Introduction

The bachelor's degree in Social Work provides theoretical and practical training designed to enable students to develop a set of analytical, relational and proactive tools for addressing social issues in order to improve the well-being of individuals, groups and communities. 

The bachelor's degree in Social Work is based on theories from social work, the social sciences, the humanities and indigenous knowledge. Social work engages people and structures to address life changes and enhance well-being. The training focuses on the research, intervention and social assessment of social needs to promote change, problem-solving in human relations, and the empowerment and freedom of society in order to enhance well-being and cohesion. The curricular work placements are a key part of the training provided; they are made possible through partnerships with institutions and professionals external to the UB in various fields in which social work is done. Students thereby learn how to relate theory and practice in order to build and adapt their own conceptual framework and to acquire their own professional identity on an on-going basis.

Basic information

TypeBachelor's degrees
Faculty or schoolFaculty of Education
Branch of knowledge
  • Social Sciences
Mode of delivery

face-to-face

Credits240
Number of places available

240

Length of course4 academic years
Language(s) of instructionCatalan  80,6%, Spanish 18,8%, English 0,6%
Admission grade

7,884 (July 2023, start of process, via official entrance examinations/vocational training)

 

Approximate price per credit17,69 €
Compulsory placementsYes
CoordinatorFERRAN CORTES IZQUIERDO
Course detailsIndicators

Objectives and competences

Objectives

The objectives that define the general orientation of the bachelor's degree in Social Work are:

  • Gain knowledge of social work and its methods, of the organisational and institutional context, and of the social sciences applied to the problems and processes that are addressed in social work.
  • Apply knowledge to the professional practice of social work: define and defend arguments and resolve problems in this context.
  • Analyse and interpret relevant information in the field of social work to form opinions that include an analysis of problems and social responses, and incorporate ethical aspects.
  • Develop learning skills to tackle subsequent studies and professional development with a high degree of independence.

The aim of this degree is to train qualified professionals who can carry out the tasks of social workers rigorously and efficiently, in a wide range of organisational and institutional contexts. The degree is also designed to provide a view of social reality and a more pragmatic response that is linked to the real social needs of the population.
 

Competences

The general and specific competences that are developed in the bachelor's degree in Social Work include the following:

  • Capacity to analyse, prevent and resolve problems in areas related to social work.
  • Ability to plan, design and manage projects, and to research and integrate new information and approaches.
  • Openness and empathy, based on recognition and respect for diversity and multiculturalism.
  • Capacity to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities to help them make well-considered decisions on their circumstances, risks, options, preferences and resources.
  • Capacity to support and promote the development of social networks to meet needs by creating multidisciplinary and multiorganizational teams.
  • Capacity to act to resolve situations of risk due to professional work.
  • Capacity to analyse, assess and systematise information provided in professional work, to improve daily practice and generate new responses to emerging social situations.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

  • Interpersonal and communication skills: capacity for empathy, reflection, analysis and response to social changes and dynamics.
  • Interest in projects or programmes in the social arena, both in terms of active participation in social volunteering, and in the job that is carried out.

 

Access requirements and conditions

Admission for students with studies completed outside Spain.

Applicants holding higher educational qualifications from a university outside Spain should consult the page Admission with foreign qualifications to find out about specific admission requirements.
 

Pre-enrolment

Students that have studied abroad and who wish to study at the University of Barcelona may be admitted to EHEA bachelor's degree courses. Procedures for gaining admission will depend on the qualifications held by each applicant.

For further information about admission, consult the page Admission with foreign qualifications.
 

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online via the Món UB portal. To find out the date and time you have been assigned, check the specific information for your course. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned.

Academic information

 

Welcome

Support and guidance

Pre-enrolment information and events

 

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

Type ECTS
Basic training 60
Compulsory 114
Optional 24
Compulsory placements 33
Compulsory final project 9
TOTAL 240

List of subjects

Subject Language Type Credits
Final Project Annual Compulsory final project 9
Practical classes II 1st semester Practices 21
Supervised Social Work II 1st semester Compulsory 6
Role and Identity in Social Work 2nd semester Compulsory 6

Pathways and specializations

Social Work
Check the planning of the different pathways of the degree

Previous years

Placements

Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment.They are therefore included in the academic record.  There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 500 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.
 

Institutional information

Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

You could work in the following fields:

  • Social services: social care, home care, social programmes and regional social action.
  • Health: health care in health centres, hospitals, mental health centres, centres for drug addicts, patient associations.
  • Education: psychoeducational assessment, school mediation, special education, support for families, workshops for education in society.
  • Justice: psychosocial assessment in courts, mediation with victims, monitoring programmes, detention centres for minors, integration into society and the job market, family mediation, prison social care, treatment of crimes and assaults, monitoring of prisoners on conditional release, reintegration services.
  • Business: social care and provisions for workers in certain companies that offer this service.
  • Housing: social housing programmes, promotion of newly constructed and renovated neighbourhoods, community development, urban social planning.
  • Service sector: non-profit organisations and entities that work against social exclusion and to promote social and civil rights.
  • Emerging areas of social work: assistance at catastrophes or social emergencies, defence of human rights, cooperation and international solidarity, social surveys, consultancy and advice on social projects.

Social work is aimed at all people who encounter situations of risk, conflict, and violation of social and civil rights. It promotes improvement in social situations (individual, family or group) and in the personal capacities of citizens, and facilitates access to social services and resources. Social workers assist people with disabilities, dependent people, the elderly, children, adolescents and young people in situations of risk, women, immigrants and refugees, homeless people, drug addicts and criminals, among others.
 

Data from the university system in Catalonia

Contact us

Faculty of Education
Pg. de la Vall d'Hebron, 171 - 08035 Barcelona

Secretary: 934 020 269

Questions mailbox