Course options
Key information
Duration: 4 years full time
UCAS code: L51F
Institution code: R72
Campus: Egham
The course
BSc Health and Social Care with Integrated Foundation Year
This course is available to Home (UK) students and students from the EU who meet the English Language requirements.
Are you looking for a degree that will help you make a difference in society? That gives you a comprehensive and critical understanding of health and social care and helps building healthy and resilient communities for a sustainable future?
Our four-year BSc Health and Social Care with an Integrated Foundation Year is a thorough, skills-building course that will give you everything you need to start your career with confidence.
Our Foundation Year sets you up so that you’re ready to take on your degree - providing you with opportunities to gain knowledge and understanding of how to get started with this fascinating subject at university. All Foundation Year students take foundation course modules around health and social care, culture, global challenges and mathematics and once you have completed your foundation year, you will normally progress onto the three year BSc Health and Social Care.
Studying our new interdisciplinary BSc Health and Social Care means that you will learn from leading experts from within sociology, social policy, social work and health who will share their research and experience so that you gain invaluable skills to help you understand individuals, communities and their key public health and social care issues.
The degree will help you to take a broad view of these issues and explore them from a range of different perspectives. It will introduce you to understanding society and people in society and provides training in core areas within health and social care. Short placements will be available once you’ve finished your foundation year, for the next two years, and a small group-based community research and innovation project is included in your final year.
• You will benefit from academic study combined with vocational training – integrated work-based learning opportunities
• Combine a solid theoretical grounding with a vocational strand to maximise your future opportunities whether you are considering a professional career or further study
• Gain critical thinking skills which will help you analyse and understand issues pervading the study of health and social care
• Gain practical skills in evaluation and research
From time to time, we make changes to our courses to improve the student and learning experience. If we make a significant change to your chosen course, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.
Course structure
Core Modules
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Global Perspectives and Academic Practice provides a survey of world history that identifies key events and ideas from the Enlightenment to the present day through an examination of a range of issues related to the broad theme of globalisation. The unit takes a broadly chronological approach to the core issues but considers the overarching theme of globalisation from innovative and interesting angles such as the experience and participation of women, the significance of black, ethnic minority or third world perspectives, contributions and experiences, and the role of science as a driver of global interdependence.
The seminars and workshops take the core academic themes covered in the lectures as their starting point but centre around the development of academic skills that will enable transition, ‘upskilling’, confidence building and effective participation in the academic practices associated with humanities disciplines. This is complimented by weekly tutorials provided by your dedicated CeDAS personal tutor, a suite of skills workshops delivered by the Library, and fortnightly personal tutorials within your chosen academic department.
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Mathematics. The foundation to all sciences. By engaging in mathematical reasoning you will develop your scientific thinking as well as problem-solving skills. Moreover, you will get to embark on a journey through the exciting world of maths and its application. This course will provide you with the skills to successfully continue onto a STEM degree. The course aims to aid you in developing familiarity and skills in differentiation and integration. The main mathematical topics and concepts in the course are algebra (simplification, rearrangement), sequences and series, number bases, logic, functions, graphing of functions, exponential and logarithm, trigonometry, vectors/matrices, complex numbers differentiation, integration, first order ordinary differential equations, probability, and statistics (mean, variance, normal, binomial distributions).
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Knowing how to program is a highly sought-after skill, and is becoming increasingly important. Also, it is fun. This course equips you with the basic and foundational skills necessary to be successful in programming. We mainly use Python, but the skills learnt are also applicable to other languages. The course will contain foundational programming topics, including: how computers work, introduction to algorithms, basic data structures, control flow, programming libraries, data manipulation, input/output, file manipulation, dynamic structures and objects. Upon completion of the until you’ll will be able to understand variables, types and simple data structures (lists, strings, dictionaries and arrays), use functions to simply programs and promote code testing and reuse. Throughout the course there will be lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on problem-solving.
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Global Perspectives and Academic Practice provides a survey of world history that identifies key events and ideas from the Enlightenment to the present day through an examination of a range of issues related to the broad theme of globalisation. The unit takes a broadly chronological approach to the core issues but considers the overarching theme of globalisation from innovative and interesting angles such as the experience and participation of women, the significance of black, ethnic minority or third world perspectives, contributions and experiences, and the role of science as a driver of global interdependence.
The seminars and workshops take the core academic themes covered in the lectures as their starting point but centre around the development of academic skills that will enable transition, ‘upskilling’, confidence building and effective participation in the academic practices associated with humanities disciplines. This is complimented by weekly tutorials provided by your dedicated CeDAS personal tutor, a suite of skills workshops delivered by the Library, and fortnightly personal tutorials within your chosen academic department.
