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Social Work MSc

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    Overview

    This professional qualifying course is intended for graduates who are committed to a future career in social work. The course is designed to help prepare you to work in all social care settings including residential, field, day care, healthcare and education within statutory, voluntary and private sectors, as well as multi-disciplinary settings and work teams. It also aims to produce practitioners who can critically reflect on their practice and promote anti-oppressive practice in a multicultural society.

    • It will assist you in developing the key skills required to become a confident and competent social worker in line with the Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Work.
    • You will have the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills including communication, assessment, analysis and reflection, as well as gaining knowledge in a range of areas, such as legislation, policy and how people interact with their environments.
    • The course offers you the opportunity to work with service users, carers, social work practitioners and experienced university tutors, as well as engaging with an internationally recognised research department in social work.
    • You will have the opportunity to put what you have learnt into practice through undertaking two assessed work placements, helping you to enhance your academic and personal development. This is managed and delivered by a long-standing partnership between the University and local social work agencies, including statutory, voluntary and service user-led organisations.

    Key Information

    Entry requirements

    Entry requirements for this course are considered on an individual basis and are normally:

    • An Honours degree (2:1 or above) in a relevant subject.
    • Or an academic reference indicating you are expected to obtain an Honours degree (2:1 or above).
    • GCSE English Language or English Literature (or equivalent Ofqual regulated qualification) at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme. You do not require GCSE/Level 2 Maths for entry onto this course. However, please be aware that some employers may require this in addition to your completed degree.
    • You also need a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and occupational health clearance prior to registration.

    We arrange these as part of the application process. You will be required to sign a self-declaration at the start of each year. All police contact during the course must be reported to the course leader as a matter of urgency and may lead to suspension or termination. We will request an Overseas Police Check if you have lived in a country outside of the UK for 6 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years before applying to us and whilst aged 18 or over.

    At interview you will be required to declare any involvement by social services relating to children or vulnerable persons living in your care or for whom you provide care, living in a household in which you live, or have lived. Information you provide may have to be discussed with the Local Authority Designated Officer before a decision is made on your application.

    If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 7.0 overall with no element lower than 6.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

    You may be eligible to gain Recognition for your Prior Learning (RPL).

    If you have alternative qualifications you may wish to contact us for advice before applying.

    You will be shortlisted on the strength of your written application and must demonstrate how you have used your previous experience (for example paid, voluntary, personal and educational) to help you develop some knowledge and understanding of the tasks and roles undertaken by social workers.

    Start dates

    22 September 2025

    Duration

    2 years full-time

    Course Detail

    Core modules:

    Assessment and Care Planning

    You will be encouraged to critically explore the underpinning theory and methods of assessment, which will enable you to develop the ability to hypothesise, assess and analyse situations. You will also be supported to learn how to construct support plans and explore ways of assessing children, families and adults.

    Applied Law

    This module will provide the opportunity for you to examine the complexity of the relationship between legislation and health and social care and social work practice. You will have the chance to enhance your knowledge of a wide range of professional social work laws and will examine how legislation sets the boundaries for social work practice.

    Readiness for Practice

    This module will support you in your preparation for practice. You will conduct an interview with a service user in which you will be asked to demonstrate your social work skills. The service user interviewed will provide you with feedback and you will be required to write a commentary on the interview experience. Based on the interview and commentary, a decision about your readiness to undertake direct practice will be made by a panel of tutors, service users, carers and employer representatives.

    First Practice Placement

    This module will provide you with the opportunity to apply and develop your knowledge, skills and values in a practice setting. You'll complete 70 days of assessed practice in a social work/care setting where you will be supported by a practice educator. You'll be required to demonstrate that you can practice in accordance with the Professional Capabilities Framework for social work.

    Social Work Knowledge and Interventions

    This module provides the opportunity for you to critically consider how social workers can apply research, theory and knowledge gained from sociology, psychology, human growth and development to social work practice. You will study a range of social work interventions and how these can be critically applied in practice. You will have the opportunity to develop key skills which will enhance your confidence in being a research minded professional.

    Think Family and Strength Based Approaches

    This module introduces two approaches that underpin much of current social care and social work policy and practice in the UK; Think Family and Strength Based approaches. You’ll be encouraged to develop your awareness, knowledge and understanding of the importance of practitioners taking account of the wider family circumstances, needs and responsibilities when working with an individual adult or child and when developing services within a community. You’ll be supported to develop a systematic understanding of the impact of issues such as mental health, domestic abuse, substance misuse, disability, illness and dementia on individuals, family members and communities. You’ll develop your skills in formulating judgements and framing questions to achieve solutions.

    Core modules:

    Final Practice Placement

    This module provides you with the opportunity to critically apply and develop your knowledge, skills and values in a practice setting. You'll complete 100 days of assessed practice in a social work setting where you will be supported by a practice educator. You'll be required to demonstrate that you can practice in accordance with the Professional Capabilities Framework for social work.

    Leadership Skills

    This module will provide the opportunity for you to reflect upon and develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be effective in leadership roles in health and social care. You'll be encouraged to think strategically and to develop a vision that will inspire and motivate others. As well as explore theories around leadership and reflect upon your own leadership skills. You'll also be supported to explore your own professional development.

    Statutory Social Work: Methods and Approaches

    This module examines the international context of social work and the contested concepts of social work within the UK. You'll be encouraged to develop a critical awareness of the issues, policy and organisational changes that impact on the role, functions, responsibilities and duties of social workers working in adult and children’s services and the multi-disciplinary contexts in which many social workers operate. You'll examine the policy, legal and practice contexts that frame adult and children’s social care, including the tensions, dilemmas and debates that exist between balancing social work activities aimed at supporting individuals and their families.

    You will be taught by lecturers from a range of social work backgrounds, service users, carers and guest speakers from current practice settings. Teaching is delivered through lectures, seminars and group work with other health professional students. During the course you will also undertake 30 days of skills development.

    You will be assessed through a wide range of methods including individual and group presentations, essays, reports, case studies, direct observations, reflective writing, coursework and portfolio work.

    Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance/final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

    1. Triple proof of teaching excellence: our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2024). So, you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

    2. We are first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 22 since 2008 (2023 data).

    3. We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

    Placements

    During the course you will undertake a 70 day placement in year 1 and a 100 day placement in year 2. These are managed and assessed by experienced practice educators, who provide opportunities for you to develop and apply the knowledge, value base and professional capabilities required of social workers in qualified practice.

    Placements are undertaken in wide variety of settings within the voluntary and statutory sectors, including local authorities, national charities, drug and alcohol services, housing agencies, sexual health services and a wide variety of other social care and welfare services. Placements are also provided across a wide range of service user groups and you may have the opportunity to work with vulnerable adults, children and families, young people, people with learning disabilities or people with mental health issues.

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    Important information

    We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

    Changes to a course you have applied for

    If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

    Cancellation of a course you have applied for

    Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

    Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

    We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

    Changes to option modules

    Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

    Major changes

    We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

    For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

    Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

    Termination of course

    In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

    When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

    The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.