Social Work BA Honours
With placement opportunities across north London, this hands-on Social Work degree will help you develop the skills and resilience to make an impact in the lives of some of society's most vulnerable people
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Viewing course details for 2025 year of entry
- Code
- L501
- Attendance
- Full-time
- Start
- September 2025
- Fees
- £9,250 (UK) | £16,600 (INT)
- Duration
- 3 years full-time
- Course Leader
- Cynthia Lane-Hand
- Study mode
- On campus
- Location
- Hendon campus
- Entry Requirements
- 112 UCAS points
- Placement year
- Yes
- School / Department
- Mental Health, Social Work and Integrative Medicine
94% of students were positive about the quality of teaching on their course – National Student Survey, 2023.
Why choose Social Work BA Honours at Middlesex?
With a high demand for qualified social workers, this approved programme will give you the skills to build a career enabling people at risk to live fulfilled and independent lives. You will learn from a dynamic social work curriculum co-designed by academics, service users and practice partners. A supportive and friendly teaching team with ongoing links to social work practice will guide you every step of the way.
What you will gain
In your first year, you will gain professional insight and communication skills required for effective social work and lay the foundations for your second and third years of academic study and practice-based learning. All modules, and the course as a whole, are clearly structured to meet Social Work England's Professional Standards. You will undertake two professional placements in contrasting settings in years two and three.
We have over 145 years of experience delivering professional, creative and technical education that prepares you for success in global careers, so find out more today.
Accreditations
This degree is approved by Social Work England (SWE), the statutory body regulating the social work profession.
SWE believes in the power of collaboration and shares a common goal with those they regulate – to protect the public, enable positive change and ultimately improve people’s lives.
Social Work England has created professional, education and training standards in partnership with everyone interested in social work, including Middlesex University. These standards set out the requirements that they expect social workers and social work courses to meet.
This course is professionally recognised for being of the highest quality, focusing on developing the knowledge and skills that employers require.
What you will learn
With the social work sector expanding rapidly, there’s never been a better time to enter a career that will positively impact some of society’s most vulnerable people.
Through a mix of teaching sessions, interactive workshops and e-learning resources, you’ll become familiar with current law, policies and theory, and be able to communicate effectively with service providers, service users and their carers.
A huge part of this course is on-the-job learning through work placements where you'll get to grips with what it's actually like to do the job of a social worker.
By joining us on this hands-on and fulfilling course, you'll benefit from:
- Research active academic and innovative teaching: several academics hold Senior Fellowship status that recognises their dynamic approaches to teaching, learning and assessment
- Personalised support throughout your course from your academic advisor
- Excellent career prospects: our graduates have an average starting salary of £30k+, and have gone on to work in a wide variety of roles across London boroughs and further afield
- The opportunity to apply to Social Work England to register as a qualified social worker once you graduate.
With placement opportunities across north London, this hands-on social work degree will help you develop the skills and resilience to make an impact in the lives of some of society's most vulnerable people. Graduates from our BA (Hons) Social Work have excellent employability opportunities, often gaining positions in partner local authorities and others in the London area. You will gain the skills and knowledge to enter your first professional post with confidence to carry out professional assessments and interventions, whether in adult or children’s services and other settings.
3 great reasons to pick this course
About your course
This course produces capable graduates who at the point of completion of their social work degree meet all the Professional Standards. This will enable you to be critically reflective, confident, effective and resilient social workers who are fit for professional practice.
We will equip you with the appropriate knowledge, values and skills enabling you to understand and work within a professional social work context. You will be able to analyse, undertake casework interventions, manage and lead the process of change necessary to achieve quality outcomes for service users/carers and to actively promote their needs.
We work collaboratively with our partners including employers, students and service users and carers to ensure the efficacy of the course and that all participants work safely and accountably.
Our learning, teaching and assessment strategies are integrated with the key requirements for contemporary practice and utilise the knowledge, research and evidence from theory and practice. We offer you an intellectually rewarding course where theory, practice, skills and values are integrated throughout both academic and practice modules.
Modules
In your first year, you will gain professional insight and communication skills required for effective social work and lay the foundations for your second and third years of academic study and practice-based learning. All modules, and the programme as a whole, are clearly structured to meet Social Work England's Professional Standards. You will undertake two professional placements in contrasting settings in years two and three. These usually run concurrently with academic study. You will be allocated an academic advisor at the start of your course who will meet with you regularly in tutor groups and who will also act as a link to your professional placements.
In your first year, you will undertake a child observation task, undertake a research project in your community and develop the communication skills required for your first placement in year two.
In this interesting module, you will learn about the important relationship between sociological theories, social policy, community action and their influence on social work practice.
You will undertake an observation of a young child in this module and will develop observation, reflection and analysis skills by making links to human development theories, diversity and social work practice.
This module has a focus on developing your communication skills for social work practice, introducing professional standards and other foundational skills for your social work education.
This module will enable you to gain a wide range of knowledge and skills to prepare you for professional practice in year two, including how social work organisations work, introducing theory and law, and service users and carers’ perspectives.
