Bachelor of Social Planning

The Bachelor of Social Planning is offered by the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences over three years full time or part time equivalent.

• Admission requirements
• Course aims  
• Learning outcomes  
• Program of study
  

Admission requirements

The minimum requirements for consideration for entry to all undergraduate courses are specified in detail in the University Entry Requirements.  

Course aims

The Bachelor of Social Planning aims to:

• prepare well trained students for professional employment as social planners in a range of settings including local government, the not for profit sector, community based environment groups, and private organisations
• graduate students that have acquired the relevant core body of knowledge and skills in social planning in preparation for a range of career opportunities and in their role as global citizens
• graduate students with a sound understanding and awareness, both contemporary and historical, of the challenges in social planning and a sophisticated approach to social planning practice
• develop in graduates of this degree the values and skills for effective relations between people, organisations and professions in public service
• provide graduates with in-depth knowledge and skills to enable social planning practice with a focus in a specialisation area.

Learning outcomes

The Bachelor of Social Planning aims to develop graduates with:

• a sophisticated understanding of Australian social, political and welfare systems and institutions in a global context
• an understnadingunderstanding of international social planning knowledge
• knowledge of national and South Australian legislative and administrative contexts relevant to social planning practice
• leading edge abilities in a range of methods and techniques of social planning
• skills in community participation and community engagement in a variety of settings
• collaborative skills and abilities to to lead integrative social planning practices
• high order communication skills (written and oral)
• critical thinking skills and abilitities abilities to apply research to a study of social dilemmas
• a sound values base to practice as a social planner
• a commitment to life long learning and reflexive practice
• in-depth knowledge in one of the optional streams; public health, environment or community development
• the distinctive skills for social planning practice in both generic social planning roles and in a preferred major area of practice - public health, environment or community development.

Program of study

To qualify for the degree of Bachelor Social Planning, a student must complete 108 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study below. No more than 45 units of First Year topics is to be included in the 108 units.

Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.

Core - Year 1 topics

13.5 units comprising:

POLI1003  Australian Politics: A Comparative Study  (4.5 units)
SOAD1007  Statistics and Methods  (4.5 units)
SOAD1006  Social Planning Theory  (4.5 units)

Elective - Year 1 topics

13.5 units comprising:

PSYC1101  Psychology 1A  (4.5 units)*
SOAD1009  Critical Thinking and Communication  (4.5 units)*
SOCI1001  Introduction to Sociology  (4.5 units)*

or choose from any other First Year undergraduate topic listed by the university. Please speak with the Director of Studies before you choose this option.

* Recommended electives

Core - Year 2 topics

9 units comprising:

GEOG2722  Society and Space (4.5 units)
SOAD2003  Organisations and Groups  (4.5 units)

Elective - Year 2 topics

13.5 units comprising:

POLI2025  The Politics of the Australian Welfare State  (4.5 units)*
SOAD2008  Identity, Self and Agency  (4.5 units)*
POLI2020  Australian Indigenous Politics (4.5 units) ##
WMST2016  Indigenous Women&##39;s Voices: Race, Gender and Colonialism (4.5 units) ##
POLI2011  Australian Public Policy: Applications, Issues and Dilemmas (4.5 units)*

or choose from any other Second Year undergraduate topic listed by the university. Please speak with the Director of Studies before you choose this option.

* Recommended electives

## It is recommended that you study one of these two electives.

Core - Year 3 topics

9 units comprising:

SOAD3009  Social Planning Practice  (4.5 units)
SOAD3010  Social Planning Practicum  (4.5 units)

Elective - Year 3 topics

9 units comprising: 

SOAD3005 Access and Equity: Social Issues in Public Policy (4.5 units)*
SOAD3006  Practice Research  (4.5 units)*
SOAD3012  Management and Leadership for Social Planning  (4.5 units)*
POLI2012  Environmental Politics (4.5 units)*

or choose from any other Third Year undergraduate topic listed by the university. Please speak with the Director of Studies before you choose this option.

* Recommended electives

Students must select one of the following streams:

Stream - Public Health - Year 1, 2 & 3 topics

40.5 units comprising:

PHCA1507  Introduction to Public Health  (4.5 units)
PHCA1508  Social Determinants of Indigenous Health for Social Planning  (4.5 units)

PHCA2509  Promoting Health in Social Planning  (4.5 units)
PHCA2510  Introduction to Food Democracy  (4.5 units)
PHCA2511  Research Design and Methods for Public Health  (4.5 units)
 
PHCA3512  Framework for Change (4.5 units)
PHCA3513  Social Statistics for Public Health (4.5 units)
PHCA3506 Evaluation in Primary Health Care (4.5 units)
PHCA3514  Leadership in the New Public Health (4.5 units) 

Stream - Environment - Year 1, 2 & 3 topics

40.5 units comprising:

GEOG1002  Cities as Human Environments  (4.5 units)
ENVS1701   Environmental Studies (4.5 units)

DVST2701  Sustainable Development  (4.5 units)
PPHR2721  Demography  (4.5 units)
GEOG2711 Australian Environmental Change (4.5 units)

ENVS3732  Environmental Impact Assessment  (4.5 units)
ENVS3742  Issues in Environmental Management  (4.5 units)
GEOG3702  Cities, Geography and Policy  (4.5 units)
GEOG2712  Asian Regional Development  (4.5 units)
 

Stream - Community Development - Year 1, 2 & 3 topics

40.5 units comprising:

SOAD1011  Perspectives on Community  (4.5 units)
SOAD1012  Citizenship & Public Participation  (4.5 units)

SOAD2004  Social & Urban Planning  (4.5 units)
SOAD2006  Community Development  (4.5 units)
SOAD2009  Social Planning and Local Government  (4.5 units)

POLI3010  Advanced Perspectives on Public Policy  (4.5 units)
SOAD3007  Dilemmas in community development  (4.5 units)
SOAD3011  Skills in Community Development  (4.5 units)
SOCI2003  Shaping the Future: Social Change in the New Century  (4.5 units)