Health & Social Care BA (Hons)
 Health Social Care.jpg)
UCAS Code: L510|Duration: 3 years|Full Time|Hope Park
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
Health and Social Care at Liverpool Hope University helps you explore the real issues shaping people’s lives today, from money and housing to stress, inequality and community. You’ll dive into key questions like why different groups experience health differently, how we tackle health inequalities, how policy affects services, and how we safeguard vulnerable people.
You’ll learn from a wide mix of people, including those with lived experience, frontline professionals and academic experts. This gives you a rounded, real world understanding of health and social care. You’ll also gain hands-on experience through placements, case studies, community projects and applied learning that builds confidence and practical skills.
Your learning goes beyond the classroom. You’ll use tools like AI avatars to develop practice skills, visit exhibitions, and take part in trips to our outdoor learning centre in North Wales. This degree prepares you to make a meaningful difference in communities.
Course structure
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups, and tutorials. You also have the opportunity to have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor each week, and in your second year, you will undertake a work placement.
In your first year, there are approximately 12 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 10 hours in your second and third years. On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend a number of hours each week studying independently, as well as group study to prepare for any group assessments you may have.
Assessment and feedback
Throughout your degree, you will have a number of assessments including portfolios, essays, case studies, community projects, and presentations. In your second year, you complete a work-based learning placement and in your final year, you will complete a dissertation on a topic of your choice, with guidance from your supervisor.
You will be given written feedback on your assessments, and you will have the opportunity to discuss this with your tutor in more detail.
Year One
In Year One, you will spend half of your time studying Health and Wellbeing, exploring a broad range of issues, debates, and theoretical perspectives that underpin the subject.
Approaches to Health and Wellbeing
This module examines the different ways people understand health and wellbeing and how these perspectives shape responses to ill health. You will explore models including the biomedical approach, psychology of health, and sociological approaches. The module also focuses on social divisions and inequalities in health, considering how factors such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, poverty, socioeconomic status, and disability affect health and wellbeing at both individual and community levels.
Contemporary Issues in Health and Wellbeing
This module addresses key contemporary issues in health and wellbeing. You will apply your knowledge of approaches to health and social inequalities to examine complex issues such as obesity, mental health, and sexual health. The module explores the impact of social and environmental conditions on health outcomes and considers strategies to improve these conditions, moving beyond individual lifestyle factors to a broader societal perspective.
The other half of your time will be devoted to Social Care, providing a grounding in both the context and practice of social care.
Social Care in Context
This module explores the historical and social context of welfare and its influence on ideas about groups currently using social care services. You will examine social inequalities experienced throughout life and how these increase the likelihood of developing social care needs.
Social Care in Practice
This module investigates approaches to addressing social care needs at micro, meso, and macro levels. You will consider social and political changes necessary to reduce inequality and explore strategies to support individual needs. The module also encourages reflection on the values underpinning professional practice, including individuality, identity, rights, choice, privacy, independence, dignity, respect, and partnership, and examines how tensions can arise between personal and professional values.
Year Two
In Year Two, you will spend half of your time studying Explorations in Health and Wellbeing, building on the knowledge gained in Year One and applying it to areas such as Public Health, health promotion, and research methods.
Public Health and Health Promotion: Theory and Practice
This module explores the history of Public Health and health promotion, examining how priorities and key drivers have evolved over time. You will investigate current public health challenges and how they are being addressed. Different theoretical approaches to health promotion are considered, along with their merits and limitations. You will also complete a community-based health promotion project, providing practical insight into health promotion practice.
Researching Health and Wellbeing
This module develops your understanding of both quantitative and qualitative research methods in Health and Wellbeing. You will study research ethics and learn how to critically review existing research literature. You will be supported in developing your own research questions, designing research projects, and analysing data, preparing you for the Year Three dissertation.
The other half of your time is devoted to Explorations in Social Care, providing a deeper understanding of policy, legislation, and professional practice.
The Policy and Legislative Context of Social Care
This module examines relevant policies and legislation designed to support and protect social care users. You will explore ethical issues that arise when working within statutory frameworks and consider strategies for resolving them.
Professional Practice in Social Care
This module helps you develop the characteristics and skills required for professional practice. It includes 50 hours of placement experience in a social care setting. Prior to placement, you will engage in activities to demonstrate readiness for practice, including effective communication, safe working practices, strengths-based approaches, and anti-oppressive methods.
Emancipatory Research
This module prepares you for undertaking research in Year Three while developing knowledge of how to work with communities in empowering ways. You will explore approaches and challenges in community-based research, including how power dynamics influence research and how collaborative and creative methods can reduce their impact.
