Welcome to the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, which hosts 5,000 students from over 130 countries.

The faculty started with a strong track record of educating students in Nursing, Midwifery, Social Work, Community and Health studies since 1992. Our portfolio then expanded to include Sociology, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Nutrition, Sports Therapy, Operating Department Practice and Paramedic Science. More recently, since 2015, our portfolio further expanded with the addition of Physician Associate Studies, Medical Imaging with Management and a portfolio of courses in Sports, Exercise, Criminology and Sociology.

Today, the placement reach of our undergraduate NHS courses extends from Somerset to the west, Wiltshire to the north and Hampshire & Isle of Wight in the east. We have campus sites for Nursing in Yeovil and for Midwifery in Portsmouth and also enjoy fantastic new facilities in the Bournemouth Gateway Building which opened in 2020, as well as modern nutrition, sports and exercise facilities at Talbot Campus.

We have a long and close association with health and social care practice partners across the region and enjoy close relationships with Dorset Healthcare University Foundation Trust, University Hospitals Dorset and District Hospitals (Yeovil and Salisbury) and Dorset County Hospital. We also work with industry, social enterprise organisations, charities and governmental organisations, both nationally and internationally.  

Our research and professional development activity have also expanded and we host more than 100 postgraduate research students. In addition to the National Centre for Post-Qualifying Social Work & Professional Practice, the faculty houses eight academic research centres. Many of our academics are internationally recognised, with active research links with the USA, Nepal, India, Malaysia, Norway, France, New Zealand, Canada, Slovenia, Australia, Germany and the Middle East. 

Our staff are spread across five different departments. Find out more about our staff.

Our departments