In your second year, you will learn new research skills, understand the law that underpins social work, consider how theory applies to social work practice, and undertake your first, 70-day practice placement.
This module enables you to become research and evidence-minded, so you learn how to underpin your practice with the best available knowledge.
This is your first, 70-day professional placement module, where you will be supported to learn how to put key knowledge and skills into practice, in line with professional standards.
In this module, you will acquire essential knowledge of social work legislation and how to apply this in your practice with adults and with children and their families.
Here, you will deepen your knowledge of social work theories and the skills involved in applying these in practice in a thoughtful and ethical way.
In your final year, you will complete your final, 100-day placement, undertake a research project in your chosen area of practice and further enhance your skills in applying theory to practice. By the end of year 3 you will be ready to graduate and qualify as a Social Worker.
This is the second placement module, supporting you to undertake 100-days of practice learning in statutory social work. During this placement you will gain the experience and knowledge required to consolidate your learning throughout the degree, making you ready to enter qualified practice following graduation.
This is a more advanced module to facilitate your learning about how to lead social work interventions in a range of contexts, vital for qualified practice.
This module enables you to acquire more advanced knowledge and skills in child and family social work and you will undertake a dissertation on a topic which is relevant to your practice.
This module enables you to acquire more advanced knowledge and skills in adult social work and you will undertake a dissertation on a topic which is relevant to your practice.
To find out more about this course, please download the Social Work BA programme specification (PDF).
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Teaching
You will gain knowledge and understanding through research-based exercises in practitioner enquiry, peer and individual-led classroom presentations which demonstrate synthesis and interrogation of different sources of knowledge and practice tutorials in placement. You will learn through debate and discussion in small and larger groups and through reading and critical reflection on learning materials. You will learn skills through reflective activities solely or in groups, interrogating and debating learning materials, recording and evaluating your own development and progress through the programme via the placement and their professional development plan.
You will be studying at our leafy north London campus in Hendon.
Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and exams.
Here is an indication of how you will split your time.
Year 1
| Percentage | Hours | Typical activity |
|---|---|---|
| 35% | 425 | Teaching, learning and assessment |
| 65% | 785 | Independent learning |
Year 2
| Percentage | Hours | Typical activity |
|---|---|---|
| 24% | 291 | Teaching, learning and assessment |
| 76% | 909 | Independent learning |
Year 3
| Percentage | Hours | Typical activity |
|---|---|---|
| 28% | 339 | Teaching, learning and assessment |
| 72% | 1011 | Independent learning |
Your course timetable will balance your study commitments on campus with time for work, life commitments and independent study.
We aim to make timetables available to students at least 2 weeks before the start of term. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on-campus sessions.
Our excellent teaching and support teams will help you develop the skills relevant to your degree from research and practical skills to critical thinking. Our Sheppard Library is open 24 hours a day during term time. And we offer free 24-hour laptop loans with full desktop software, free printing and Wi-Fi to use on or off campus, even over the weekend.
This course is mainly assessed through coursework including exams, tests, written assignments, presentations and group exercises. The exact balance will depend on the modules you are taking. The table below is a good approximate guide.
| Year | Coursework % | Written Exams % |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 75% | 25% |
| Year 2 | 100% | |
| Year 3 | 100% |
Your knowledge and understanding will be assessed by research-based exercises in practitioner enquiry, particularly in the final year project. You will take part in peer and individual presentations which demonstrate synthesis and interrogation of different sources of knowledge, and debates and discussions in small and larger groups.
You will be assessed by research-based exercises in practice learning portfolios bringing together knowledge and practice in your analysis of case studies, web-based inquiry to collect demographic information about community populations and observational of professional social work practice.
Your skills will be assessed by tutor-based exercises through debates and discussion, research evaluation activities and drawing out implications for practice, and written assignments demonstrating understanding of theories and their application.
To help you achieve the best results, we will provide regular feedback.
Facilities and support
Our Sheppard Library provides a wide range of resources and support to help you to succeed in your studies.
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Over 1,000 study spaces including rooms for group study and over 500 computers available.
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We have one of London's biggest and best university campuses with everything you need in one place.
Our facilitiesStudent support
We offer lots of support to help you while you're studying including financial advice, wellbeing, mental health, and disability support.
Additional needs
We'll support you if you have additional needs such as sensory impairment or dyslexia. And if you want to find out whether Middlesex is the right place for you before you apply, get in touch with our Disability and Dyslexia team.
Wellness
Our specialist teams will support your mental health. We have free individual counselling sessions, workshops, support groups and useful guides.
Work while you study
Our Middlesex Unitemps branch will help you find work that fits around uni and your other commitments. We have hundreds of student jobs on campus that pay the London Living Wage and above. Visit the Middlesex Unitemps page.
Financial support
You can apply for scholarships and bursaries and our MDX Student Starter Kit to help with up to £1,000 of goods, including a new laptop or iPad.
We have also reduced the costs of studying with free laptop loans, free learning resources and discounts to save money on everyday things. Check out our guide to student life on a budget.
Careers
How can the Social Work BA support your career?
