Bachelor's Degree Programme in Social Services
Key learning outcomes
As a Bachelor of Social Services from Jamk, you commit to promoting the ethical principles of the social services sector and the equality, fairness and social security of people. You understand social phenomena and their impacts on people's well-being.
As a Bachelor of Social Services, you guide and strengthen the well-being of individuals, families and communities as well as their participation and agency in their daily lives, social relations and changing life situations. You are able to utilise different means and methods of interaction and dialogue in customer encounters.
You are familiar with the health care and social services system and a professional of social and service counselling, rehabilitation and early childhood education and care in different operating environments, such as social counselling, child welfare, family services, youth work, school, early childhood education and care, mental health and substance abuse work, disability services, senior services or immigration services.
You are also able to develop and study the work, services and practices carried out in the social services sector and take changes in them into account. You can use, apply and evaluate practices, procedures and methods based on researched information. The degree programme also provides capabilities for entrepreneurship and for local and team management. After graduating, you possess the skills to act as a specialist in the social services sector in interprofessional and multi-actor networks.
Education content and professional growth and know-how
The scope of the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Social Services is 210 ECTS credits. Your degree focuses on either social counselling or early childhood education and care, depending on your choice. The choice is made at the end of the first year.
Your professional identity and competence are built throughout the degree in both multidisciplinary studies and professional studies in your field. Ethics, human rights and equality are at the core of the studies. Knowledge of social services, social security and legislation is the foundation of your core professional competence, in addition to customer work competence, in particular encounter, interaction and guidance skills. As your studies progress, you learn more about promoting customer participation and participation opportunities, justifying benefits as well as social development and influencing.
The social counselling study path consists of studies on a wide range of work orientations in social counselling, such as mental health work, substance abuse and addiction work, social rehabilitation and rehabilitation for work. You will supplement this expertise with elective studies in social counselling (15 cr) according to your interests.
The early childhood education and care study path focuses on guiding children's growth, development and learning as well as supporting families' well-being and parenthood. It also provides you with the capabilities to work in the social services and early childhood education and care sector in multidisciplinary and multiprofessional cooperation.
Studies in child welfare and family work are included in both study paths.in the social services sector in multiprofessional and multidisciplinary cooperation.
Flexible studies
The degree programme is implemented as part-time studies, and it includes different pedagogical solutions to enable the development of learning and competence.
Part-time studies combine contact studies in Jyväskylä, scheduled webinars, online learning, independent studies, group work and practical workplace training. Digital learning environments are also utilised in the studies. The amount of on-campus work and webinars varies depending on the course, study offering and your interests. In other words, you can influence how you study. There are no regular contact teaching days, except for the orientation week to start your studies. Part-time studies are considered full-time studies and require you to take an active approach to studying as well as the ability and motivation to take responsibility for your own learning. Your studies progress according to your personal learning plan (PLP) and study offering. Practical training periods, for example, can be completed in different parts of Finland or abroad.
At the beginning of your studies, you will prepare a personal learning plan, and your prior competence will be assessed at the same time. You can speed up your studies by demonstrating acquired competence that meets the objectives and assessment criteria of a course or study module according to the accreditation practices. You can also apply for accreditation of higher education studies that you have completed elsewhere. For more information on the accreditation practices, see the study guide. If you work in a field that matches your studies, studification may also be an option for accreditation.
You can choose your alternative or elective studies from EduFutura partner institutions (University of Jyväskylä and Gradia) and international studies from European EUDRES higher education institutions. You can also choose from Finnish and foreign partner universities, such as other universities of applied sciences and universities. You can apply for accreditation of higher education studies that you have completed elsewhere.
Working life oriented learning
In the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Social Services, you learn to apply researched information. You advance your professional skills in practical training, work-related projects, development tasks and a thesis in your field.
The degree includes a total of 46 ECTS credits of practical training in the operating environments of the social services sector (including a working life project of 9 cr). Throughout your UAS studies, you will engage in learning that is focused on preparing you for the working world. As a student, it offers you the opportunity to develop transferable skills for your future work, and your career paths and networks in the world of work.
Career opportunities and employment
As a Bachelor of Social Services, you will have excellent employment opportunities. You may find employment, for example, in expert positions in wellbeing services counties, municipalities, the private sector and organisations in the social services sector, in various guidance and education tasks and in managerial and supervisory positions in service units. After graduating, your possible titles include counsellor, social counsellor, responsible counsellor, service counsellor, school social worker and social worker in early childhood education and care.
Qualifications
The occupational title of sosionomi, a Bachelor of Social Services who is a social services professional, can only be used and the profession practised by a graduated licensed Bachelor of Social Services. The professional qualifications for a Bachelor of Social Services are regulated by law in the Act on Social Welfare Professionals (Laki sosiaalihuollon ammattihenkilöistä, 817/2015) and monitored by Regional State Administrative Agencies and Valvira (National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health).
For the position of a Bachelor of Social Services in early childhood education, a Bachelor of Social Services must have completed at least 60 credits’ worth of studies in early childhood education and social pedagogy.
Further studies
You may, after graduating and gaining at least two years of work experience, apply for a master's degree level education. You can continue your studies by applying for e.g. Master's degree programmes in universities, vocational teacher education or Master's degree programmes abroad. The university of applied sciences offers opportunities for competence development in various institutes, such as the open university of applied sciences, specialisation training and work-oriented continuing education.
Education planning
The competences of the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (ARENE 2022), surveys on future working life and education, such as those conducted by the Competence Foresight Forum (OEF), and the final report of the Soteko project (2023) have been used in the drafting of the curriculum. Recommendations, views and feedback provided by degree programme students, alumni and working life partners as well as the university of applied sciences network have also been taken into account.
Contact Information
Merja Nybacka
Senior Lecturer, Rehabilitation and Social Studies
+358401841498
firstname.lastname@jamk.fi