Access to Law, Criminal Justice and Social Sciences (SWAP)

Location: Langside Campus
SCQF Level: 6
Start Date: 28 Aug 2023
Qualification Type: NQ
Course Type: Full-Time
Duration: 1 Year (August to June)

This course is now full

This Access course will introduce you to a range of law, criminology and social science subjects and is designed for adults returning to study after at least five years out of full-time education who wish to progress to university level study.

What will I learn?

You will have the opportunity to study a range of SQA units at SCQF levels 5 and 6, alongside units in Communication, Mathematics and Information Technology.

Course subjects include:

Law
Criminology
Psychology
History
Sociology
Communication
Numeracy
IT

Entry requirements (minimum)

There are no formal entry requirements, but you should have had a break from full time education for 5 years
Selection will be based on application form, interview (including written task), and evidence of academic potential
You must meet SWAP (Scottish Wider Access Programme) criteria - view more information on the SWAP website
If English is not your first language, you must demonstrate English language skills equivalent to IELTS 5, or have ESOL at National 5, or equivalent, at grade B or above

Entry requirements equivalency table

Employer and industry links

We work in partnership with the Scottish Wider Access Programme and this course provides access to higher education degrees. These degrees enhance employment prospects in a wide range of areas including law, social work and local government.

Jobs and further study

If you pass the Access course and secure a good reference from Glasgow Clyde College you have a wide range of progression routes to apply to:

Law, Criminology and Social Sciences degrees at one of the following universities:

University of the West of Scotland
Glasgow Caledonian University
University of Glasgow
University of Strathclyde
Stirling University
Open University

HNC/HND courses at Glasgow Clyde College or other further education colleges.

Making an application

For courses starting in August, you can make up to two applications.

Applications are made to a course and a first choice of campus. If the course is oversubscribed at your first choice you will be automatically considered for alternative sites and may be made an offer without a further application.

I've applied — what happens next?

You will receive an automated email confirming that we have received your application and will be in contact as per the following stages:

Applications forms will be acknowledged, then checked by a member of staff

Selection for interview will depend on if you have met the entry criteria, but also the quality of the personal statement you provide in your application - the form should be fully completed and detailed. It will give information about qualifications, interests and personal attributes, and explains reasons why you are interested in the course. This will be communicated in the form of an ‘entry criteria checked’ e-mail.

At the session, you will be given a presentation giving you more information and detail about the Access course and the College
You will have the opportunity to ask questions
You will be asked to do a short written task

The next stage will be for you to send any relevant information to nleonard@glasgowclyde.ac.uk

If you received qualifications from school or college, please send them in. If you do not have qualifications, don't worry, as there are no necessary qualifications for this course.

The final stage - the interview:

You will have a one-to-one interview with a member of the Social Sciences team (who will be happy to answer any questions you may have).

At the end of the selection/interview process, staff members take the following into consideration when making a final decision:

Personal statement
Written task
Interview
SWAP criteria

Interviews usually take place between February and June 2023.

Once you have received an offer you must reply within 14 working days or risk losing your place.

If a place is unavailable at your campus of first choice, you may be offered a place at one of our other campuses and you must respond to this within the timescale above.

Once you have accepted your offer, you will be sent further information on things like student funding and an induction date.