Year Three
In Year Three, you will spend half of your time studying Advanced Studies in Health and Wellbeing, building on knowledge and skills from previous years.
Contemporary Issues in Global Health and Wellbeing
This module explores key debates in global health and wellbeing. You will extend your understanding of health inequalities beyond individual societies to inequalities between countries. Topics include infectious and non-infectious diseases, global pandemics, the growing global burden of chronic disease, and global mental health. You will develop an in-depth understanding of determinants of health and social divisions that transcend national boundaries.
Health and Wellbeing Across the Life-Course
This module uses the life-course framework to understand Health and Wellbeing outcomes. You will examine how health-damaging exposures and health-enhancing opportunities are socially patterned and consider key Health and Wellbeing challenges at each stage of life, including prenatal health, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, midlife, and old age.
The other half of your time is devoted to Advanced Studies in Social Care, covering ethics, leadership, and contemporary issues.
Ethics in Health and Wellbeing
This module explores the moral and ethical implications of health interventions. You will study theoretical frameworks for analysing ethical issues and apply them to case studies, considering tensions between individual rights and the common good. Topics include physical and cognitive enhancement, and ethical issues surrounding living and dying.
Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care
This module examines leadership and management theories relevant to health and social care services. Students reflect on the role of everyone in shaping services and develop self-leadership qualities.
Contemporary Issues in Children's Social Care
This module explores the contemporary context of children’s lives, including social and economic influences and modern family structures. You will study approaches to working with children and young people in a variety of contexts and examine strategies for supporting families in the community.
Contemporary Issues in Adult Social Care
This module critically examines key challenges in adult social care, considering the impact of austerity and the growing number of people requiring social care services.
Entry requirements
| A-Levels | BBC |
|---|---|
| UCAS Tariff Points | 112 UCAS Tariff points must come from a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent). Additional points can be made up from a range of alternative qualifications.
Find out how many UCAS points your qualifications are worth, by using the Tariff calculator. |
| BTEC | DMM |
| Access to HE | 112 Tariff Points |
| IB | 26 points |
| Irish Leaving Certificate | 112 Tariff Points from Higher Level qualifications only |
| Welsh Baccalaureate | This qualification can only be accepted in conjunction with other relevant qualifications |
| T-Levels | Merit |
| Subject Requirements | Offers will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service. |
International entry requirements
| Specific Country Requirements | Select your country |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0 overall (with reading and writing at 6.0) and no individual score lower than 5.5. We also accept a wide range of International Qualifications. For more information, please visit our English Language Requirements page. |
Careers
A Health and Social Care degree from Liverpool Hope University gives you the knowledge and skills to work across a wide range of roles.The broad nature of the course prepares you for careers in health promotion, housing, youth services, community projects, occupational health, services for older people and support for young people.
The sector is changing rapidly, with more employers and greater demand for well‑trained, multi‑skilled graduates. Your placement, work‑based learning, guest speakers and applied community projects help you build the practical experience employers value.
You’ll graduate with a strong understanding of the social inequalities that shape people’s health and care needs, and the confidence to work with diverse service user groups. Many students choose to progress onto postgraduate study, including MSc Public Health and MA Social Work.
With strong links to organisations across the Liverpool City Region, this degree supports you to build a meaningful career focused on improving wellbeing, tackling inequality and supporting communities.
Enhancement opportunities: placement
In your second year, you’ll complete a placement that gives you real experience in the health and social care sector. You’ll spend at least 50 hours in a professional setting, building practical skills and confidence while seeing how frontline services work in Liverpool and the wider North West. After your placement, you’ll create a reflective portfolio that helps you connect what you’ve learned in the workplace with your academic studies. This experience is a key part of preparing for a future career in health and social care, giving you the hands‑on insight employers value.
Enhancement opportunities
Work Placement Opportunities
In your second year, you complete a work-based learning project, where you spend a minimum of 50 hours getting work experience and then produce a reflective portfolio. This project enables you to gain vital practical skills and knowledge necessary for a career in the field of health and social care.
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are £9,790 for full-time undergraduate courses.*
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,790.
The tuition fees for the 2027/28 academic year will be £10,050 for full-time undergraduate courses.*
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £10,050
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
Home students (UK)
*Tuition fees are subject to inflation-linked increases in line with government policy. Updated fees will be confirmed in line with the maximum fee cap set by the Government or the Office for Students (OfS) for each academic year. This means your fee may increase for each academic year of study, but only up to the maximum amount permitted for that year.
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.
Additional costs
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2026/27 are £15,225.
The International Tuition fees for 2027/28 are £16,000
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course Enquiry
Got a question about the course? Complete the form below and a member of our team will be in touch.