FdA Health Care Studies

This FdA in Health Care Studies at The Growth Company is your chance to achieve a firm foundation of knowledge and experience in contemporary healthcare practices and methods. We offer a range of practical and work-based learning experiences designed to prepare you for employment and further training in the healthcare sector.

Health Care Studies

Key information

Award:

FdA

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

2 years

Location:

The Growth Company

UCAS points:

64

UCAS code:

L500

Start date:

25/09/2023

Course Details

This course is a golden opportunity to develop the intellectual, personal and practical skills so sought-after by employers in the healthcare industries. You’ll have the chance to develop and enhance your understanding of the principles of care, along with the legal and ethical issues associated with social policy and working in the healthcare industries.

Along the way, our expert team will introduce you to theories and concepts in psychology and help you explore anatomy and physiology. We’ll also encourage you to study cases where you can apply your learning, and benefit from our strong emphasis on improving the quality of care delivery within the healthcare sector. With a flexible, open-minded and analytical approach to studying and to the issues raised during your studies, you should be primed to make significant progress towards your goals.

Getting out of the classroom and into the workplace is a key part of your learning, so a dedicated work placement forms part of the course, in which you’ll be encouraged to immerse yourself as a volunteer in a health and social care environment.

Highlights
  • You can benefit from teaching delivered by research-active staff who have close links with the healthcare industries, including the NHS, voluntary and charitable organisations.
  • The course is designed to be flexible if you’re already juggling personal and professional commitments, or working full-time.
  • You’ll have access to university e-learning resources, an extensive e-library and the support of university librarians.
  • A link tutor provides academic communication between The Growth Company and the University of Bolton academic school so that the experience you receive as an off-campus student is equivalent to an on-campus student.
  • As an off-campus student, you also receive the support of a dedicated off-campus team and resources, to help make you truly feel part of the university.
Key Features
  • The University of Bolton has a long-standing and excellent reputation for professional development in health and social care.
  • The Growth Company is a well-established partner in Manchester, and this is a great opportunity for you to study alongside fellow undergraduates from a range of vocational and cultural backgrounds.
  • Work placements provide up-to-date and highly relevant experience in a variety of settings, in areas such as primary care, social work, brain injuries, early years and older adults.
  • Talks from healthcare service providers and users offer varying but balanced perspectives to support your studies.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.


This course is designed to help you to achieve the intellectual, personal and practical skills necessary to pursue a career in the health care industries. It aims to provide you with an understanding of the principles of care and the legal and ethical issues associated with social policy and working in health care.

This foundation degree is aimed at those wishing to further their career within health and social care services and offers an excellent platform into a variety of roles within care homes, residential homes, voluntary organisations, special schools and agencies providing domiciliary care.

After successfully completing the course, you should possess key transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, and negotiation skills, along with the ability to present ideas and arguments, work independently, and reflect on and review progress.

What can I do with this qualification?

After graduation, you’ll be able to use your skills in health and social care to seek employment within the youth justice system, NHS trusts, private hospitals, children's services, social services, family centres, as well as children's homes. You’ll also be able to seek work in the voluntary sector and with medical charities and not-for-profit organisations. Further academic studies and professional training in a variety of fields including social work, teaching and allied health professions is a future consideration.

You could also progress onto Honours-level or final year studies, such as the University of Bolton’s BSc (Hons) Professional Studies (Health and Social Care) or BA (Hons) Community and Neighbourhood Studies.

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification to enter a range of other careers, and for some of these roles, both relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:

  • Counselling
  • Dietetics
  • Writing and journalism
  • Occupational therapy
  • Mental health
  • Social work
  • Teaching and education
  • Health promotion
  • Mentoring
  • Armed forces
  • Community support
  • Youth work
  • Care home management
  • Health services
  • Child protection
  • Early years

Course fees
Home Fees Year of study Total
Entry year2023/242024/252025/26
2023£8,250£8,250-£16,500

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2022-2023 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2022-2023 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2022-2023 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.


For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

If you wish to apply for multiple institutions or multiple courses at Bolton for September entry, then apply through UCAS

You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £27. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £22.50 is applicable.

The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.

You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:

  • Institution Code Name: BOLTN

  • Institution Code Number: B44

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com

If you wish to apply for a single course offered by the University of Bolton for any intake, you can apply directly

If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply directly to the University using our online application form shown below.

A direct application to Bolton provides the following features:

  • Free of charge to apply

  • Secure, simple and streamlined

  • Contact us directly for any admissions queries

  • Regular updates on your application directly from the University

  • Invites to offer holder events and taster sessions where you can meet your future tutors and get a flavour of university life

NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.

For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.

If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.

Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.

If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.

Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:

  • Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates

  • Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies

  • Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role

  • Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately

  • Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or UGadmissions@bolton.ac.uk

International applications are not possible for this course

As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.

We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.

University of Bolton Group Partners

Bolton College
University Collegiate School
Alliance Learning
University of Bolton

For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.

If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply free of charge to the University. By selecting the appropriate link from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.

When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.

NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.

For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.

If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.

Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.

If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.

Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:

  • Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates

  • Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies

  • Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role

  • Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately

  • Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or UGadmissions@bolton.ac.uk

We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!


We use a wide range of teaching methods, to make the course engaging and interesting, and support a rich and varied learning experience designed to prepare you for further studies or training, as well as employment. Taught theory sessions will take place at The Growth Company, or in a practice setting, complemented by group-based activities and seminars, and practical skills-based sessions.

You’ll have considerable one-to-one support from your course tutors and from work-based education facilitators in the practice setting and at The Growth Company. There are also distance-learning and online resources to support your learning and provide flexibility in self-directed studies.

The assessment strategy for the programme is designed to help you achieve overall goals in addition to those of individual modules. Formative assessments involve personalised feedback to help you build on personal strengths and overcome weaknesses. Summative assessments are those for which the marks contribute to the overall module grade, and these also involve feedback to support your ongoing improvement and achievements.

Assessment may be in the form of coursework such as essays, practical project reports, design and analysis assignments, case studies, oral presentations, and traditional exams.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

  • Communication and ICT
  • Using Evidence
  • Introduction to Social Policy
  • Legal and Ethical Issues
  • Principles of Care
  • Promoting Health and Well Being
  • Group Dynamics and Working in Teams
  • Planning Care Delivery
  • Collaborative Health and Social Care
  • Introduction to Psychology in Health and Social Care
  • Social Inclusion, Empowerment and Health
  • Children and Families
Assessment methods
LevelAssesment method
Level oneCoursework 95%, Practical exams 5%
Level twoCoursework 100%
Learning activities
LevelLearning activity
Level oneGuided independent study 36%, Placement/study abroad 41%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 23%
Level twoGuided independent study 30%, Placement/study abroad 50%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 20%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

The academic staff detailed above teach across a range of courses in this subject area and may not teach on this course specifically.

Programme Contacts

Enquiries Team
The Growth Company

recruitment@gceducationandskills.ac.uk

+44 (0)161 233 2656

Gemma Johnson
Programme Leader, The Skills Company

G.Johnson2@bolton.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)161 233 2656

Joey Weber
Link Tutor, University of Bolton

J.Weber@bolton.ac.uk

+44 (0)1204 903708

Lindsey Brocklebank
Academic Partnership Manager, University of Bolton

L.Brocklebank@bolton.ac.uk

+44 (0)1204 903288

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University of Bolton

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We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

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Anderton centre2
RiSE pos rgb logo
QQA Scheme Participant