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How do we shape our understanding of the world around us through our interaction with material objects? How do we give greater meaning to our lives through performing and repeating particular social practices? This unit takes a close look at these two questions, inviting you to challenge your assumptions about the ordinary. No matter the degree you are going on to study, our deep dive into ideas surrounding material culture and social practices will enhance your capacity to think critically about the world around you. The course will explore the critical uses of ‘material culture’ and ‘ritual’ as terms and tools of analysis; examine objects and rituals from different periods, and also how the body, the built environment, and spatial aesthetics, all exemplify social practices. We'll encounter coffee cups, Cuban dancing, and carnival - among other topics - not to mention a few ghosts that haunt the buildings of Royal Holloway itself. Along the way you will develop critical and creative skills that will allow you to deliver effective poster presentations (an increasingly popular form of assessment in many Humanities degree pathways).
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‘Digital Cultures’ explores the intersection between the digital revolution of the past fifty years and the study of humanities in Higher Education, in order to consider the implications of this ‘encounter’ of the digital with the humanities. With the decline in public and private support for the humanities in full swing, this module questions whether the digital is a necessary ally to ensure that the humanities are continuing to communicate with, and adapt to, the needs of our contemporary, digitalised society. It will frame this ‘encounter’ by turning to moments in history where similar scientific advancements have reshaped the humanities.
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The aims of the module are to provide students with an introduction to health and social care policy, practice, and values and to gain insight into the perspectives of those who use health and social care services. The module will introduce each of these areas, providing a brief overview and using case studies to allow discussion and interactional learning. There will be the opportunity to meet a practitioner and someone with lived experience of using services to enrich the learning of students. Students will apply study skills in seminars by leading discussions, sharing ideas, problem-solving based on case study material and undertaking teamwork. Students will be encouraged to carry out independent research to find out about local health and social care services that might be able to assist a person with health and social care needs.
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The aim of this department-based project is to enable students to engage with current health and social care issues that emerge through the news and other media and to independently seek out research that engages with the issues that emerge. Through doing this, students will develop a richer sense of what health and social care policy and practice looks like, how contemporary issues are reflected in academic research and literature and what their own position is on these issues. Students will be supported with study skills to engage with media and to research the evidence base for the contemporary issues that arise.
Year 1
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This professionally oriented module addresses students’ employability skills with providing them with foundational level competences (knowledge, skills, values and agency) in social care. The emphasis within this module is empowering, holistic, person-centred, individual level care which will be contextualised from the perspectives of professional multi-agency practice, diversity and service user involvement. The aim is to help the students to engage both with the theories and practices of person-centred social care and develop their communicative, dialogic skills and ethical sensitivity. This module includes practice placement of 40 hours during term 2 coordinated by the Royal Holloway Volunteering Team. Students can opt to volunteer in diverse health care setting as well depending on their professional interests.
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This module will explore and examine how human behaviour and experience are influenced by social and interactional experiences and contexts across the lifespan. Drawing on diverse theories and applying research evidence ‘Perspectives on People in Society’ will enable you to identify and critically analyse literature and research evidence on human development and to communicate on how life events and social contexts impact on people’s experiences. You will explore social, biopsychosocial, psychological and ecological perspectives, focusing on the person in their environment. You will also explore how context, challenge and change impact on life experiences.
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The aim of this module is to provide a holistic overview of the human structure and functioning through an interdisciplinary approach which enables students to understand the interconnecting perspectives across the biological, psychological, social and environmental sciences.
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The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of the different health professional roles and how they play a vital role in treatment, rehabilitation and improving health and wellbeing in health and social care.
Year 2
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This module focuses on more advanced skills development in relation to working with risk, early intervention, safeguarding and promoting people’s social participation in their diverse social contexts. Essential social and welfare policies will be covered in this module and students will be introduced to different means of social advocacy and anti-discriminatory practice. Students further develop their ethical sensitivity by focusing on identifying social justice-related ethical dilemmas in their practice. This module includes a 40-hour placement (term 2).
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This module will introduce community development work and core concepts of power, social justice, participation, co-production and advocacy. Lectures will introduce theory, concepts and practice examples of community development in action, with guest speakers (who have experience in the sector) invited to share their knowledge with students. Seminars will introduce students to the skills required to complete a community profile and an assessment of strengths and needs in the area. Perspectives from community members will be central to the values of the module and students will learn to reflect on their own positionality vis-à-vis the members of the community they are focussing on.
- Physical and Mental Conditions
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The module aims to develop knowledge and an understanding of the purpose and process of research and enable students to demonstrate research awareness and evidence-based practice to support services and the wider healthcare outcomes.
