Social Work

Entry requirements

To apply for this course you will need:

• A UK degree (2:2 or above) in a social work/social science-related discipline, English or Welsh GCSE at grade A*-C or equivalent, e.g. Essential Skills/Key Skills level 2 Communication.
• An understanding of the Code of Professional Practice for Social Care
• Sufficient relevant experience in social care that you can demonstrate the values and basic skills that correspond to those generally expected of social workers.
• Appropriate personal and intellectual qualities.
• To be able to understand and communicate effectively in written and spoken English or Welsh.

If you are successful at the interview, any offer of a place will be conditional upon a satisfactory DBS/police check or equivalent from your home country as well as an occupational health declaration and assessment prior to starting your studies. Further details will be provided if you receive an offer.

Any concerns arising from these may be considered at the School of Health and Social Care’s Professional Suitability and Fitness to Practise Panel and may result in admission to the programme being withdrawn.

You will also need to register with Social Care Wales as a student social worker.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Our accredited Master’s degree in Social Work will equip you with the theoretical and practical knowledge to launch a rewarding career as a registered social worker.

You will study the ethics and values of social work, critical practice relating to the law around child and adult care, and the key theories and perspectives underpinning social work policy and practice. It will prepare you for employment as a professionally qualified social worker and lay the foundation for the continuation of your professional development.

You will spend half of your time on placement with social work agencies, learning through observation and practice, and the other half being taught on our Singleton Park campus.

Throughout your studies, you will refine critical research and analytical skills in relation to social work practice and policy, and develop professional reflective practice techniques.

Why Social Work at Swansea University?

Our course is recognised by the regulatory bodies in the other UK nations, so on successful completion, you can register as a qualified social worker.

We have excellent links with social work agencies in south and west Wales, and in local authority and voluntary sectors, offering placements in a range of settings.

Based at our School of Health and Social Care, you will benefit from a diverse teaching and research environment, with many opportunities to make connections with students from a range of disciplines and nationalities.

According to the most recent Research Excellence Framework, 75% of research carried out at the School of Health and Social Care is 3* and therefore considerable in terms of reach and significance. Our focus on research outputs has resulted in a 21% increase in world-leading research (REF2021). This research expertise and excellence feed directly into our learning and teaching practise and your course content.

Your Social Work experience

Our teaching staff are all active in research at both a national and international level, covering diverse areas including looked-after children, service user and carer involvement in education, asylum seeking children and migration, and social inclusion and care needs of older people.

The course is both academic and practice-based, you will complete a minimum of 200 days of practice learning across the two years. Half of the programme is devoted to supervised practice in social service agencies, where you’ll have the opportunity to learn through observation, rehearsal and performance. The social work placements take place in the local authorities of Neath Port Talbot, Swansea, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Ceredigion.

Fees and funding