Undergraduate Courses
  • Students are to follow the requirements of the Handbook for the year they commenced the course.

    However, the subject links below do not contain the subject information for the current year. You can view current subject information through the new Course Handbook.

Social Policy

Social policy refers to government action that addresses social problems and ensures that human needs are met. Utilising a multidisciplinary social sciences perspective, the major explores how social policy is developed, influenced, implemented, and evaluated, in Australian and global contexts. Students study major areas of social policy, including health, economic security, education, child and family well-being, and environmental protection.

Social policy students learn to propose policy approaches to social problems and to analyse policies for their potential impacts on social and economic welfare, recognising tensions related to resource allocation, power and inequality, political ideologies, and government intervention.

Subjects Required for Major Study

A major in Social Policy requires the successful completion of at least 48 credit points of subjects in accordance with the table and recommended progression below. 

Subject Code subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
Year 2
Autumn
ECON101Macroeconomic Essentials for Business6Autumn, Spring, Summer 2015/2016
Spring
GEOG224Rural and Regional Geography: social change and policy6Spring
HAS 202Introduction to Social Policy6Spring
HAS 234Research Methods in the Social Sciences6Spring
Year 3
Autumn
GEOG336Qualitative Research Design for Social Scientists6First Offered 2017
Spring
HAS 346Social Advocacy6First Offered 2017
Any year
Plus at least 12 credit points at 300-level from the Social Policy Electives list.

Social Policy Electives 

Subject Code subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
100-Level
GEOG123Indigenous Geographies6Spring
LAW 101Law, Business and Society6Autumn
200-Level
ECON205Macroeconomic Theory and Policy6Autumn, Spring
HAS 201Work Health & Safety6Spring
INTS204Global Aid and Development: Challenges and Prospects6Spring First Offered 2017
300-Level
ECON305Economic Policy6Spring
ECON318Economics of Health and Human Resources6Spring
HAS 350Social Determinants of Indigenous Health6Spring First Offered 2017
HAS 347Social Sciences Project6Spring First Offered 2017
HIST350Debates in Australian Cultural History8Autumn
INTS310Human Security, Global Capitalism and the Environment8Autumn
SOC 355Cultures in Dispossession8Autumn

Credit Arrangements

Credit and articulation arrangements are available from the Course Finder. Refer to UOW's credit arrangements for information on how to apply for credit.

Other Information

Further information is available at:
UOW Course Finder
Email: ssc@uow.edu.au

Last reviewed: 15 November, 2016