3.5-Term Pathway - Foundation Certificate for Business, Law and Social Sciences - Transfer to Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Social Policy

A BA in Social Policy will enable students to understand the causes of social problems and how societies attempt to solve them, both nationally and internationally. Students will receive a thorough grounding in core social sciences, including sociology, social psychology, politics and economics and use what they learn to explore why making successful policies is so complex, why patterns of inequality persist and what more can be done to address social problems.

Social policy is concerned with promoting the welfare of citizens. Traditionally the subject focused on the ‘big five’ areas of: poverty, health, housing, education and unemployment, but has expanded in recent years to broader social issues and international contexts. Often social policy questions the ways in which services do or do not meet the needs of specific groups, such as children, people with disabilities, women, older people, or members of minority ethnic groups.

On York's BA Social Policy course students will receive a broad and balanced introduction to a range of social sciences and training in social research methods. This degree is suited to students if they are interested in the welfare state, the impact of globalisation, social inequalities, the complexities of making successful policies, and what more can be done to solve social problems at home and abroad.