Social and Public Policy with a year in industry

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Social and Public Policy (with a year in industry) (BA) - Undergraduate, University of York

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HomeStudy at YorkUndergraduateCourses 2027/28Social and Public Policy (with a year in industry) (BA)

BA (Hons) Social and Public Policy (with a year in industry)

Understand the causes of social problems and how societies attempt to address them

Year of entry: 2027/28

Overview

Course content

Teaching and assessment

Entry requirements

UCAS code

Institution code

Start date

September 2027

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4 years full-time

Typical offer

Full entry requirements

School/department

School for Business and Society

UK (home) fees

International and EU fees

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8th in the UK for Social Policy

Complete University Guide 2026

41st in the world for Social Policy and Administration

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025

With many social, cultural, economic and political problems continuing to accumulate, it has never been more important to explore the problems that beset the social world and identify how they can be addressed.

A BA in Social and Public Policy (with a year in industry) will enable you to understand the causes of social problems and how societies attempt to solve them, both nationally and internationally.

Social progress depends on effectively designed social and public policies that aim to distribute resources to maximise human welfare and minimise social disadvantage. The study of Social and Public Policy addresses the best ways to achieve these outcomes, drawing on concepts and theories from all social science disciplines.

As independent, critical thinkers, you will graduate equipped to tackle complex problems and produce creative solutions, applying sophisticated theoretical knowledge of the social and policy worlds and promoting collaborative approaches in your working lives.

Our programme is outward-looking and incorporates strong links with the broader policy community, opportunities to engage with leading policy organisations and an international perspective to studying social issues. Students will develop versatile knowledge and skills that will enable them to pursue a wide range of careers in the public, private and voluntary sectors.

You’ll start your degree in BA Social and Public Policy by undertaking core modules that give you a foundational understanding of key issues surrounding the subject, including how various key social problems are currently being addressed both locally and nationally. As you progress, you'll tailor your degree with option modules that allow you to focus on issues and policies that interest you.

During your degree, you will consider the diversity of human needs and sources of inequality at local, national and global levels; and analyse the social, political and economic context in which they exist. Graduates will understand and improve societal responses to social problems and disadvantage.

You will also actively examine the complexity of the policy-making process in the UK and beyond. You will learn how to investigate and critically assess the role of policy actors - citizens, governments, and markets - in shaping policy, and to evaluate the evidence on which policy is based.

Year 3 (in industry)

In your first year, you will study core modules that will introduce key issues surrounding Social and Public Policy. This includes exploring various core social problems including poverty and various forms of inequality, as well as how competing interests and unequal power relations shape policy.

Core modules

Power, Policy and Social Progress

Contemporary Issues in Social and Public Policy

Economy and Society

Social Science and the Chocolate City

Social Harm and Injustice

You will also study one option module. In previous years, options have covered topics such as:

Criminal Justice and Inequality

The Psychological Mind in a Social World

Academic integrity module

In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.

This module covers some of the essential skills and knowledge which will help you to study independently and produce work of a high academic standard which is vital for success at York.

This module will:

define academic integrity and academic misconduct

provide interactive exercises to help you to assess whether you've understood the concepts

provide answers to FAQs and links to useful resources.

In your second year you'll study core modules which build upon your previous work. You'll also choose from a range of option modules that will allow you to focus on a topic that interests you.

Policy Think Tank

Capitalism and the Public Good

Researching Policy and Society

Social Inequalities

Option modules

You will also study two option modules, one from Option List A and one from Option List B. Examples include:

Option List A

Crime and the Life Course

Contemporary Issues in Criminal justice

Communities, Participation and Creating Change

Enabling Places and Spaces: Exploring Social Perspectives on Disability and Mental Health

Option List B

Victimology and Victimisation

Future Worlds of Work

The options available to you will be confirmed later in the year. For further information please get in touch.

A year in industry gives you the opportunity to apply your academic learning to a real-life business. The average salary for the School's 2024-25 placements in the UK is £23,500 (ranging from £19,500 to £32,000).

Our in-school Placements Team advertises hundreds of vacancies each year. You can find placements in all sorts of industries, all over the world. The process of applying is intensive and competitive, so the team will work with you from the beginning of your course to guide you in your choice of placement and prepare you for applying.

