Program Overview

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Applied Community & Social Care Studies (with Foundation Year), BA (Hons)

Attendance

Full-time

Campus

Preston Campus

Start

September 2025

Duration

4 years

UCAS Code

LLH5

Delivery

In-person

Foundation year available

Want to study community and social care studies at university level but don’t have the right qualifications? Our Applied Community & Social Care Studies with Foundation Year is for you.

Course Description

If you’re passionate about a career in social work, youth work, education, or community and social care, our foundation year is designed with you in mind.

You’ll get the communication, study and information management skills you need to study at degree level. You'll study a range of social science and welfare-related subjects, including understanding individuals, families and community.

This course builds your study skills and gives you a strong foundation in areas like sociology, psychology, and politics.

You’ll also develop practical skills in public speaking, event planning, and communication, which can boost your employability in both public and private sectors. With strong links to employers and agencies, you’ll meet guest speakers and gain real-world insight into social care and community services, connecting classroom learning with actual practice.

If you’re ready to make a difference, this foundation year gives you the academic, communication, and management skills to succeed in your studies and future career.

If you successfully complete this foundation year, you’ll be guaranteed a place in Year 1 of our BA (Hons) Applied Community and Social Care Studies degree.

You’ll also have the opportunity to progress onto one of three other degree programmes:

• BA (Hons) Applied Community and Social Care Studies
• BA (Hons) Children, Schools and Families
• BA (Hons) Social Work (subject to successful interview)

Why study with us

• Excellent student support from the foundation year course team and the University’s wider support services.
• Guided opportunities to access structured work experience via our own Centre for Volunteering and Community Leadership (CVCL).
• Engage in interactive lectures and seminars with two full days per week taking place in-person on campus, 100% face-to-face.

Modules

Foundation year

• Study skills & Digital Literacy
• Understanding Individuals, Families and Communities
• Working with Individuals, Families and Communities
• Asset-based Community Development

Year 1

• Supporting Well-being and Development
• Introduction to Sociology for Community Practice
• Understanding Welfare Development
• Politics and Policy for Practice
• Introduction to Relational Practice
• Introduction to Community Practice

Year 2

• Comparative Social Policy
• Managing and Delivering Welfare
• Developing Effective Relational Practice
• Researching Social Inequality
• Safeguarding for Community and Social Care Practitioners
• Applied Community Practice: Research and Development

Year 3

• Critical Social Policy
• Community Research Project
• Dissertation
• Management Skills for Community Practice

Optional modules

• Crime in Society: Introductory Themes
• Race, Racism & Ethnicity: Introductory Themes
• Drugs and Society: Critical Analysis
• Social Theory: Textual Analysis
• Social Housing and Homelessness: Critical Analysis
• Mental Health and Social Care: Critical Analysis

Entry requirements

• UCAS: 64 points at A2 or flexibility for work experience
• BTEC Extended Diploma: MPP
• BTEC Diploma: MM
• Pass Access Course: 64 UCAS points
• International Baccalaureate Diploma: Pass including 64 points from Higher Level Subjects
• T Level: P (D or E)
• IELTS: 6.0 with no component lower than 5.5
• GCSEs: 5 at grade C/4 including Maths and English or equivalent

Fees and funding

• UK: £5,760 for the first year, £9,535 per year
• International: £17,250 for the first year, £17,325 per year

Scholarships and bursaries

• Care Leaver Bursary
• Estranged student support
• Dependants Bursary
• Foundation Year Bursary

Industry links

We have strong links with employers and agencies to help with structured work experience, linking classroom learning with real world delivery.

Further information

Upon successful completion of the foundation year, you'll be able to progress onto Year 1 of one our courses to earn a full BA (Hons) degree:

• BA (Hons) Applied Community and Social Care Studies
• BA (Hons) Children, Schools and Families
• BA (Hons) Social Work (subject to successful interview)

You may also be able to progress onto pre-registration nursing courses subject to successful application and interview.

Progression Pathways

Following completion of your Foundation Year, potential progression routes at our University include:

• BA (Hons) Applied Community Social Care Studies (Preston campus)
• BA (Hons) Children Schools and Families Graduate Practitioner (Burnley and Preston campus)
• BA (Hons) Youth Work and Community Practice (Burnley campus)
• BA (Hons) International Social Work and Community Development (Burnley campus)
• BA (Hons) Social Work (Burnley and Preston campus)
• BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult)
• BSc (Hons) Nursing (Children and Young People)

Please note, you must achieve an average grading of over 50% in your first year and a successful interview to proceed internally onto Social Work or Nursing courses.