Social Policy

Social policy is the study of how governments, organisations, and communities respond to the social problems that arise from inequality, disadvantage, illness, old age, unemployment, crime, and the other challenges that shape human wellbeing. It draws on sociology, politics, economics, and ethics to examine how social institutions are designed, what effects different policy choices have on people's lives, and how public resources can be used more effectively and fairly. At its best, social policy is a discipline that takes seriously the relationship between ideas and practice, between what we think society should look like and what it actually is.

At the University of Bristol, this three-year programme with foundation year provides an exciting and critical approach to contemporary social issues related to human wellbeing, inequality, disadvantage, and crime. You will explore real-world challenges in a global context, drawing on social, political, public policy, and economic theories. The foundation year provides an additional year of academic preparation before the main degree begins, ensuring a solid grounding for engagement with degree-level material.

Bristol's research strength in social policy and its location in a city with rich and complex social dynamics give the degree a strong applied dimension.

You will develop skills in critical analysis, research, argumentation, and the ability to apply theoretical frameworks to real policy questions. The programme encourages you to engage with evidence from different disciplinary perspectives and to think carefully about how social problems are defined and addressed.

Graduates from social policy degrees move into careers in the civil service, local government, NHS management, housing organisations, social work, the voluntary and charity sector, policy research, public affairs, education, and international development. The analytical and communication skills developed through the programme are highly transferable. Postgraduate study in social policy, social work, public policy, or related social sciences is a natural route for those who wish to develop further expertise.