There are a wide variety of career choices for qualified social workers, including roles within local authorities, the voluntary sector or as independent practitioners.
Social work skills are also valued in the private sector, NHS and local authorities. Job prospects are excellent with consistently high graduate employability rates.
Graduate job roles
Our social work graduates have undertaken a wide range of roles including working with adults and their carers, with people with disabilities, adults with mental health problems and older adults; also working with children who are in care, disabled children and their families, in children’s safeguarding, in adoption and fostering and in a range of other settings. Salary progression is excellent and the average starting salary for social work graduates in London is £30k plus.
Graduate employers
Our BA Social Work graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of roles in local authorities including the London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, Hackney and Haringey, as well as in other large organisations such as the NHS.
Placements
Practice opportunities are a core element of the BA Social Work course and these are offered within two specific modules of study.
In year two, you will undertake a 70-day professional practice placement and in year three, a 100-day placement in North London. You will receive support from a university placement tutor who will offer classroom-based teaching in tutor groups and one to one, to plan and review progress.
Practice Educators will support your learning in quality assured organisations and settings centred on the provision of social work and social care and they are offered training prior to and during their work with students.
Placements will be provided in contrasting settings, so that you can learn across a breadth of practice contexts. These may be in local authority or NHS settings, or in the private and voluntary sector.
MDX works
Our employability service can help you to develop your employability skills and get some valuable work experience. We provide workshops, events and one-to-one support with job hunting, CVs, covering letters, interviews and networking. We also support you in securing part-time work, placements, internships, and volunteering opportunities, and offer an enterprise support service for those looking to start their own business.
Entry requirements
At Middlesex, we're proud of how we recognise the potential of future students like you. We make fair and aspirational offers because we want you to aim high, and we’ll support you all the way. We’ll always be as flexible as possible and take into consideration any barriers you may have faced in your learning. And, if you don’t quite get the grades you hoped for, we’ll also look at more than your qualifications. Things like your work experience, other achievements and your personal statement.
Qualifications
- UCAS points
- 120-128 tariff + GCSE English and Maths grade 4/C, DBS and Declaration of Suitability
- A-Levels
- BBC
- BTEC
- DMM
- Access requirements
- Overall pass: must include 45 credits at level 3, of which 15 must be at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit or higher
- Combinations
- 112 Points
Our entry requirements page outlines how we make offers where we have given a range (e.g. BBB – BBC in A levels), and how we’ll make you an offer if you are studying a combination of qualifications (e.g. BTEC and A level).
We'll accept T Levels for entry onto our undergraduate degree courses (including our extended courses with a foundation year) with standard application of science requirements and GCSEs in line with UCAS tariff calculation.
Mature students (over 21)
We welcome applications from mature candidates.
We welcome students from the UK and all over the world. Join students from over 122 countries and discover why so many international students call our campus home:
- Quality teaching with top facilities plus flexible online learning
- Welcoming north London campus that's only 30 minutes from central London
- Work placements and networking with top London employers
- Award-winning career support to get you where you want to go after university.
Qualifications
We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the accepted qualifications on your country's support page. If you are unsure of the suitability of your qualifications or would like help with your application, please contact your nearest international office.
English language
You will need to meet our English language requirements. And, don’t worry If you don't meet our minimum English language requirements, as we offer a Pre-sessional English course.
Visas
To study with us in the UK, you might need a Student visa. Please check to see if this applies to you.
You will need to demonstrate your suitability for social work training which aligns with the professional association of social work and social workers entry-level expectations. Visit the British Association of Social Workers site.
Our admission team will contact you within four weeks of your UCAS application to inform you of the next steps.
If shortlisted, you will then be invited for an interview which will be held virtually or at our Hendon campus depending on Government guidelines.
If you are successful at the interview, you will then be offered a place on the course subject to academic, health and DBS requirements.
Visit our interview tips page for advice.
You can apply now via UCAS using the code L501.
Need help with your application? Check out our undergraduate application page.
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North London campus
Our north London campus is 23 minutes away by underground train, travelling from London Kings Cross.
Learn moreFees and funding
The fees below are for the 2025/26 academic year:
UK students1
Full-time: £9,250
International students2
Full-time students: £16,600
Additional costs
The following study tools are included in your fees:
- Free access to the resources, learning materials and software you need to succeed on your course
- Free laptop loans for up to 24 hours
- Free printing for academic paperwork
- Free online training with LinkedIn Learning.
Scholarships and bursaries
To help make uni affordable, we do everything we can to support you including our:
- MDX Excellence Scholarship offers grants of up to £2,000 per year for UK students
- Regional or International Merit Awards which reward International students with up to £2,000 towards course fees
- Our MDX Student Starter Kit to help with up to £1,000 of goods, including a new laptop or iPad.
Find out more about undergraduate funding and all of our scholarships and bursaries.
Fees disclaimers
1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase undergraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.
Speak directly with one of our Unibuddy student ambassadors
Unistats information
Discover Uni provides applicants with Unistats statistics about undergraduate life at Middlesex.
Please select 'see course data' on the following course option to view the full Unistats data for Social Work BA.
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.