AIMS

The aim of the Degree in Social Studies is to train social intervention professionals in the intervention methods used in Social Work, providing them with a broad understanding of social structures and processes, social change and human behaviour which will enable them to:

• intervene in the social and institutional contexts where individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities live, supporting, resolving conflicts, mediating, aiding, educating, defending, encouraging and transforming contexts, including political and social contexts;
• participate in drawing up and evaluating social policies, services and initiatives;
• contribute to active citizenship by means of empowerment and guaranteeing human and social rights;
• work in the prevention of social problems.

The ultimate aim is to collaborate with other professionals in:

• the social integration of persons, families, groups, organisations and communities,
• building a coherent society and
• developing quality of life and social well-being.

The Degree should enable graduates to work as professional Social Workers, able to use and apply diagnostic and prognostic evaluations, treat and solve social problems through applying specific social intervention methods in accordance with each case, whether family, group or community, and capable of planning, scheduling, programming, applying, coordinating and evaluating social services and policies.  The course programme for the Degree in Social Work enables students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out the following functions in their professional lives: providing information and guidance, prevention, care, planning, education, promotion of social integration, mediation, supervision, evaluation, management, research and coordination.

SKILLS

Training in social work should comprise an integrated education which covers the discipline’s contents, skills and attitudes, leading to the creation of professionals who understand the context in which they work and can analyse it critically, in order to prevent and decrease social inequalities.

• Credit structure of the degree course
• Distribution of credits per subject type
• General description of the course programme

CREDIT STRUCTURE OF THE DEGREE COURSE

The course programme comprises 4 courses, each worth 60 ECTS credits. In order to make the course compatible with other activities, students are allowed to take a part-time course consisting of 30 credits per academic year.

DISTRIBUTION OF CREDITS PER SUBJECT TYPE

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE PROGRAMME

The course programme is structured into five modules, covering core and compulsory subjects, optional subjects, obligatory work experience and the final project.

• Module A. Social Work: concepts, methods, techniques and application. Comprising four units and 13 subjects (one of which is optional). The subjects contained in this module include: The basics of social work; Social Work Methods, Models and Techniques, Professional skills in Social Work; Research, diagnosis and evaluation in Social Work.
• Module B. The institutional context of Social Work. Comprising two units and six subjects (one optional), this module includes the Social Services, Social Policies and Social Work.
• Module C. Processes and problems requiring Social Work intervention. This module comprises three units and eleven subjects (three of which are optional). These include: Human development over the Life Cycle and the Social Context; Social Structure, Inequality and Exclusion; and Health, Dependence and Social Vulnerability.
• Module D. Legal, economic and linguistic tools for Social Work. Comprising three units and five subjects (two of which are optional). Subjects include: Law, Citizenship and Social Work; Organisational Management; Linguistic tools for Social Work.
• Module E. Work experience and Final project.  Comprising two units and five subjects. The obligatory work experience programme is structured into four levels (initiation, basic, intermediate, consolidation), each worth 12 credits, for a total of 48 credits. The Final Project is worth 6 credits and consists of writing and defending an intervention report or project. This report or project may be based on the outcome of the student’s work experience programme.  Prior to evaluation for the final grade, the student must demonstrate competence in a foreign language. Among other forms of accreditation at the University of Alicante is to be overcome at least level B1 of the Common European Framework for modern languages¿¿, which may be raised in the future.

The course programme for the University of Alicante Degree in Social Work is based on the following criteria:

• To offer basic training for all students in the applied social sciences, psychology and law, specifically in five basic areas of Social and Legal Sciences (sociology, psychology, law, anthropology and economics).

• To offer compulsory courses structured around two areas:
  • The theoretical-practical foundations of Social Work, guaranteeing the acquisition of the skills envisaged by this Degree, providing the basic specific professional skills required.
  • Professional Social Work skills, through an eminently profession-based and applied education, aimed at helping students to develop the modus operandi of Social Workers. This professional training is supported by core and compulsory courses in the discipline.

• To offer an education regarding social institutions and businesses, by means of obligatory work experience. Work experience gives students practical experience of working as social workers.

• To ensure that students have acquired the skills associated with the Degree in Social Work, through writing and defending an obligatory final project.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT (IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Students who study an undergraduate degree at the University of Alicante must confirm a minimum level of B1 in a foreign language (a B2 is recommended) in order to obtain the diploma.  

The required language level is in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. 

The language accreditation requirement can be obtained previously or at any time during university studies. However, the language requirement will be necessary in order to be able to assess the final year project.

The different forms of obtaining such language requirement can be consulted in the additional information in this section.  

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LANGUAGE TEACHING COMPETENCE CERTIFICATE

Students who want to have a career in non-university teaching when they finish their studies are recommended to obtain the teaching competence certificate (Valencian and/or foreign languages).

