Master of Social Work

The Master of Social Work is a 72-unit program offered by the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. This course can be studied in internal and external mode.

Graduates of the Master of Social Work are eligible to join the Australian Association of Social Workers.

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

Admission requirements

There are two points of entry into the Master of Social Work:

1. Applicants who have completed a bachelors degree other than in social work are eligible to apply for entry to the Master of Social Work and if admitted they must complete the full 72 units of the course.
2. Applicants who have completed a recognised Bachelor of Social Work degree or a qualification deemed equivalent by the Faculty Board are eligible to apply for entry to the course. Such applicants may be granted up to 36 units of credit.
   

Course aims

This course aims to:

• provide students with the knowledge and skills to practice as a professional social worker as part of an International social work community
• establish a framework for ethical and inclusive professional social work practice
• to inform students about the relevant social justice debates and to link these to global issues
• to provide students with knowledge about the colonial history of Australia and its long-term effects on Indigenous Australians, especially in relation to social work
• provide students with the current theoretical evidence-based approaches relevant to social work practice
• help students identify the cultural context of various approaches and to identify which are appropriate to specific situations and populations
• present opportunities for students to carry out social work roles in a supervised agency setting
• delineate the links that connect interpersonal practice, social policy and research at a national and international level.
  

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of this course students will be able to:

• demonstrate competent and ethical practice as a social worker in Australia within a global social work context
• articulate specific practice models and the rationale for their applications
• demonstrate the necessary knowledge and skills for practicing as a professional social worker
• articulate the roles and purpose of social work in a variety of settings and with a variety of socio-economic and cultural considerations
• identify the major social justice issues facing the Australian society and the impact on policies to support or challenge these issues
• show an awareness of the history and context with which Indigenous Australians approach social workers and demonstrate ways to move towards mutual trust
• interpret the current research related to social issues, social policy and social work practice.

Programs of study

• Master of Social Work (Registered Social Worker Entry) - 36 unit pathway
• Master of Social Work (Graduate Entry) - full 72 unit course