If you’re looking to study a rewarding subject, where you can make a big difference in people’s lives, study a social work degree at the University of Bolton.

Our courses combine theory with placements and ongoing skills development, so that you graduate as a confident and experienced professional, ready to take on your dream career.

As a university, we are proud to place our students first and to be awarded number one in Greater Manchester for student satisfaction by The Complete University Guide 2023. We look forward to providing a positive student experience for you.

The University of Bolton has opened a Social Work Centre for the people of Bolton. The centre will be operated by Social Work students, supported by qualified professionals, providing a free service for members of the public based in the University’s Queens specialist building on Queen Street, Farnworth.

For appointments, please complete our enquiry form.

The career of a social worker involves working in a range of challenging environments working alongside professionals such as housing services, police, and health and social care teams. You could be working with children, young people or adults, supporting families, care leavers and older people, as well as those with mental health issues, learning difficulties or physical disabilities.

Environments you could work in include:

Local authority children’s or adult services
NHS mental health trusts
Community-based settings
Prisons
Private fostering agencies
Voluntary organisations and charities

As a heavily work-based and experience-focused subject area, you will benefit from multiple placements in a variety of environments. To prepare you for your placements, you will also take part in skills development days, which take place on campus.

We take pride in providing a high level of teaching quality, which is reflected in the University of Bolton’s recognition as one of the top five institutions in the UK for teaching quality for the second year running by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020. To ensure you benefit from our exceptional standard of teaching, lectures and seminars are conducted in small groups.

In order for you to embark on a course that is well-suited to you, we offer both undergraduate and postgraduate level courses in social work. Our BA (Hons) Social Work course is perfect for students looking to take their first step into social work. This programme will provide you with a solid foundation for you to build your career upon. Our MA in Social Work is geared towards ambitious graduates looking to develop within the field of social work. Gaining this advanced qualification will lead to enhanced career prospects, while you continue to make a difference to individuals, families and communities.

You will study areas such as the impact of injustice, demography, and social inequality, as well as safeguarding and the signs of harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation. Your lecturers will guide you as you gain key skills, values and behaviours necessary to undertake a social work career. As a University of Bolton social work graduate, you will have developed a strong skill set encompassing:

Communication
Professional judgement
Leadership
Critical reflection
Workload management
Relationship building
Managing conflict

You could progress into a career within the following industries (please note that some roles may require additional qualifications and/or work experience for entry):

Adult guidance
Counselling
Mediation
Mental health
Probation

If you have any more questions about studying at the University of Bolton, our award-winning student services team are here to put your mind at ease about any queries related to accommodation, finance, funding, health and wellbeing, disability support or anything else you may need.