This top-up course is designed to enhance the qualifications of students who aim to work in non-registered roles across health and social care organisations. You’ll graduate with an Honours degree, whether you're a foundation degree holder or have studied an equivalent Level 4 or 5 in a health, social care or education related qualification.
Top up your 240 credits from a relevant foundation course into a full Honours degree.
Learn to solve challenges and lead health and social care organisations.
Develop analytical techniques and problem-solving skills for a variety of sectors.
Gain real-world skills through workshops, projects, field trips and presentations.
Learn from diverse practitioners who share cutting-edge, sector-focused knowledge.

This course has been designed in response to rapidly changing workforce demands and policy initiatives – aiming to modernise services and improve quality, productivity and efficiency. You’ll benefit from the latest academic theory and practice-based thinking. 

There’s also an emphasis on developing problem-solving skills in relation to real-world challenges – including the application of research-based knowledge and technology. You’ll have the opportunity to work collaboratively with your peers during taught sessions, and you’ll be supported across a range of assessments. 

You’ll experience a blended approach to learning and teaching – on campus, online and in work placements – which mirror how you’ll work in practice. 

You learn through:

• Seminars, workshops and tutorials
• Academic adviser meetings
• Problem-based activities
• Skills development sessions
• Simulation-based learning and courtroom skills
• Scenario-based learning and library support
• Guest lectures and online international events
• Collaborative and self-directed learning
• Group work meetings
• Employer-led learning
• Peer support and critical reflective supervision
• Reflective accounts, presentations and assessments
• A research project

Course topics

This health and social care top-up course is compliant with the Hallam Model – embedding a person-centred approach to your professional knowledge, skills and behaviours in practice. 

You’ll be encouraged to build on your prior experience and knowledge to navigate the evolving landscape of health and social care. You’ll explore a range of topics – from leadership and research utilisation to technology integration, organisational adaptation, wellbeing and safeguarding. The course uses inclusive approaches to learning and teaching which value diversity. You’ll use real-world examples and learn from practitioners and people with lived experience.

You’ll also further develop your creative research and enquiry skills while exploring the high-quality research undertaken at Hallam and beyond. You’ll have opportunities to develop your abilities in identifying and using evidence, using methods that enhance your critical reasoning and reflection skills.

Course support

You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate-level employment through a number of key areas. These include:

• Access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic and career development
• Access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments
• Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opportunities
• Individual and group course support from academic advisers, a research supervisor and colleagues
• Reinforcement and enhancement of topics, writing and study skills covered in prior study
• Activities to build transferable and employability skills, reflecting on your own experiences and learning

Applied learning

Field trips

As a department we value the importance of learning from diverse experiences – broadening your professional understanding and becoming a culturally competent practitioner. Through access to the Turing Grant Scheme we have a range of active partnerships across Africa, Europe and India, facilitating volunteering visits to community development or refugee agencies. 

Networking opportunities

We have extra-curricular career-focused activities – from careers and job fairs to employer events, volunteering and leadership awards, and training to assist with professional development. As a department we celebrate international social work with a global audience, so you’ll be able to engage in a range of online international activities and events.  

Our student Social Work and Social Care Society, our Global Majority Student Group and the Diverse Voices Conference are great opportunities for students to come together and share experiences with their peers and academic staff. From the point of student recruitment to assessment, colleagues with lived experience and employer partners enhance your student experience and create real links to practice. 

 

 

The Health and Social Care Studies top-up course is a principal route for training assistant practitioners –non-registered support staff working with registered health professionals – and other non-registered posts. 

These roles have been developed in a wide range of services, including:

• Long-term conditions 
• Staying healthy 
• End-of-life care 
• Maternity and new-born 
• Acute care 
• Planned care 
• Mental health 
• Children and families 
• Residential care 
• Housing 

Many students go on to further study, including postgraduate qualifications in teaching and social work. 

This course is also suitable if you’d like to start a career in health and social care, but you’re not sure which field of practice you’d like to work in – or perhaps you’re not eligible to access a pre-registration course. 

• Foundation Degree in Professional Practice in Health and Social Care.

or

• 240 credits (120 level at 4 and 120 at level 5) from an equivalent health and social care programme

Contact Admissions directly

If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or a recognised equivalent. If your level of English language is currently below IELTS 6.5 we recommend you consider an appropriate Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve the required level of English.

 

Modules

Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

Compulsory modules

Module	Credits	Assessment
Evidence-Review	40	Coursework(100%)
Leading Collaborative Organisations	40	Coursework(100%)
Practice And Employability Skills in Health and Social Care	20	Coursework(100%)
Technology Enhanced Care	20	Coursework(100%)