BSc (Hons) Professional Development in Health and Social Care

• Study an up-to-date syllabus which intends to meet and exceed tomorrow’s, as well as today’s, workforce needs on a programme developed with stakeholder engagement through commissioners, employers and students on both content and delivery mode.
  
• Become a critical thinking practitioner with a range of transferable skills who can effectively contribute to service enhancement.
  
• Use the best available evidence, contemporary knowledge and high-level clinical decision-making skills to underpin interventions.
  
• Develop confidence, competence and emotional resilience to consistently exercise personal responsibility and professional accountability for decision making and the provision of high-quality safe care.
  
• Undertake a course that enables choice and values prior experiential learning and experience; targeted at the career development needs of a wide range of healthcare professionals with excellent opportunities for inter-professional learning.
  
• Select modules that enhance your specific work role with course pathways offering over 100 module options addressing a wide range of specialist clinical areas.
  
• Flexibly designed course enabling you to ‘step on and step off’ over a five-year period in response to service need and professional circumstances.

• Year 1

• This course offers the awards of BSc/BSc (Hons), graduate certificate and graduate diploma.

  BSc – to achieve a BSc you will need to earn 80 credits by undertaking up to four modules – one core 20 credit module and up to three optional modules adding up to 60 credits.

  BSc (Hons) – to achieve a BSc (Hons) you will need to earn 120 credits by undertaking up to five modules – two core modules adding up to 60 credits and up to three optional modules adding up to 60 credits.

  Students who have previously obtained a health related degree at 2:2 or above are eligible to access the course via the graduate certificate or graduate diploma route – please see panel below for further details.

  For further information on the modules that make up this course please visit the BSc (Hons)/BSc Professional Development modules.
  

  Examples of optional modules (not exhaustive)
  
  HEAC385 – The child and young person with mental health needs
  MENT604 – Confirming proficiency in professional practice
  
  The module 'HEAD361 - Independent study' is only a core module for students who wish to achieve the BSc (Hons) Professional Development in Health and Social Care award.
  

  Core modules

  • HEAD360 Understanding Evidence to Inform Clinical Decision Making

    The module is designed to extend students' knowledge around evidence-informed decision making. This will be achieved through students identifying and evaluating a body of research-based evidence relevant to clinical practice.

  • HEAD361 Independent Study

    This module extends knowledge of primary and secondary research and develops critical appraisal skills. Students construct an 8000 word integrative literature review of a practice focused research topic.

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:

BSc Hons Professional Development in Health and Social Care overarching pathway specification 6149

To be eligible for the BSc or BSc (Hons) programme you will need to be either a registered health and social care professional or a health and social care worker in possession of previous study at level 5 (foundation degree/diploma of higher education).

If you wish to undertake the graduate certificate or graduate diploma award pathways you must already hold an honours degree at 2:2 or above in a health or health related subject.

If you wish to undertake any clinical skills modules as part of your course you will need to be working in an environment where you can meet the learning outcomes.

Applicants whose first language is not English must also provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English in accordance with the University’s Admissions Code of Practice – minimum overall International English Language Testing System (IELTS) of 6.5 average with a minimum 5.5 in each category.

AP(E)L:
Claims for credit for prior learning, whether certificated or experiential are accepted and will be assessed following University regulations and faculty procedures.

Applications for this programme can usually be made throughout the year. Please check the closing date and apply as early as possible as our programmes are popular.

Apply for this programme

To apply for this programme please contact the Professional Development Unit Admissions Team:

Professional Development Unit - Admissions Team
4th floor, Rolle building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth PL4 8AA

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Tel: +44 1752 586951

What happens after I apply?

You will normally receive a decision on your application within four weeks of us receiving your application. You may be asked to provide additional information, to take part in an interview (which in the case if you are an overseas student may be by telephone or video conference) or you will be sent a decision by letter or email.

If you have a disability and would like further information about the support provided by University of Plymouth, please visit our Disability Services website.

Support is also available from our International Office if you are an overseas student applying to the University.