Uniformed and Public Services, BA (Hons)

AT A GLANCE

Prepare for a career in the public and uniformed services by studying incident and emergency response techniques, the organisation of outdoor activities, stress management in the services and so much more.

This course can help you realise you ambition of working for the ambulance, fire, police, rescue or prison services, in the Army, Navy or RAF, or in related roles such as in local government or education.

It has been developed with input from employers in the sector and provides all of the key skills and knowledge required to begin your career or gain promotion from an existing role. You’ll also gain the enhanced planning and research skills required for further study.

The BA (Hons) in Uniformed and Public Services at UCW has a unique work-based focus and we’ll support you in gaining experience through a relevant work placement. In the past, UCW students have spent time working with organisations including Her Majesty’s Prisons, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the British Red Cross.

In recent years, students have gone on residential trips to destinations including Iceland and Gambia at an additional expense.

Students from this course have also recently visited workplaces relevant to their studies, including the Avon and Somerset Police HQ and the organisation’s Hydra immersive training centre.

We’ve also recently welcomed great guest speakers from organisations including Avon Fire and Rescue, North Somerset Council and the South Western Ambulance Service.

Please note that visits and external speakers may not be possible in the academic year 2020/21 because of pandemic-related restrictions.

The course is taught at our Knightstone Campus in the centre of Weston. By enrolling, you’ll also be among the first students to benefit from the new teaching and learning facilities at our multimillion pound redevelopment of the iconic Winter Gardens building, also in the centre of Weston.

Please click on the next tab to find out more about what you’ll learn on this programme and how it is taught and assessed.

Please contact UCW’s HEART team if you have any questions. We would also love to see you at our next Open Day, where you can see our facilities and meet our academic and support teams.

Our partnership with UWE Bristol

Course costs

2020 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,250 per year.
2020 entry part-time tuition fees: £6,187.50 per year.

2021 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,500 per year.
2021 entry part-time tuition fees: £6,375 per year.

This covers all of the teaching and assessment elements that are required for students to complete the course.

It also includes:

The use of UCW facilities and equipment.
Attendance at guest lectures and conferences at UCW.
Annual £10 printing and photocopying allowance for full-time students.
The use of UCW computer equipment at any of our campuses and access to Microsoft Office 365 while you are enrolled with UCW.
The loans of books from our libraries.
Access to all of the UCW student support and careers services.

It does not include:

Optional residential visits at an approximate cost of £50 (UK) and £100 (overseas) per night.
Extra printing and photocopying above the £10 limit.
The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
Transport between our campuses, and to/from your partner university and any work placements. We encourage students to take advantage of termly bus passes to reduce transport costs.
Accommodation and other living expenses.

UCW publishes its Tuition Fees Policy on the Wider Information Set page of this website.

You may also be eligible for additional financial support, depending on your circumstances.

Year 1:

Introduction to Research (30 credits)
People and Organisations (15 credits)
Personal Resilience and Wellbeing (15 credits)
Understanding Society, Conflict and Cohesion (30 credits)

And

Introduction to Financial Interpretation (30 credits) or Planning and Leading Adventurous Outdoor Activities (30 credits)

Year 2:

Crime and Society (30 credits)
Policy and Organisation within the Community (30 credits)
Stress Management (15 credits)
Work-based Learning (30 credits)

And

Emergency Planning and Incident Response (15 credits) or Financial Management (15 credits)

Year 3:

Contemporary Issues (30 credits)
Dissertation (30 credits)
Leadership and Management (30 credits)
International Relations (30 credits)

Teaching and assessment

This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars, case studies, presentations, skills practice and project work. UCW’s Higher Education Library Plus (HE.LP) team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level research and academic writing to all first-year students. When not in scheduled lecturers and seminars, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for exams and coursework.

This course has an average of 13.5 hours of scheduled teaching per week and students also spend 60 hours undertaking a work placement over the duration of the course.

At UCW we understand that some students benefit from more contact time with lecturers than is the norm at a traditional university, so we do all we can to make sure academic staff are available for their students when they are needed.

Assessment is via a combination of written exams, practical exams and coursework. The assessment breakdown is 11% written exams, 27% practical exams and 62% coursework.

Please click on the Course Handbook button to find out more.

Course length
Full-time: 3 years (2 days a week) Part-time: 4 years (1 day a week)
Start date
7th September 2020
Course codes
Institution: W47
Course: UNPS
Campus: –
Tuition fees
Full-time: £8,250 per year

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Course handbook

Programme specification

UCW Terms and Conditions
UWE Bristol Terms and Conditions

Delivered in partnership…

This course is delivered in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE).

So students get the best of both worlds – the enhanced support and increased contact with lecturers that sets us apart, and full access to all the resources and facilities at UCW and a nearby university.