簡介：Despite the frequent pillorying of social workers in Parliament and the press, social work is among the most popular choices for higher education candidates. That may be partly because it is also in the top 20 for employment prospects and – more surprisingly – also in the top ten for starting salaries, which averaged almost ￡24,300 in 2010. Unemployment had crept up to 10 per cent in the latest survey, but more than 70 per cent of those completing social work degrees still went straight into graduate-level work or further study. There were signs of a change in 2012, however, when an 18 per cent drop in applications took the subject out of the top ten. The social work table has grown by 48 universities in five years, a consequence of the move to a graduate profession. Thousands of places have been added at undergraduate level, but there were still more than seven applications for each one in 2011. Even so, entry grades are still the lowest in the Guide. Only Strathclyde, following the upgrading of the points awarded for Scottish sixth-form qualifications, averages more than 400 points, while six institutions have averages below 200 points. Bath remains top of the table, although research is the only category in which it leads. Sheffield has jumped four places to second, just ahead of Strathclyde, which remains the leader in Scotland. For the second year in a row, Glamorgan has a 100 per cent employment record and is the top post-1992 institution and the leader in Wales, although it has slipped out of the top ten. Several others topped 90 per cent, but scores further down the table are surprisingly variable. The most satisfied students are also at post 1992 universities: Robert Gordon and Chester, both of which are in the top 20. The majority of the institutions in the table are modern universities, but most are in the bottom half. Entry grades are largely responsible.以下是2013年Times社會工作排名。