Policy Studies at Bristol

The School for Policy Studies is a world-renowned centre for social and public policy research.

Our undergraduate degrees are multi-disciplinary and draw from a range of subjects to introduce students to the theories and practice of the major areas of Childhood Studies, Social Policy (including International Social and Public Policy) and Criminology. Courses are highly rated in the national league tables (the School for Policy Studies was ranked 7th in the UK by the Complete University Guide, 2021) and we strive to deliver an innovative student experience.

Teaching is delivered by a friendly academic community at the forefront of their fields of research (80 per cent of our research was rated as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework) which means not only are our students taught by those doing the research, but the research undertaken by our academics is having a direct impact on policy and practice in areas such as social and health inequalities, child welfare, gender violence, migration, poverty and criminal justice.

Our graduates progress on to a broad range of careers in policy and practice including local, national and international governmental organisations, global charities, education, law, and social research.

Unit structure

The school offers many classes that are based in a single semester, and can therefore accept unit requests from Study Abroad students who want to join Bristol for just the autumn or spring semester.

Unit levels

The school offers units across all undergraduate levels of study: year 1 (level C/4), year 2 (level I/5), and year 3 (level H/6) units. Postgraduate units are not available.

Unit codes

Unit codes in the School for Policy Studies begin with 'SOAD' or 'SOWK' or 'SPOL' . This is followed by a number indicating the year (1, 2, 3). For example:

• SPOL10000 = year 1 unit
• SPOL20000 = year 2 unit
• SPOL30000 = year 3 unit.

For more information about each unit, check the University's unit catalogue for 2022/23. Applicants on all study abroad programmes must review the unit details on the catalogue before listing unit choices on their application form. This includes checking the format of assessment for each unit. The unit catalogue for 2022/23 is updated by April.

Your unit choices cannot be guaranteed. Some units may not have capacity to accommodate all of the unit requests we receive. Registration on a unit also depends on whether you meet the pre-requisite conditions through prior study at your home university.

Study Abroad (Subject pathway)

If you have been nominated to Bristol on the Study Abroad (Subject pathway), you must take the majority of your credits in this department.

Units available on the study abroad programme in 2022/23

The following units from the School for Policy Studies are open to incoming Study Abroad students.

Units by Subject Area

The School provides units in 3 key areas: Childhood Studies, Criminology, and Social Policy. Here is an overview of the units by subject matter:

Childhood Studies

• Child and Adolescent Psychology (TB1) - SPOL20032
• Child Nutrition, Activity and Health (TB1) - SPOL30034
• Children and Young People in the Law A (TB1) - SPOL30057
• Children in a Global Context (TB1) - SPOL32008
• Constructing Childhoods (TB1) - SPOL10023
• Contemporary Debates in Global Childhood (TB2) - SPOL10024
• Introduction to Child and Adolescent Health (TB1) - SPOL20060
• Youth Justice (TB2) - SPOL20022
• Youth, Sexualities and Gendered Violence (TB1) - SPOL22023

Criminology

• Crime, Harm and Money (TB2) - SPOL20064
• Criminological Theory: An Introduction (TB2) - SPOL10029
• Colonialism, Sexual Offences and Law (TB1) - SPOL20062
• Global Illicit Drug Markets (TB2) - SPOL30080
• Globalisation, Crime, Harm and Justice (TB1) - SPOL20025
• Harms of the Powerful (TB2) - SPOL20034
• Inequality, Harm & Public Policy (TB1) - SPOL30061
• Key Thinkers in Criminology (TB1) - SPOL20036
• Representations of Crime and Harm (TB1) - SPOL10037
• Responding to Crime and Social Harm (TB2) - SPOL10031
• Sex, Power and Consumption (TB2) - SPOL30073
• Understanding Crime, Harm and Society (TB1) - SPOL10020

Social Policy

• Cities and communities in the urban age (TB2) - SPOL30062
• Collective Action and Policy Change (TB2) - SPOL10040
• Comparative and International Policy Studies (TB2) - SPOL10035
• Health Policy in a Global Context (SPS) (TB1) - SPOL20061
• International Political Economy and Social Policy (TB2) - SPOL20063
• Key Concepts, Theories and Ideologies in Social Policy (TB1) - SPOL10033
• Migration: UK, EU and Global Policy Perspectives (TB2) - SPOL30069
• Poverty, Social Exclusion & Social Policy (TB1) - SPOL20019
• Segregation and Inequality in International Perspective (TB2) - SPOL10038
• Social Care in Crisis (TB1) - SPOL20047
• Social Policy and Development (TB2) - SPOL20050
• Social Policy Past and Present (TB1) - SPOL10034
• Understanding Public Policy (TB1) - SPOL20026

Application queries

Contact the Global Opportunities Team if you have any queries about the application process for the study abroad programmes:

Phone: +44 117 39 40207
Email: global-opportunities@bristol.ac.uk