Social Policy and Social Research

Social policy and social research is the study of how welfare states are organised and governed, how social problems are identified and addressed, and how the research methods of the social sciences are used to generate the evidence on which policy decisions can be based. It is a discipline concerned with the practical and political dimensions of inequality, poverty, health, housing, education, and criminal justice, asking both what the problems are and what kinds of intervention might effectively address them. Social research provides the methodological toolkit, including survey design, statistical analysis, qualitative interviewing, and the critical assessment of existing evidence, that policy-relevant social science requires.

At the University of Bedfordshire this four-year programme includes a foundation year, providing a supported entry into degree-level study and giving you additional time to build the knowledge and analytical skills needed for the main degree. You will study the theory and practice of social policy, engaging with the history of the welfare state and the ideological debates that have shaped it, alongside social research methods that develop your ability to investigate social questions empirically and to evaluate the quality of evidence. The combination prepares you for both practice-based roles in public services and research and policy roles in the public, voluntary, and academic sectors.

Graduates from social policy and social research programmes work in local and central government, the NHS, housing associations, the voluntary sector, social research organisations, think-tanks, and academic research. Roles include policy analyst, social researcher, welfare adviser, housing officer, community development worker, and programme evaluator. The research skills developed in the course are also valued in journalism, data analysis, and consultancy.

Further study at postgraduate level in social policy, social research, public administration, or a related social science is a natural next step for those wishing to develop specialist expertise or pursue research.