In recent years, the School's placements have included:

Met Police - Counterterrorism

NHS Trusts

Goldman Sachs

Deloitte

The Infected Blood Inquiry

The Walt Disney Company

Gymshark

Mercedes-Benz

Rolls-Royce

Ernst and Young

York Cares

IFF Research

Unilever

Before starting a placement that forms part of your course, you are likely to be asked by the placement provider to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is to ensure that you do not disclose any information that is confidential to the placement provider.

In your final year you can choose from a range of option modules, including the opportunity for a short placement with an organisation working in social policy. You'll also work on a dissertation: an extended essay based on your own research.

Independent Study Module

You will also study four option modules, two from Option List A and two from Option List B. Examples include:

Drugs: Prevalence, Policy and Practice

Welfare States and Economic Crises

Housing and Homelessness: Overcoming Inequality

Prisons and Penal Policy

Wellbeing of Children and Young People

Global Social Problems

Stigma, Power and Resistance

Crime and Justice in the Online Space

In the summer holiday before the third year starts you can undertake a work-shadowing placement that lasts around 80 hours. This will allow you to learn from professionals in a field you're interested in. Watching professionals at work is a completely different learning experience which can help you develop ideas for your dissertation and your future career. If you choose to do a placement, it counts as one of your four option modules.

Vulnerability, Deviance and Social Control

Migration, Immigration and Social Policy

Policing and the Police

Gender, Violence and Justice

Environmental Justice, Harm, and Policy

Education Policy: Divisions & Inequalities

Left Behind Places

Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.

Learning outcomes

Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Learning outcomes for this course

Analyse and evaluate policy to develop informed judgements through a critical understanding of the ways in which social, political, economic and institutional interests shape social problems and societal responses.

Design policy for effective delivery and outcome, drawing on understanding of the policy making process and applying theories and concepts from the social sciences to real world problems.

Retrieve, generate, interpret and critically assess qualitative and quantitative data using appropriate research methods, digital resources and policy-relevant analytical techniques to investigate social questions, assess evidence and produce reasoned written accounts of social and public policy enquiry.

Engage with policy debate at local, national and global level, synthesising complex material and communicating ideas effectively to a range of audiences, both in writing and verbally, using up-to-date visual presentation techniques.

Work effectively in multidisciplinary teams by acknowledging competing interpretations of social issues, and by recognising the value of collaborative and participatory approaches to problem-solving and the shaping of policy responses.

Recognise the drivers of social inequalities and the differential impact of policies on social groups and contribute to the pursuit of social progress through sensitivity to the diversity of human needs.

There is a really diverse mix of students on the course all from different economic, social and political backgrounds. This certainly enhances our learning experience because you can learn so much from the people around you and their opinions, as well from those teaching you.

Tu Yuqi, BA Social and Public Policy

The fees and funding information here is for students starting in the 2027/28 academic year.

If you take a year abroad or year in industry you'll pay a reduced rate of fees for that year.

Annual tuition fees

UK (home)

International and EU

The UK government has announced its intention to increase tuition fees from £9,790 to £10,050 for the 2027/8 academic year. We expect this to apply to new UK (home) undergraduate students starting their studies in September 2027.

UK (home) or international fees?

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

UK (home) fees may increase within the government fee cap in subsequent academic years. We will notify you of any increase as soon as we can.

International fees are subject to increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).

More information

For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.

We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2027/28 throughout the year.

UK government loans

UK scholarships and bursaries

International scholarships

Country-specific funding

US loans

Living costs

You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.

Free online courses

Get a taste of university-level study on one of York's free short courses, including our subject course, 'Understanding and solving poverty and inequality'.

York, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial

Just four UK universities are rated Gold for teaching and top ten for research* in the latest national assessment exercises.

See why York is rated Gold for teaching

Explore our research performance

* Awarded joint 10th in the Times Higher Education ranking of the Research Excellence Framework 2021.

You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Teaching format

You'll have a lecture series for each module. Some lectures may be delivered by guest speakers, drawing on expertise from other departments and outside the University. Modules normally have an accompanying seminar series. These will be meetings of around 15 to 25 people where you will debate key issues encountered on the module. You'll challenge what academics have written and form your own understanding about the topic. You may also take part in workshops that provide hands-on experience in social research methods.

You will be allocated a personal supervisor who will support you through your study. Usually your supervisor will be one of the team responsible for the Social and Public Policy degree and teaching on some of the core modules.

In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.

Teaching location

You will be based in the School for Business and Society which is based on Campus West. The majority of your teaching will take place in Derwent and Alcuin.

