Health and Social Care

Health and social care as a field of study recognises that people's wellbeing cannot be understood through a single lens. Physical health, emotional and mental health, and social circumstances are deeply interconnected, and the most effective care happens when professionals from different backgrounds work together to understand and respond to the whole person. This degree prepares you to work across those boundaries, developing the knowledge, values and practical skills needed to contribute to genuinely joined-up care.

At Manchester Metropolitan University this three-year full-time programme has been designed to help you work across a range of health and social care settings, including social services, charities, the NHS and social enterprises. You will study how health and social care systems are organised, how policy shapes the environments in which professionals work, and how individual needs are assessed and met in practice. The programme reflects the sector's shift towards partnership working, preparing you to collaborate effectively with colleagues from different professional backgrounds and to advocate for the people you serve.

You will develop your understanding of human development and psychology alongside the structural and policy dimensions of health and social care.

The programme equips you to have a positive impact on people's lives across a range of contexts, and the skills it develops, including empathy, communication, critical thinking and collaborative practice, are valued across the health and social care sector and beyond.

Graduates move into roles in social work, care management, community health, disability services, mental health support, housing and support services, the voluntary sector and public health. Many continue to postgraduate study or professional qualifications in social work, nursing, public health or health management. The broad scope of the degree opens a wide range of graduate pathways.