Health and Social Care courses
If you’re interested in health and social care, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you want to move up the career ladder or simply have a personal interest in caring for others, our health and social care courses can help you make a difference. Explore the degree, diploma and certificate courses we have to offer.
Health and Social Care
Degrees
- Also known as an undergraduate or bachelors degree.
- Internationally respected, universally understood.
- An essential requirement for many high-level jobs.
- Gain a thorough understanding of your subject – and the tools to investigate, think critically, form reasoned arguments, solve problems and communicate effectively in new contexts.
- Progress to higher level study, such as a postgraduate diploma or masters degree.
- Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
- One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
- You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
- For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long will it take?
Health and Social Care
Diplomas
- Widely recognised qualification.
- Equivalent to the first two thirds of an honours degree.
- Enhance your professional and technical skills or extend your knowledge and understanding of a subject.
- Study for interest or career development.
- Top up to a full honours degree in just two years.
- Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
- One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
- You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
- For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long will it take?
Health and Social Care
Certificates
- Widely recognised qualification.
- Equivalent to the first third of an honours degree.
- Study for interest or career development.
- Shows that you can study successfully at university level.
- Count it towards further qualifications such as a DipHE or honours degree.
- Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
- One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
- You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
- For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long will it take?
Why study Health and Social Care with The Open University?
You’ll be studying with one of the largest and most innovative providers of educational opportunities and learning solutions in the health and social care sector. For over 30 years, we have been delivering supported and open distance learning in this field, creating highly-respected materials for use across this fast-changing industry.
The benefits of studying health and social care with us are:
- Earn while you learn – our flexible study is designed to fit around your work and home life.
- We work with employers, including the NHS, social services and the voluntary sector, providing qualifications that meet their changing needs.
- You’ll gain a broad understanding of the diverse practices, settings and influential factors that make up and effect this sector.
- We offer a wide-range of courses, whatever your level of experience or interest. Just choose what is right for you.
Careers in Health and Social care
Health and social care services are changing – care is increasingly complex with new challenges including management of continuity of care, long term conditions, rehabilitation, dementia and end-of-life care. Studying for a qualification with The Open University can open up career opportunities for you in this growing sector.
Our range of courses in health and social care can help you start or progress your career as a:
- Registered Nurse or healthcare practitioner
- Youth or Social Worker
- Registered Care Manager
- Charity Officer
Take advantage of part-time study while you gain on-the-job experience in the sector. Studying health and social care with the OU has a flexible, step-on/step-off model that allows progression and development when it’s most convenient for you.
Looking for something other than a qualification?
The majority of our modules can be studied by themselves, on a stand-alone basis. If you later choose to work towards a qualification, you may be able to count your study towards it.
All Health and Social Care courses
Browse all the Health and Social Care courses we offer – certificates, diplomas and degrees.
See our full list of Health and Social Care courses
Email us
From exploring the right course for you to helping you register, our advisers can help.
Call us
As part of the OU’s response to Coronavirus, we have temporarily removed this option.
Please use the ‘Email us’ option to contact us.
Write to us at:
Student Recruitment
The Open University
PO Box 197
Milton Keynes
MK7 6BJ
