Social Work BA (Hons)

Develop life-changing skills in real-life settings

Improve lives and make a positive impact

Studying Social Work at Kingston will give you a strong foundation for a career with the potential to change lives for the better. Social workers are highly sought after, and this qualification will open opportunities in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors. You could even be part of an integrated interprofessional team in social care, health, education or criminal justice.

Throughout the course, you’ll benefit from our Developing Together teaching partnership with seven local authorities and two voluntary organisations. Through this, you’ll attend skills workshops to maximise your chances of employment when you graduate.

You’ll gain hands-on experience of social work while building essential knowledge of ethics, diversity, psychology, sociology, social policy and law. You’ll study everything from mental health, disability, adoption and fostering to substance misuse, youth justice and domestic violence.

During the programme, you’ll learn directly from people with lived experience. Practising teaching consultants will also bring theory to life with front-line experiences.

Through a blend of placements, simulated learning and classroom teaching, you’ll develop the skills, values and knowledge you need to make an impact as a qualified social worker.

A group of student chatting and laughing. — Kingston Hill campus

Why choose this course

While you study, you’ll benefit from top quality teaching at Kingston University. Not only are we ranked Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework, we’re also top in London for Social Work (Guardian University Guide 2025).

We collaborate across Kingston University and with external organisations to solve social care issues, which means you’ll have the chance to try out your learning on real-life problems.

A portion of your learning will take place in our specialist Art Room, which replicates a secondary school classroom. The Art Room gives you a unique opportunity to learn a range of creative practices for values-based work with children and young people.

You’ll also have the opportunity to refine your skills in our purpose-built Practice Learning Suite, which simulates interactions with people with lived experience.

Outside of the University, you’ll spend time applying your learning on placements in South West London and Surrey. Placements will be in settings such as child protection, youth justice, mental health, vulnerable adults settings, schools, drugs and substance misuse services.

Alongside your placements, you’ll study assessment, intervention, evaluation, safeguarding, evidence-based practice, research and law. This focus on real-world learning will leave you expertly prepared for social work practice in field, residential, day care, hospital, prison and service user-run settings.

Accreditation

This course is accredited by Social Work England. On successful completion of this course, you’ll be able to apply to register with Social Work England to work as a qualified social worker.

Course content

You will gain a foundation in ethics, diversity, psychology, sociology, social policy and law for social work practice. You will study best practice with adults and children, engaging with areas such as mental health, disability, adoption and fostering, substance misuse, children in conflict with the law, and domestic violence. You will choose a specialist practice area to explore in depth.

Year 1

Year 1 develops your skills through the simulation and recording facilities of our Practice Learning Suite. You will also gain a foundation in ethics, diversity, psychology, sociology, social policy and law for social work practice.

Core modules

Year 2

In Year 2, you will study models on reflection, assessment, intervention, evaluation, safeguarding, evidence-based practice and law. You will learn about best practice with adults and children and families, while engaging with areas such as mental health, disability, adoption and fostering, substance misuse, young offenders, and domestic violence.

Core modules

Year 3

In Year 3, you will learn about recent developments in law, research and practice. Studies culminate in a capstone project on a specialist practice area of your choice.

Core modules

Entry Requirements

This course requires 120-136 UCAS tariff points.

Future Skills and career opportunities

Boost your employability

Every course at Kingston University teaches a range of Future Skills. From problem-solving and adaptability to digital competency, these are the attributes you’ll need to get the edge in the job market and a head start on your career.

Links with business and industry

Local employers, service users and carers all help design and manage this course. We also have long-standing partnerships with a variety of practice settings in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors.

Developing Together teaching partnership

We are part of the Developing Together teaching partnership with local authorities and voluntary agencies, which provides a leading social work education community shaped by academic research and frontline practice and a dynamic programme of post-qualifying learning and development for social workers.

About our Developing Together teaching partnership

The partnership aims to create a culture of ongoing learning, research and support to grow and retain a community of passionate and capable social work professionals that will meet with the region's future workforce demands.

Employment based route

If you’re an employer agency keen to sponsor groups of eligible employees, you can do this via a Partnership Agreement. Please get in touch with the Course Leader for more information about this option.

After you graduate

Recent graduates have gone on to seize opportunities in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors. You might even work as a social worker as part of an integrated interprofessional team in social care, health, education and criminal justice.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it

For more information on how Kingston prepares you for the future job market, visit our Future Skills page.

Future Skills page

Teaching and assessment

Scheduled learning and teaching on this course includes timetabled activities including lectures, seminars and small group tutorials.

It may also include placements, project work, practical sessions, workshops, conferences and field trips.

Fees and funding

Fee category	Fee
Home (UK students)	£9,535*
International
Year 1 (2025/26):	£18,500
Year 2 (2026/27):	£19,200
Year 3 (2027/28):	£19,900

The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are above.

Please visit the Fees and Funding page for more information.

For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.

* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.

Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest-rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.

Scholarships and bursaries

For students interested in studying this course at Kingston, there are several opportunities to seek funding support.

Scholarships and bursaries

Social work bursaries

Some Social Work BA (Hons) students will be eligible for the Department of Health’s bursary in Year 2 and 3. Eligibility is based on the marks you achieve for your first-year modules. Find out more on the NHS bursary website.

Salutem Scholarship

Healthcare organisation, Salutem, offers three-year scholarships for Learning Disability Nursing students to cover tuition fees and living costs. See more information about the scholarship here.

Additional course costs

Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.

Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.

Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:

Two students sitting at a table in the Nightingale Centre cafe, they are chatting. — Kingston Hill campus

Course changes and regulations

The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes

Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.

Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.