About the School of Applied Social Sciences

Head of School: Dr Fiona Factor

Established in 1994, the School of Applied Social Sciences at the University of Bedfordshire has come to be recognised as a place where teaching and research combine to provide students with a rich and supportive learning environment. Our School ethos is one of delivering an accessible curriculum where students see themselves reflected in it and to equip our students to positively contribute and have the skills to work in a global and diverse environment. Our #SASS Changemaker programme is designed for students to see themselves as something other than a student working towards a degree. We are asking them all to take an active role in bringing about change and working towards social justice.

This has been achieved by developing and delivering high quality programmes of academic and professional study, embedding a culturally sustaining pedagogy and lessening the gap between theory and practice. We are very much an applied school and are keen to ensure that our graduates are employable and can apply their degrees in their chosen careers.

Teaching

We provide undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of study, ranging from degrees and/or diplomas in Criminology, Social Sciences, Criminology and Sociology, Health and Social Care, Social Work, Child and Adolescent Studies and Policing, to Professional Doctorates and PhDs.

We want to make sure that students flourish and do their best when they come to us. We recognise that our students want to achieve, and we take pride in our commitment to being kind, student friendly and supportive, while at the same time having high standards for teaching and learning.

We are committed to underpinning undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and learning with research conducted by our academic staff.

The School is accredited by the National Youth Agency to provide programmes leading to youth and community work qualifications, and by Social Work England for the delivery of Social Work programmes.

"I have just received my results, and am overjoyed in that I have achieved a 2:1 classification. I would just like to say thank you to all the lecturers and tutors in the Department who have helped me achieve this MASSIVE goal in my life. Words cannot describe how happy I am. All that hard work and 'burning the midnight oil' has paid off!" Ibrar Hussain, BA (Hons) Applied Social Studies

Research

The staff team combines extensive research across Social Work, youth work, criminal justice, sociology, social policy, child and adolescent sector, health and social care. Research interests around human rights, unaccompanied asylum seeking children, child trafficking, contextual safeguarding, the gambling industry, sexual offending, dementia care, cultural sociology, public health, urban music and participatory arts, as just a few examples, feed into our undergraduate and postgraduate courses, thus making all our teaching research informed.

The school’s close links with the Institute of Applied Social Research where (REF2014) 78% or their research was assessed to be world-leading or internationally excellent, means our students benefit from being taught by and hearing from the Professors, senior researchers and teaching staff about their research activities and outcomes. Our staff have valuable national and international reputations for the quality and reliability of their research, being consulted by government departments, local authorities, professional associations and voluntary organisations. This close link impacts on our student’s knowledge, understanding and involvement with current research trends.

We are also researching the ways that students learn within Higher Education, so that our applied and pedagogic research can benefit the people that we teach.

Many of us have practice qualifications in our field and have held posts of significant professional responsibility before joining the university. Together the academic staff and the administrators in the School have created a dynamic and vibrant place to learn within, and we have an established history of our students progressing from a foundation degree programme in one of our partner institutions to undergraduate and then on to postgraduate degrees in applied social studies.