MA in Social Work

Start date: September
Duration: 2 years, full-time
Programme code: L508

Our MA in Social Work is one of the first of the new qualifications to be validated by the General Social Care Council. Our Social Work degree courses came 1st in The Independent Newspaper's University Subject Table rankings for 2010 and 1st in The Times prestigious Good University Guide 2010 league tables. The MA in Social Work is designed to assess student social workers in their:

• Practical application of skills, knowledge, research and analytical abilities to deliver a service that creates opportunities for users;
• Ability to reflect social work values in their practice;
• Ability to manage change and deliver required outcomes;
• Ability to communicate with users and carers of all ages and from all sections of the community;
• Knowledge of social work theory and how it can be applied in practice; and
• Ability to function effectively and confidently in multi-disciplinary teams.

The MA integrates all of the above through rigorous academic teaching and practice learning opportunities with an individual practice teacher/assessor. A particular strength of this programme is that it is taught within a department which includes a range of other social science disciplines and our social work programmes thus draw upon sociologically informed critiques of social work policy and practice.

Social work training in the Department of Sociological Studies is delivered in an academic environment which conforms to the University´s Mission: to maintain the highest standards of excellence as a research-led institution, whose staff work at the frontiers of academic enquiry in a research environment. The MA Social Work programme seeks to meet the following aims contained within the departmental Mission Statement:

• To educate and train students from a diverse range of educational and social backgrounds.
• To enable our students to realise their potential, in order that they may contribute fully to the society in which they live.
• To encourage our students in self-improvement and the development of life skills.
• To equip our students to take advantage of the opportunities available to them for work and further study.
• To inculcate in our students a respect for the traditions and values of higher education.