Master of Social and Community Work

The Master of Social and Community Work (Applied) (MSCW(Applied)) programme is designed for students who already hold a bachelor's degree to attain a qualification that will allow them to become professional social workers. It is also suitable for mid-career social workers who are looking for a recognised professional qualification in social work.

The MSCW(Applied) covers key elements of social work practice: models of practice, family and children, community organisations and policy settings, kaupapa Māori and Indigenous approaches to practice, and research and evaluation skills. Students will also complete two fieldwork placements with social service agencies where they will have the opportunity to learn within a professional setting supervised by a registered social worker.

This programme is available both on-campus and via distance education. Applications close each year on 1 November.

Master of Social and Community Work (Applied) information video

Postgraduate entrance requirements

Entrance requirements for postgraduate study vary by programme with most requiring a minimum bachelor-level qualification in the same field, and some having additional requirements such as relevant work experience and/or professional registration in New Zealand.

A postgraduate certificate or postgraduate diploma can usually be taken at any time after the completion of your bachelor's degree.

If you hold an honours degree or postgraduate diploma you may be able to eligible for master’s study by thesis only. In some cases if you hold a bachelor’s degree you may apply for a coursework master’s degree or for master’s study by coursework and thesis.

To study a PhD you usually require the completion of a master’s degree, or a first-class or upper second-class honours degree in the same area of study, or a related discipline, as your intended area of research.

Check the postgraduate students pages for specific information on the entrance requirements of the programme you are interested in.

IELTS (Academic module) (including IELTS Online) : Overall score of 6.5, no individual band below 6.0

TOEFL iBT : Overall score of 90 and a writing score of 21 The University of Otago TOEFL institution code is 9483 (Please note we do not accept MyBest TOEFL scores)

Pearson Test of English ( PTE ) Academic : Overall score of 58 with no communicative skills score below 50

Duolingo English Test : Overall score of 120 (with no Individual Subscore below 95)