Master of Social Work (Qualifying)

Build on your existing knowledge and passion for social justice and human rights with practical experience and flexibly delivered case-based learning. Gain the skills necessary to address barriers, inequality and injustices faced by marginalised and disadvantaged groups in Australia’s socially and culturally diverse society. With a focus on rural and regional communities, UNE’s Master of Social Work (Qualifying) will provide you with the tools to thrive in this rewarding and rapidly-evolving profession.

Why study the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) with UNE?
Social workers address the barriers, inequality and injustices faced by many disadvantaged and marginalised individuals and groups in our community. UNE’s Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is designed for people who wish to change their career direction, or for those already working in the community services who wish to boost their career trajectory.

If you have a passion for social justice and human rights, and you already hold an undergraduate degree that includes the equivalent of one-year full-time study of social science (typically 48 credit points (8 units) or equivalent — depending on the university), our Master’s course will build on your existing knowledge to provide you with the practical and theoretical skills for a career in the growing and dynamic field of professional social work.

Study with a highly rated university. UNE is consistently awarded the maximum 5-star ratings for Overall Experience and Student Support in The Good Universities Guide.

What makes our course different?
At UNE, our social work courses include a focus on issues that face rural and regional communities. They are designed to provide an understanding and respect for the varied social, ethnic, cultural and religious groups that make up Australian society, with an emphasis on marginalised and Indigenous people. Our Master of Social Work (Qualifying) will enable you to effectively respond to the rapidly changing social and environmental issues affecting individuals and communities.

• Study flexibly to work in with your lifestyle, professional situation, and learning needs, either full-time or part-time, on-campus or online (with some mandatory, on-campus intensive schools).
• Choose your elective unit from a variety of specialist areas of practice, including mental health, substance abuse, leadership and management in healthcare and working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Complete your 1000 hours of professional fieldwork (clinical) placements in diverse social work settings in Australia and internationally. Clinical placements are supervised by experienced practitioners who support you in developing the skills needed to practice social work effectively in complex environments, with disadvantaged and marginalised individuals, groups, and communities.
• Prove your enhanced discipline knowledge and research skills with the capstone unit HLTH554A, a research unit in a specialised area of your choice, usually completed alongside your second field placement. This unit of study will enable your critical thinking skills and evidence-based practice tools gained as you produce a piece of independent professional research.

This is an approved Student Income Support course. Eligible students may apply for Youth Allowance or Austudy.

Please note: all students, including those enrolled online, are required to participate in on-campus learning for a minimum of 20 days/150hrs over the duration of the course. This requirement is met via attendance at the mandatory intensive schools associated with some of the core units for online students and/or via face-to-face mandatory classes throughout the trimester for on campus students. This requirement is stipulated by the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS).

Before starting your first field placement, there are a number of requirements that you must meet. These include vaccinations for Category A Health Care Workers (NSW Health), a current National Criminal History Check, and a NSW Working with Children Check. Some of these take some time to complete, so we encourage you to commence processing these as soon as you have enrolled in the course.

To be eligible for admission to this course, the equivalent of 48 credit points for social science units from your previous degree may include units in courses such as accounting, anthropology, economics, education, geography, history, law, linguistics, marketing, management, political science, social medicine, sociology and statistics.