- Health Promotion and Protection Frameworks
- Health Policy
Year 3
You will choose between Qualitative Methods OR Quantitative Methods
- Dissertation
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This third-year module builds on the previous two social care modules within BSc Health and Social Care Degree. The aim of the module is to provide students with tools to critically analyse concurrent, innovative and entrepreneurial professional approaches as future social care practitioners and leaders. The module is based on reflective practice with a focus on future-oriented skills and competencies in the social care profession. Students also examine their professional orientation, professional identity and purpose in helping others. This module includes a small group-based community research and innovation project in which students focus on solving a practice-based challenge in a health or social care setting by creating tools, models, conceptualisations and applications to tackle this challenge, run with the support of the community research scheme via RHUL Volunteering team.
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The aim of the module is to provide students with an understanding of the influence of the determinants of health, power and discrimination, and the impact on social inclusion and exclusion. The students will use social theory and lived narratives to understand social issues and learn ways to challenge inequality in health across the population.
- Research methods – Qualitative
- Research methods – Quantitative
Optional Modules
Teaching & assessment
Teaching and learning is mostly by means of lectures; seminars; tutorials; workshops; study groups; essay consultations; oral presentations and guided independent study. Assessment of knowledge and understanding is typically by formal examinations, coursework, examined essays, online tests and exercises, oral presentations and the dissertation or long essay. In addition, students may be involved in workshops and may produce various forms of creative or editorial work. Two placements will be undertaken, one at stage one and one at stage two. At stage 3, you will undertake a community innovation project.
Contact hours come in various forms and may take the form of time spent with a member of staff in a lecture or seminar with other students. Contact hours may also be project supervision with a member of staff, or discussion through a virtual learning environment (VLE). These contact hours may be with a lecturer or teaching assistant, but they may also be with a specialist support staff.
The way in which each module on your degree course is assessed will also vary, however, the assessments listed above are all ‘summative’, which means you will receive a mark for it which will count towards your overall mark for the module, and potentially your degree classification, depending on your year of study. On successful completion of the module you will gain the credits listed. ‘Coursework’ might typically include a written assignment, like an essay. Coursework might also include a report, dissertation or portfolio. ‘Practical assessments’ might include an oral assessment or presentation, or a demonstration of practical skills required for the particular module
More detailed information on modules, including teaching and learning methods, and methods of assessment, can be found via the online Module Catalogue. The accuracy of the information contained in this document is reviewed regularly by the university, and may also be checked routinely by external agencies, such as the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).
Entry requirements
A Levels: CCC
Required subjects:
- At least five GCSEs at grade A*-C or 9-4 including English and Mathematics.
Other UK and Ireland Qualifications
EU requirements
English language requirements
All teaching at Royal Holloway is in English. You will therefore need to have good enough written and spoken English to cope with your studies right from the start. Find out what scores we require.
Country-specific requirements
For more information about country-specific entry requirements for your country please visit here.
Undergraduate preparation programme
For international students who do not meet the direct entry requirements, for this undergraduate degree, the Royal Holloway International Study Centre offers an International Foundation Year programme designed to develop your academic and English language skills.
Upon successful completion, you can progress to this degree at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Your future career
This degree will provide you with critical thinking and research method skills, which are paramount in a number of careers.
The degree has a strong vocational strand running throughout, utilising links with local authorities and charities in the health and social care sector. You will prepare for your future career, whether you are interested in working in a professional role or undertaking future training at Postgraduate level.
Fees, funding & scholarships
Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £9,250
Eligible EU students tuition fee per year**: £20,000
Foundation year essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course.
How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students who have already taken out a tuition fee loan for undergraduate study should check their eligibility for additional funding directly with the relevant awards body.
*The tuition fee for UK undergraduates is controlled by Government regulations. For students starting a degree in the academic year 2024/25, the fee is £9,250 for that year.
**This figure is the fee for students starting a degree in the academic year 2023/24, and is provided here as a guide. The UK Government has confirmed that EU nationals are no longer eligible to pay the same fees as UK students, nor be eligible for funding from the Student Loans Company. This means you are classified as an international student. Please see the fees and funding page for more information.
Fees for international students may increase year-on-year in line with the rate of inflation. The policy at Royal Holloway is that any increases in fees will not exceed 5% for continuing students. For further information see fees and funding and our terms and conditions.
***These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2023/24 academic year, and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing etc., have not been included.
Year 1 discount for Foundation Year students: Your Foundation Year counts as Year 0. In Year 1, Home (UK) students taking an Integrated Foundation Year degree benefit from a 10% discount off the standard Home (UK) tuition fee for that year. Find out more