This certificate can be obtained by taking specific itineraries in your university studies or by taking the UA teaching competence course in Valencian, German, French and English.

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FINAL YEAR PROJECT (TFG)

All the official undergraduate degrees must be completed by preparing and defending a final year project, which must be done in the final phase of the studies and be aimed at the assessment of competences associated to the degree.

The final year project must be an original, independent and personal work. The elaboration of it may by individual or coordinated. Each student will prepare this project under the supervision of a tutor, allowing students to show the received training content in an integrated many, as well as the acquired competences associated to the undergraduate degree.

In order to register in the final year project, students must comply with the requirements established in the “Regulations for continuation studies for students registered in undergraduate degrees at the University of Alicante”. Among the requirements established to be able to register in the final year project, a minimum of 168 credits must be passed in undergraduate degrees with a total of 240 credits, and a minimum of 228 credits in undergraduate degrees with a total of 300 credits or more.

In order for the final year project to be assessed, a B1 level of a foreign language (B2 is recommended) must be confirmed.

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• Access routes
• Procedure for applying for admission
• Recommended applicant profile
• Number of places and pass marks

ACCESS ROUTES

Admission to this degree course is open to any applicant who meets one of the following entrance requirements:

1.     SPANISH BACCALAUREATE (LOMCE) UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAM (PAU): Although students can access university by means of any Baccalaureate specialization, the recommended one is Humanities and Social Sciences.

Admission scores for this degree can be improved by taking the specific modules of the University Entrance Exam (PAU) as indicated in the table below with their respective weightings.

TABLE 1

2.     PREVIOUS BACCALAUREATES WITH OR WITHOUT A PASS IN THE UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAM (PAU): Students who have completed their Baccalaureate under previous education systems and have passed the PAU will be able to use the mark obtained in their application.

However, students can take specific exam modules during the voluntary PAU exam period in order to improve their admission score as shown in table 1. They can also sit for the obligatory PAU exams, in which case they will have to take all the exams scheduled during this period.

3.     VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: Vocational educational qualifications such as senior technician, senior technician of plastic arts and design, or senior technician in sports is the preferred professional area although access to this degree may be through any professional field.

Admission scores can be improved by taking the PAU exam in up to 4 of the modules in table 1.

4.     STUDENTS FROM EDUCATION SYSTEMS IN COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION OR OTHER STATES WITH WHICH SPAIN HAS AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT: Accreditation is required and issued by Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED).

Students can sit for exams in subjects included in the Pruebas de Competencias Específicas (PCE), organised by the UNED, in order to improve their admission score up to 14 points as indicated in the weightings in Table 1.

5.     STUDENTS FROM FOREIGN EDUCATION SYSTEMS: Prior to applying for the validation of their foreign Baccalaureate, students may sit for up to 4 exams in subjects offered by the Pruebas de Competencias Específicas (PCE) organised by UNED (at least one subject from the core subjects).

The weightings indicated in table 1 will be applied to core and/or optional subjects.

6.     OTHER: University degrees and other similar qualifications. University entrance exam for students over 25 (preferential option: Social and Legal Sciences). Access on the basis of professional experience (applicants over 40 years of age). Access to applicants aged 45 years or more by means of an exam.

Weightings of the subjects of the specific phase of the Proof of Access to the University (PAU) in the previous years

High School Diploma Subjects

Academic Years 2010-11 2011-12

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Academic Years  2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17

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PROCEDURE FOR APPLYING FOR ADMISSION: PRE-ENROLMENT AND REGISTRATION

• Anticipated number of places offered during the first pre-enrolment session: 160

• In order to apply for a place, the procedure and pre-enrolment periods established each year must be observed.  It is normally necessary to pre-enrol, and two pre-enrolment periods are established for this.  The first period, or phase A is held in mid-June and the second, or phase B, is held in mid-September.  During the second period, places may only be applied for on courses which have not been filled following phase A.  Places are awarded on the basis of the preferences, criteria and reserve quotas established by current legislation. Information concerning the application procedure  (Pre-enrolment).

• Applicants admitted to a course must formally register within the timescale established annually in the enrolment calendar (usually at the end of July and the end of September). Registration Information.

RECOMMENDED APPLICANT PROFILE

The recommended educational background for students of the Degree in Social Work is as follows:

• If the access route taken is that of the high school diploma, then this should preferably be from the Humanities and Social Sciences route.
• If the access route taken is that of Advanced Vocational Training, then the qualification in question should preferably correspond to the vocational area of Socio-Cultural Services and the Community.

In addition, new students are expected to show sensitivity and the motivation to:

• Contribute to the social integration of individuals, families groups, organisations and communities; to the constitution of a cohesive society and the development of quality of life and social well-being.
• Demonstrate an interest in preventing and responding to social problems.
• Contribute to active citizenship and the defence and protection of human and social rights.

