Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 360 credits by this date.
If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification, please contact the Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email.
In the fast-changing world of today’s care sector, professionals at all levels need to be proactive and flexible to succeed. This degree in health and social care provides a sound and critical understanding of policy, theory and practice, and will help you to develop as an independent and reflective learner. You’ll examine the context and processes of change in yourself, in groups and in services, including new ways of working across agencies and professional boundaries. By the end of the degree course you’ll be able to evaluate your own and others’ roles in the context of policy developments; engage in developing strategic solutions; and recognise and value diversity and difference. You’ll also understand how ethical, legal, social, economic and political factors influence the provision and development of services; and gain the essential critical and analytical skills needed to engage in the development of evidence-based practice.
Planning your studies
Whether or not you’re new to study or to the OU, we recommend that you start with a Level 1 module.
For this degree that would mean starting with An introduction to health and social care (K101). If you complete that successfully you’ll have a firm foundation for future studies as well as credits to count towards your degree.
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 120 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you (with the exception of an undergraduate-level qualification of less than 120 credits). If you have graduated with an OU BA/BSc degree without honours and are continuing your studies on to honours, this minimum requirement is reduced to 60 credits. Before being awarded any intermediate qualifications on the way to your OU honours degree, we advise you to check that you’ll have sufficient new credits to qualify for your degree.
There is a time limit for completion of this degree. You must obtain the 360 credits required for the degree within a ten-year period from the start of the first module to the award of credit for the last. If you have an award of transferred credit counting in your degree in recognition of study you successfully completed elsewhere, the ten years will start from either the date the study that led to that credit transfer was completed or the start date of your first OU module counting to this degree, whichever is the earliest.
Career relevance and employability
This degree course will be of interest to anyone who works – or has a particular interest – in health, social work or social care in the statutory, voluntary or private sectors. All the modules emphasise crossing professional boundaries with a focus on the service user’s perspective – and are therefore closely attuned to priorities in the care sector and the NHS modernisation agenda.
The BA/BSc (Honours) Health and Social Care provides you with a strong set of transferable skills valued by employers. These include:
- written communication skills, including report and essay writing
- presentation and oral communication skills
- the ability to work both independently and as part of a team
- effective problem-solving skills
- time management and planning skills
- research and data analysis skills
- a good understanding of information technology.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
For this 360-credit honours degree you require:
60 credits from the following compulsory module:
Level 1 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- An introduction to health and social care (K101)
|
60 |
|
Or the discontinued modules K100, KZX100
And at least 60 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 2 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Adult health, social care and wellbeing (K217)
|
60 |
|
- Health and illness (K213)
|
60 |
|
And at least 60 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 3 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Adulthood, ageing and the life course (K319)
|
60 |
|
- Leadership and management in health and social care (K313)
|
60 |
|
- Promoting public health: skills, perspectives and practice (K311)
|
60 |
|
- Working together for children (KE312)
|
60 |
|
- Issues in research with children and young people (EK313)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued modules K202, K203, K204, K218 at Level 3 the discontinued modules K301, K302, K303, K309, KE308
And 120 credits, which can be taken from any of the modules above or from the following optional modules. At least 120 credits in total for the degree must be at Level 3:
Level 2 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Ageing societies and global health (K242)
|
60 |
|
- Death and dying (K260)
|
30 |
|
- Dementia care (K235)
|
30 |
|
- (Equality, participation and inclusion: learning from each other (E214)
|
60 |
|
- Mental health and community (K240)
|
60 |
|
- The law and social work (England and Wales) (K270)
|
60 |
|
- The law and social work (Scotland) (K207)
|
60 |
|
- The science of the mind (SDK228)
|
30 |
|
Level 3 optional module |
Credits |
Next start |
- Issues in research with children and young people (EK313)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued modules A218, E242, E243, K201, K205, K214, K221, K223, K225, K256, K257, K258, K259, K263, K267, K269, K272, SK220, SK277, at Level 3 the discontinued modules D311, EK310, K307, K321
And a maximum of 60 credits of free choice from any OU modules at Level 1, 2 or 3 to bring your total number of credits to 360. Within the total, you must ensure that you have at least the required minimum number of credits at each level and after 31 December 2014 no more than 30 from Openings modules or the discontinued Short module Science starts here (S154).
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of modules so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required number and type of modules you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science (Honours) Health and Social Care degree. Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. The class of degree is determined by the best grades you achieve in 240 credits from the modules above Level 1 listed above. At least 120 of those credits must come from modules at Level 3. You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
How to register
If you want to study for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of
our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the
module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module.
During the registration procedure you will be asked to declare which qualification you are studying towards.
See a full list of modules available for this qualification