Social Work Bournemouth University (BU)

Why study BA (Hons) Social Work at BU?

• This practical degree blends a powerful combination of academic study with essential practical experience
• Placements during the course mean you will gain lots of relevant experience operating in real-world settings and will develop strong working relationships with those already in the profession
• Our cohorts are small and extremely well supported
• Our staff team is research active across a wide range of topics relevant to current social work practice, and this informs the curriculum and the learning experience of students
• Each student is allocated a Personal Tutor from the teaching team
• People with lived experience are actively and meaningfully involved in all aspects of the course, through the Public Involvement in Education and Research (PIER) partnership.The involvement of service users and carers was developed in social work and is now a feature across the faculty.

Approved by Social Work England

This course is approved by Social Work England, which means you’ll be eligible to apply for registration as a social worker on successful completion of the course.

Where could a Social Work degree take you? 

While this course will prepare you for a rewarding career as a social worker, it will also give you the skills you need to work effectively in a variety of other roles.

Thanks to our close ties with local employers, as well as our service user and care partnerships, you will have the opportunity to undertake varied placements during your course and develop strong working relationships with those already in the profession.

Entry requirements

For September 2026 entry: 112 - 128 UCAS tariff points including a minimum of 2 A-levels or equivalent. BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM. T Levels: Merit (120 UCAS tariff points). 

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry onto Year 1 September 2026 entry:

• China: Chinese Senior High School Graduation Certificate (Huikao) average 80%, or Gaokao 71-76%. Grade depends on the course 
• France: Baccalaureate with 12.5–13 overall or 11.5-12 (international option) 
• Hong Kong: HKDSE Diploma(4,4,4 from three subjects). Grade depends on the course 
• India: All India Senior School Certificate Examination (Standard XII) 70-75% 
• Spain: Titulo de Bachillerato with 7to 7.5. Grade depends on course 
• Turkey: Devlet Lise Diplomasi/Lise BitirmeDiplomasi 3.5/5.0 or 70% to 4.0/5.0 or 80%.

If English is not your first language, you will need IELTS (Academic) 7.0 with minimum 6.5 in each component or equivalent. 

Please note that there are also non-academic entry requirements for this course, visit the course page on the BU website for full information.