NUMBER OF PLACES AND PASS MARKS

• "Pass marks" indicated correspond to the results of the first adjudication of June.
  
• The definitive marks can be inferior to the here collected.

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Social workers carry out their professional functions in a wide range of different environments, whether in International Organisations, Public Administration, Universities, the private sector (as employees or autonomous professionals) and the Third, or Voluntary Sector (associations, foundations, federations and other social organisations).

Since the enactment of the Spanish Constitution in 1978, and insofar as it is implemented by means of positive judicial standards and through the corresponding institutional structure, professional social work activity addresses all citizens in a state of need, within the framework of their Constitutional and statutory rights. From the standpoint of recognising the rights of all citizens, Social Workers aim to promote each person’s potential and the families, groups, organisations and communities in which they live and work, in order to achieve maximum social well-being and quality of life.

Social Workers usually work within the Social Services, but also in health, education, law, employment, town planning and housing, social security, business, the environment, the voluntary sector, culture and recreation.

In Spain and its neighbouring countries, it is the State, Regional and Local Administrations which are entrusted with guaranteeing that all citizens and Communities receive these services. Accordingly, it is in these Administrations, and particularly the Local and Regional Administrations, where the profession is most active.

Private non-profit organisations also offer  wide scope to Social Workers: self-help associations and NGOs have an important and ever-expanding role to play.

Social Workers also operate in the business sector; at present and in the near future, this sector promises to be another source of employment for the profession.

Lastly, Social Workers can also on a self-employed basis.

In these fields, Social Workers work in coordination with other agents, both with the persons affected by social problems and their families, and with political agents (institutional political positions, political and trade union representatives, etc.), social agents (social voluntary workers, social activists, etc.) and other professional agents (psychologists, sociologists, social educators, etc.).

Professions for which the degree qualifies its holder: Social Worker

IMPLEMENTATION

The Degree Course in Social Work will be implemented year by year, according to the following timescale:

CREDIT EQUIVALENCE PROCEDURE

The credit equivalence procedure for credits already obtained by students enrolled on the Diploma Course in Social Work when the University of Alicante Degree Course in Social Work is implemented will be carried out in such a way as to guarantee an orderly transition and to ensure students are in no way put at a disadvantage. Students may adapt their Diploma in Social Work studies to the new Degree in Social Work according to the credit equivalences established in this document, following the progressive implementation of the Degree. For the new Degree, up to 174 core and/or compulsory credits may be recognised, depending on the subjects the student has passed on the Diploma in Social Work programme being phased out.

Students who do not wish to take the new degree course subjects are entitled to sit four examinations at the end of the following two academic years. Any students wishing to continue their studies after sitting and failing these tests will be required to follow the new plan, according to the adaptation system established in the new plan.

Subject equivalence between the Diploma in Social Work and the Degree in Social Work

[1]  Degree in Social Work optional subject

[2]  Degree in Social Work optional subject

[1] Degree in Social Work core subject (Sociology).

For those subjects where the equivalent in the Degree in Social Work comprises two subjects from the Plan 2000 for the Diploma in Social Work at the University of Alicante, and in the case where one of these latter has been passed, the results obtained will be observed and the student will only be required to take the remainder of the Degree subject corresponding to the Diploma subject not passed.

Credits taken by the student on the Diploma in Social Work which do not have equivalences in the above table may obtain credit recognition as follows:

• Degree course optional credits, up to the maximum number of optional credits established for each degree course.

• Free-elective credits awarded for university, cultural or representational activities will be recognised for the corresponding degree course, with a maximum of up to 6 academic credits to be recognised for various activities, as set out in Art. 12.8 of Royal Decree 1393/2007 (participation in cultural, sporting, student representation, charity and cooperation activities).

In observation of Article 46.2.i) of Organic Law 6/2001, and Article 12.8 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, students are guaranteed the possibility of obtaining academic recognition for participation in university cultural, sporting, student representation, charity and cooperation activities up to a maximum of 6 optional credits. The Governing Council of the University of Alicante will decide each year which activities will be eligible for such academic recognition.

DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK. SYLLABUS SUMMARY

Internal Quality Assurance System (SGIC) of the Title

• Structure of the Centre for Quality
  • Comission of Internal Quality Guarantee
  • Other Commissions  
• Handbook SGIC
• Procedures
  • Strategic (PE)
  • Key (PC)
  • Support (PA)
  • Measurement (PM)

• Management of the SGIC (Access to ASTUA)

Follow-up of the Title

• Self-reports UA
• External reports AVAP 
• Other reports
• Improvement Plans
• Progress and Learning Outcomes