Social Work MSci

About the course

Approved by Social Work England, this integrated Master’s degree in Social Work is a professional qualifying course, designed to equip you with the necessary skills, abilities and knowledge to succeed in a future career in social work.

The four-year programme combines undergraduate and postgraduate study into a single degree, helping to prepare you to work in all social care settings – within statutory, voluntary, private sectors, and in multidisciplinary settings and work teams – including residential, field, day care, healthcare, and education.

The course is managed and delivered by long-standing partnerships between the University and local social work agencies, including statutory, voluntary, and service user-led organisations, and aims to produce practitioners who can critically reflect on their practice. Social work can be a challenging but rewarding profession, and we take pride in helping you to develop the thoughtful, considerate, and professional qualities you’ll need to succeed in your chosen career in social work.

Why study Social Work MSci

This course will introduce you to anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice within a complex and multi-cultural society, and within the context of professional and agency standards and requirements.

You’ll be taught by experienced staff with a variety of backgrounds in social work and social care. You can also hear experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group.

To enhance your studies, you’ll undertake work placements in your third and fourth year, in a social work or related setting. This will help to increase your future employability prospects and give you the chance to make useful contacts in industry. You may also have the opportunity to work and study abroad via the Turing Scheme

Working closely with local authority partners ensures you’ll be supported to make the transition to social work practice. It will also ensure you’re aware of available employment opportunities and post-qualifying social work progression pathways.

The course is part of the Yorkshire Urban and Rural Teaching Partnership, an accredited Social Work Teaching Partnership between local authority employers and the Universities of Huddersfield and York. The partnership develops and delivers innovative and creative approaches to social work education and training for students, ensuring social workers are confident and creative practitioners with the skills required for working in statutory social work. The Partnership also offers high- quality student placements and a social work curriculum that is co-developed and co-delivered by social workers and service users.

Following the course, you'll be eligible to apply to register with Social Work England, which is the regulatory body for social workers in England. You might go on to work with a range of service user groups, including vulnerable adults, children and families, young people, people with learning disabilities or people with mental health issues, in either statutory or non-statutory settings.

Entry requirements

In addition you must have GCSE English Language or English Literature at grade 4 or above or grade C if awarded under previous GCSE grading scheme or equivalent Ofqual regulated qualification (IELTS is accepted in place of English GCSE grade 4). 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 will also need satisfactory enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) and occupational health clearances prior to registration on the course and applicants will be required to attend an interview. Read our guidance on what to expect from your interview. 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.

Applicants must possess basic IT skills, including word processing, internet browsing and use of email.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate the potential to become confident, reflective and safe practitioners eligible for registration with Social Work England as a social worker who is able to uphold a positive image of the social work profession.

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.

Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

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