BSc Hons Health and Social Care

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

London Metropolitan University

Program Overview

This degree gives you both theoretical and practical grounding in health, social care, public health, policy, and ethical practice — helping you understand how care systems work, how people develop across the lifespan, and the role of research and leadership in improving wellbeing. It’s well suited if you care about improving health outcomes, reducing inequalities, working with diverse populations, or managing care provision.

Curriculum structure

Here’s roughly what you’ll be learning each year, with some sample modules to show how things build up:

Year 1
In the first year, you’ll build a foundation. You’ll get introduced to concepts like Diversity in Health & Social Care, Human Growth & Development, Introduction to Health & Social Care, and Research & Academic Practice. These help you understand human development across the life stages, the basics of how health & social care systems are organised and regulated, and start developing academic & research skills.

Year 2
The second year deepens both practice and theory. Modules like Leadership in Health & Social Care, Preparing for Practice, Researching Health & Social Care, Social Policy & Society, and Understanding Public Health will push you into more applied roles. You start working more with public health data, ethical issues, leadership & management ideas, and gain experience preparing for what real-world practice might look like.

Year 3
In your final year, you’ll tie it all together and look at bigger picture issues and specialised topics. Modules such as Contemporary Approaches to Health & Social Care, Health Project (your major independent or guided research work), Global Health, Managing Health & Social Care, Mental Health & Wellbeing, and Public Health & Health Promotion give you opportunities to design or lead projects, focus on global health issues, understand policy & management in depth, and explore mental wellbeing.

Focus areas

“Health systems & public health; policy, leadership & management; ethics, diversity & inclusion; mental health and global perspectives; research methods and professional practice.”

Learning outcomes

“Graduates will be able to: critically analyse health & social care issues; apply evidence-based research; communicate effectively with diverse audiences; solve complex problems in unpredictable or changing environments; demonstrate leadership and initiative; act responsibly, inclusively and ethically; and continue professional development or further study.”

Professional alignment (accreditation)

The course is aligned with Skills for Health (the NHS’s skills council), meaning what you learn is relevant to UK healthcare workforce standards.
It is fully validated by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), so if you lean toward housing / housing policy within health & social care, you get additional recognition and membership benefits.

Reputation (employability rankings)

London Met is ranked first in the UK for “value added” in the Guardian University Guide 2026, which means the university is doing especially well at helping students exceed expectations compared to their entry qualifications.
The university has also been improving steadily in the National Student Survey (NSS) results — students report higher satisfaction in areas like academic support, wellbeing support, teaching and assessment.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

From the outset, this program is built around applying theory in real settings. You’ll learn by doing — through simulated clinical environments, field work, case studies, and work placements. The University ensures you don’t just study health and social care, but also practise what professionals do: working with service users, applying public health tools, analysing real-life policies, and responding to current challenges (e.g. in urban health) so that upon graduation, you’re confident and ready.

Here are the concrete ways this program gives you practical experience, plus the facilities, tools, support, etc.:

Key Hands-On Experiences & Tools

Work Placement / Internship Module:
You have the opportunity to replace one of your four modules with an internship during the degree. The Work-Based Learning Team helps you find placements in health & social care, liaising with employers and supporting progress.
Skills & Simulation Suite:
Brand new suite opened in 2023. You’ll get to practise in a hospital ward (larger than typical to allow more movement and realism), paediatric ward, intensive care, home environments (including kitchens, assisted living flat) so you can simulate both clinical and community/domestic care settings. Also includes an immersive 360° “igloo” for virtual reality / projection-based simulation: emergencies, anatomy, physiology, etc.
Blended Learning & Case Study Simulations:
Teaching is a mix of lectures, seminars, online seminars & video content. Modules use case studies, simulations, group projects, critical reflections, scenario-based learning so you see how policymaking, public health, social care work in practice.
Research Skills & Academic Practice:
From first year you’ll be doing modules that build research literacy: finding and evaluating evidence, digital tools, designing small projects, working with data (public health datasets) etc. This includes a major Health Project in final year.
Digital & IT Tools:
You’ll have access to computing labs, software such as SPSS for statistical analysis, and the University’s computers & Macs. You’ll use tools for collaboration, cloud storage, online submission systems, online learning platforms (WebLearn / Blackboard etc).
Support for Reflection, Personal & Professional Development (PPD):
Across all three years there are modules specifically aimed at helping you develop competencies like self-awareness, leadership, managing relationships, ethical practice. Reflective journals, group work, peer learning are built in.
Library & Digital Resource Access:
University libraries with relevant health/social care databases; full text journals; CareKnowledge (for social care info) etc. Good resources to support your research, assignments, and preparation for placements.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Once you graduate, you can expect to enter roles such as:

Support Worker in health or social care environments
Mental Health Officer / Practitioner working with individuals or communities
Public Health or Health Promotion Roles, perhaps in local government, charities, or NGOs
Housing & Community Services Management (especially if you specialise in housing), thanks to the course’s accreditation

These roles vary depending on your interests and which modules or specialisations you choose during your studies.

Why This Degree Helps You Succeed

Here are the specifics of how this course and London Met help you build a strong foundation — and how graduates fare:

University Services to Help Students Employ
- London Met’s Careers and Employability Service: they offer career planning, CV/application support, interview skills, employer events, volunteering opportunities and webinars.
- Student success coaches, academic tutors, and pastoral support to help you settle in and develop professionally.
- Access to a work placement module (though you’ll be responsible for finding the placement, the university supports you. )
Employment / Salary Data
- 15 months after graduation, about 65% of Health & Social Care graduates from this course are working (or studying + working).
- Typical salaries are around £26,000 for recent grads; over longer timeframes this can rise (some in the range of £25,000–£34,000) depending on role, experience, and location.
University–Industry / Accreditation / Partnerships
- The course is aligned with Skills for Health (the NHS Health Sector Skills Council) so your learning meets national occupational standards in the UK health sector.
- It’s fully validated by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) — especially useful if you choose to specialise in housing, and you’ll get free student membership of CIH.
- Collaborative links: for example, via the Centre for Primary Health and Social Care, London Met maintains research/teaching links with institutions like the City University of New York in the USA and University of the Western Cape in South Africa.
Long-term Accreditation Value
- Because the course meets national standards (NOS) via Skills for Health, employers (especially in the NHS, local government, non-profits) will recognise the qualification as fitting real job requirements.
- CIH validation adds professional weight, especially for roles linked with housing/community care.
Graduation Outcomes
- Graduates have gone to work in roles such as early years practitioners, nursery teachers/managers, mental health officers, support workers, and in NHS settings.
- Also, a portion pursue further studies (e.g. postgraduate degrees in public health or related disciplines).

Further Academic Progression:

After completing this BSc Hons, you have several options if you want to continue studying:

You could do a Master’s in Public Health (or related fields like Global Health, Health Policy, Social Policy). The skills you gain (research, policy, ethics, public health) make you well-prepared for this.
You might specialise further through postgraduate diplomas or certificates (for example in leadership in health/social care, housing, community development).
If interested in research or academia, you could pursue a PhD in health studies, social care, or health inequalities.
Also, staying at London Met for postgraduate work has financial benefits: graduates are eligible for a 20% discount on postgraduate courses at London Met (with some exclusions) if you continue there.