BSc Social Policy
For prospective students
For new and current students
BSc Social Policy Single and Joint Honours
About the BSc Social Policy programme
The BSc (Hons) programme in Social Policy at the University of Bristol is ranked number one in The Guardian's 2013 University league table, and has been consistently at number one since 2007. We are also in 2nd place (and top outside London) on The Complete University Guide's 2013 University league table.
The Guardian 2013 league table
The Complete University Guide 2013 league table
We offer Single Honours and Joint Honours programmes.
Social Policy at Bristol provides students with an interdisciplinary education in the study of pressing social issues, such as poverty and social exclusion, housing and urban change, crime and punishment, and health and ageing; and with ways of tackling these concerns through the welfare state, the market, voluntary bodies, and the activities of individuals and their families.
The degree focuses on the ideological and political developments that are transforming the delivery of welfare, relating these developments to the significant social, economic, and demographic changes produced by globalisation. Debates about the future of welfare, and in particular the welfare state, are grounded in different theoretical perspectives and philosophical approaches, and they are linked to key concepts such as social justice, need, risk, inequality and citizenship. The policy process - how policy is shaped, made, and implemented - is examined, and contextualised in terms of the historical evolution of social policy and connected to current transformations. Social Policy is also understood internationally and comparatively; a strong feature of the degree programme is its comparative analysis of social policy using case studies on countries as diverse as India, the USA, and Japan.
We encourage a critical approach to the understanding of social problems and the development of policies in responding to them, with concerns about social justice being at the forefront. We ensure that our students graduate with a fuller understanding of social concerns and how they can be addressed via social and public policies. Therefore, the study of social policy has both theoretical and applied dimensions. It will suit those students wishing not only to understand the world but also wanting to think about how it might be changed.
Specific fields of social policy that are examined by the degree programme include:
- Poverty and social exclusion
- Illness, disease and health care
- Crime and punishment
- Housing and homelessness
- Changing population patterns and patterns of family life
- Urban neighbourhood and city transformations
- Drug use and drugs policy
- Violence against women
Questions raised by the degree programme include:
- Can world poverty be ended?
- Are we locking up too many prisoners?
- Can the welfare state afford higher pensions?
- What are the social and economic benefits of migration?
- Why are some urban neighbourhoods persistently deprived, whereas others gentrifying?
- How can violence against women be ended?
- Should cannabis be legalised?
- Can the market deliver social welfare, or has neoliberalism gone too far?
- Who makes policy?
Answers to these questions are drawn from a variety of disciplines: sociology, politics, law, geography, philosophy, economics, and history.
Students will be introduced to these perspectives and provided with the necessary critical thinking skills to address complex issues. A Social Policy degree encourages students to use these skills not in a detached and technical matter; it is a subject which challenges contemporary ideas, practices and policies, informs resistance and provides us with the means to think about the world as it is and as it could be.
Why study Social Policy at Bristol?
If you choose to study Social Policy at Bristol:
- We offer a framework for the study of welfare that is historical, global and comparative, drawing upon a variety of social science disciplines;
- We offer a wide variety of choice both between and within programme units; most of your second and third year units are optional. This enables you increasingly to construct the degree of your choice;
- We offer training in social research methods and offer support in undertaking a small scale investigation in your third year;
- We offer high quality teaching which is related to research interests; most of your lecturers will be leading researchers in their field;
- We offer the opportunity to spend time during your second year studying abroad; we have an exchange programme with City University of Hong Kong and also support study abroad opportunities to the USA, Canada, and Australia
And, most importantly:
- You will be a student at a top institution, studying a programme of Social Policy that rivals any in the world for its sheer breadth and depth, and learning about a fascinating subject from dedicated teachers.