20-day placement where you’ll observe experienced social workers and begin to translate theory into practice.
Study the Social Care Wales Code of Practice and examine and develop your knowledge and beliefs around social work.
Explore the legal systems, legislation and policies relevant to social work, and their influence when working with individuals, children, young people and families in Wales.
Learn how to hold co-productive conversations and build effective, reciprocal relationships, including communicating with people whose first language isn’t English.
Understand the psychological and sociological theories applied to social work, looking at life course theories and examining research methods used in social sciences.
Explore the models, methods and processes of assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation, considering anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice.
Perfect your skills, develop your knowledge and learn how to become a reflective practitioner in preparation for your 80-day placement.
This is a step up where you’ll take on some casework and start to apply your skills to do assessments and make decisions.
Develop key skills in line with SCW, including outcome-focused assessments and conversations, and assessing a person’s needs, risks and circumstances.
Grow your social work identity as you adopt the essential values, ethical principles and applied skills required for effective practice.
Understand the processes involved in social work research and how to translate this research to practice, looking at hypotheses, data collection, interpretation and more.
Critically examine how the legal frameworks, particularly the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, underpins your practice.
Show your eagerness to enter social work as a responsible professional with a 100-day placement where you’ll take on more complex cases and make more autonomous decisions.
Your time on campus is spent developing the skills and resilience to succeed on placement.
Apply social work theory to complex cases, enabling choice, independence and empowerment and overcoming discrimination, oppression and inequality.
Consolidate your professional identity and develop emotional resilience as you face challenging aspects such as critical incidents and working with resistance.
Learn to work with different agencies, using advanced communication, accountability, and supervision to achieve positive results.
Advance your understanding of how research informs practice by critically evaluating contemporary studies and exploring ways to apply them.
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
To prepare you for life as a social worker, you'll spend 200 days on placement – that’s half of your course.
Between placements, you'll develop key knowledge through interactive lectures and tutorials featuring case studies, discussions, and role-play. Guest speakers often include experts by experience and various professionals involved in their care.
You'll also give evidence in our mock courtroom and simulate real-world scenarios in our Hydra suite.
With no exams, your assessment will be based on observations, feedback, and critical reflection on your placements, as well as presentations, debates, diagnostic assignments, and group projects.
When you start the course, you'll be assigned to a local authority and complete 200 days of placement, equivalent to 1,400 hours across the three years.
In your first year, you'll spend 20 days mainly observing to get familiar with the role.
In your second year, you'll have an 80-day placement where you'll begin taking on casework under supervision.
In your final year, you'll work for 100 days, focusing on developing your independence and specialising in an area of interest.
You'll also work with professionals from education, healthcare, and the police in integrated teams, and you might have opportunities for additional experience through voluntary placements.
You’ll spend 50% of your time on placement off-campus, but while you’re here, you'll benefit from USW’s excellent facilities.
The Hydra suite offers advanced simulation software to work through real-world scenarios and enhance your decision-making skills. You’ll also practice giving evidence in our mock courtroom.
Based at the Newport City campus, a modern and vibrant community, you'll have access to computer and IT resources, as well as an extensive library service.
Course Leader
Dr Michelle Culwick
Meet Dr Michelle Culwick, a registered Social Worker and Course Leader with extensive academic and practice experience. She is passionate about social work education and dedicated to creating a supportive, high-quality learning experience that helps students grow in confidence and prepare for professional practice. Her expertise includes safeguarding disabled children, inter-professional practice, social work research, and evidence-based practice. Working closely with practice partners, she ensures teaching reflects real-world contexts and current standards.
For course enquiries, please contact Michelle directly.
"I was employed straight after the course by the local authority where I completed my placement."
Ellis Rees, Social Work graduate
Entry Requirements
Additional
The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent.
Equivalent qualifications considered are Essential Skills Level Two in Communication or Functional Skills Level Two in English.
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).
An interview is required. This will consist of a written task and an individual interview.
Work experience carried out in a supervised social care setting or agency with a reference from the supervisor submitted at point of interview confirming you have completed the required hours. This work experience must be completed prior to your interview, and you must clearly reference that you are undertaking this experience in your personal statement. If you have previous experience that you feel could contribute towards these hours then please contact the course leader [email protected] to discuss further. Instances such as these will be assessed on a case by case basis.
We do not accept deferred applications for the Social Work degree.
How to applyContextual admissions policyAsk us a question96 UCAS points or above
Typical qualification requirements
A Level:
CCC
Welsh BACC:
C and CC at A Level
BTEC:
Merit Merit Merit
Access to HE:
Pass the access obtaining a minimum of 96 UCAS points
T Level:
P (C and above)
Closed for International applicants:
Unfortunately, this course is not currently open to international applicants, please visit our course pages where you can find an alternative course choice.
CoursesContextual 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.
Fees and Funding
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. *Obligatory
Enhanced DBS*
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. £64.74
DBS Updating service*
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. £16
Travel to Placement*
These can be claimed back if the student has been allocated a Social Care Wales bursary. Cost is dependent on placement location.
Register with Social Care Wales*
£10 per year.
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. *Obligatory
Enhanced DBS*
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. £64.74
DBS Updating service*
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. £16
Travel to Placement*
These can be claimed back if the student has been allocated a Social Care Wales bursary. Cost is dependent on placement location.
Register with Social Care Wales*
£10 per year.
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Social Work interviews
Everything you need to know before attending your Social Work interview.
Read our interview tipsHow 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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Social Work
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Newport
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Apply direct
Social Work
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Newport
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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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