About our campus

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.

Assessment and feedback

The most common form of assessment is by essays. You'll be supported in the first year with advice and seminars on writing an academic essay. You may also be assessed with a mixture of report writing, data analysis exercises, critical reviews and presentations. There is minimal use of closed exams.

At the end of the degree you will submit a dissertation of 8,000 words. You'll be supported by a dissertation supervisor as you specialise in a topic that interests you.

Careers and skills

This course will prepare you for a career which uses social and public policy. The course is also good preparation if you would like to continue your studies at postgraduate level.

Career opportunities

Many of our students use the expertise they gain from their degree to develop careers in the social and public policy fields. Recent examples include:

Policy research in the House of Commons

Employment and training research

Work for specialist charities such as Shelter

Work for a Local Authority.

Others go on to develop their skills through:

Fast-track civil service training

Housing management training sponsored by a Housing Association

Postgraduate training in social work

Postgraduate research in social policy.

See our graduates' careers in roles around the world

Transferable skills

Problem solving

Organization and time management

Communication

Teamwork

Debating and persuasion

Leadership

Creativity

Resilience

Turn ambition into achievement with our expert guidance and connections. From your first day here to life after graduation, we'll help you find your career advantage.

The skills I have gained studying social policy have enabled me to start my career even before leaving university; speaking in parliament, participating in debates, going head to head with Piers Morgan and starting to write report papers on key policy areas such as mental health.

Danny, Social and Public Policy student. Read Danny's blog post.

Qualification

A levels

Access to Higher Education Diploma

21 credits at Distinction and 24 credits at Merit or higher

BTEC National Extended Diploma

We consider a range of BTEC qualifications equivalent to 3 A Levels, or in combination with A Levels or other qualifications. For example:

Distinction, Merit in BTEC Level 3 National Diploma plus B at A Level

Distinction in BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate plus BB at A level

Distinction, Merit in 2 BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificates plus B at A level

European Baccalaureate

75% overall

International Baccalaureate

31 points overall

T levels

Merit overall including grade B in the Core

T Level subjects in Accounting; Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing; Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction; Digital Business Services; Digital Production, Design and Development; Digital Support and Services; Engineering, Manufacturing, Processing and Control; Finance; Health; Healthcare Science; Legal Services; Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing; Management and Administration; Marketing; Science

Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers

Scottish Highers - BBBBB

Advanced Highers - not required for entry

We may also be able to consider three Advanced Highers or a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers, where an applicant does not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone. Please contact us to discuss your qualifications.

International foundation programme

Foundation Certificate from our International Pathway College or an appropriate alternative.

Other international qualifications

Equivalent qualifications from your country

Alternative offers

Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.

Criteria

Adjustment

Widening participation

This is conditional upon successful completion of the WP programme including the YorJourney module (Black Access Programme, Next Step York) or successful completion of Realising Opportunities More about widening participation.

Contextual offer

If you achieve C or higher in the EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.

Core Maths

If you achieve B or higher in Core Maths, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.

If you successfully complete our online course Understanding and solving poverty and inequality, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. Details about how to evidence completion of the MOOC will be sent in your offer letter. Please note: you do not need to pay for the certificate. More about MOOCs.

English language

If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:

Minimum requirement

IELTS (Academic)

6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component

Other English language qualifications

To see what other language tests we can accept and the scores required, visit our IELTS equivalences webpage and click on the IELTS requirement for your chosen course.

We also accept various school-leaving certificates to meet our English Language requirements. Please visit our country-specific information for further details.

For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.

If you haven't met our English language requirements

You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.

The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.

After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.

To apply to York, you'll need to complete an online application via UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

How to apply

We will pay particular attention to your personal statement. You will not be expected to attend an interview, but once accepted you will be invited on a visit day to give you the chance to learn more about the subject, our School and the University.

Next steps

Contact us

Get in touch if you have any questions

Dr Luke Telford

luke.telford@york.ac.uk

Student Engagement Team

sbs-admissions@york.ac.uk

Department

Related courses

Social and Public Policy (BA)

Social and Public Policy (Ethics and Justice) (BA)

Social and Political Sciences (BA)

Criminology (BA)

Business and Society (BA)

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UCAS 及院校官網均未列指定科（核對日期 2026-10-29，https://www.york.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/ba-social-public-policy-industry/）

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