Social Work

Entry requirements

You will need a 2:2 degree in any discipline, or equivalent.

GCSE Maths and English grade C/4 or above, or equivalent at the time of application.

Some paid or voluntary work experience in health or social care in a relevant social care or child care/education setting is also required.

You must also have: one satisfactory reference. Don't worry if you cannot provide your reference when you make your application, as if we make you an offer you will be able to provide this at a later stage. References should be recent and verifiable, on official institution paper, signed and dated by the referee.

If a referee wishes to provide an email reference, it must be sent from the referee’s email account.

You must also have a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check (including child and adult barred list check) this is organised by the University.

For this course, you will be required to register for the DBS Update Service (information relating to this service can be found here). You will need to register for this within 30 days of your DBS certificate being issued. The Update Service costs £13 per year, which the University will reimburse. You will need to keep the subscription to this Service active for the duration of your course.

If you do not register for the Update Service within 30 days, or your registration lapses, and you later attend a Placement where this is a requirement, you will have to pay for a new DBS check, which will enable you to sign up to the Update service. Please contact dbs@essex.ac.uk if you have any questions relating to this.”

A satisfactory Overseas Criminal Record Check/Local Police Certificate is also required, in addition to a DBS check, where you have lived outside of the UK in the last 5 years for 6 months or more.Where it is not possible to obtain an Overseas Check a relevant professional reference may be accepted.

Months of entry

October

Course content

Social Work is a Human Rights Profession; be part of it.

This course, unique to the UK, provides an opportunity for you to qualify as a social worker while at the same time engaging with debates around the importance of human rights and social justice in the context of social work practice.

Building on the success of our existing Social Work programmes and the global reputation of the University's outstanding human rights research, we’ve designed a new postgraduate approach to social work education. Our Social Work students will not only acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to practice as social workers, but they will also have the opportunity to learn about the importance of human rights in an inter-professional manner, alongside students and tutors from the University's Law Clinic. Moreover, through our work with the United Nations, governments, human rights organisations and corporations all over the world, we bring a global outlook to our teaching.

We’ve blended theory and practice throughout to nurture you from a trainee social worker to a confident professional practitioner. You will explore the fundamental principles of human rights and equality, and examine how these doctrines will underpin your practice. You will also cover topics including:

• Service users autonomy
• Social justice and values
• Equality and diversity
• Safeguarding and protection
• Evidence-based relational practice

We are ranked among the top 200 departments in the QS World University Rankings (2018) and we are top 20 in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014, mainstream universities, THE 2014).

Information for international students

Entry requirements
You can find international entry requirements for most countries on our webpage www.essex.ac.uk/international. If your country is not listed, please contact Postgraduate Admissions at pgadmit@essex.ac.uk.

Pre-sessional English Language courses
If you need to improve your English language skills before joining your main degree course, we offer pre-sessional English courses on our campuses in partnership with Kaplan International Pathways. To learn more, please visit www.essex.ac.uk/international/pre-sessional

Funding
You can explore scholarship opportunities for your country at www.essex.ac.uk/international or view our university-wide scholarships at www.essex.ac.uk/scholarships.

Fees and funding

There are a wide range of funding options for postgraduate study, including scholarships, bursaries and alumni discounts. You can check your eligibility at https://www.essex.ac.uk/postgraduate/masters/fees-and-funding.

For MA Social Work applicants, we also recommend reading through our additional guidance on the Social Work Bursary, the Postgraduate Loan and NHSBSA's Placement Travel Allowance and other allowances: https://www.essex.ac.uk/departments/health-and-social-care/scholarships-and-funding#SWB