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University of Tasmania

  • 17% international / 83% domestic

Master of Social Work (Qualifying)

  • Masters (Coursework)

Now more than ever compassionate and engaged social workers are needed to help improve the life and wellbeing of people and to combat societal inequality. Social workers need contemporary skills to respond meaningfully to social problems.

Key details

Degree Type
Masters (Coursework)
Duration
2 - 5 years full-time
Course Code
R7O, 098281J
Study Mode
In person
Intake Months
Feb
International Fees
$36,450 per year

About this course

Now more than ever compassionate and engaged social workers are needed to help improve the life and wellbeing of people and to combat societal inequality.

Social workers need contemporary skills to respond meaningfully to social problems. Our Master of Social Work (Qualifying) has been designed with direct industry input to reflect current and emerging practice trends in the profession.

The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is a professionally accredited qualification, awarded full accreditation by the Australian Association of Social Workers. It is an entry qualification into the social work profession and has been determined to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards.

The masters-level course has specialisation options, and you will engage with distinctive Tasmanian, national, and international contexts. Threaded through the course is a focus on decolonising, Indigenising, sustainability, collaboration, and innovation in social work, ensuring that as a graduate, you are well-equipped for new and diverse roles in changing workplaces.

The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) prepares students for generalist social work practice, helping them to develop core knowledge, skills and values that can be applied across practice settings, fields and methods of social work practice. Across your studies, you'll complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised professional field education placement.

Entry requirements

Students with a Bachelor degree in a related field:

The equivalent of an Australian Bachelor Degree in a related field. Relevant study areas include (but are not limited to):

  • Psychology

  • Sociology

  • Criminology

  • Geography

  • Education

  • History

  • Law

  • Health

  • Nursing

  • Disability studies

  • Philosophy

  • Political sciences

  • Indigenous studies

  • Gender studies

The study must include at least one-year of full-time study in the social and behavioural sciences and have been completed within the last 10 years.

Students with a Bachelor degree in a non-related field:

Students with the equivalent of an Australian Bachelor Degree in a non-related field, may complete a pathway into the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) by completing either:

  • 8 units (100 credit points) from the Bachelor of Social Work with Honours.

  • In addition to holding a completed Bachelor Degree, the Diploma of Arts is accepted.

Safety in Practice Compliance

Students need to complete a Safety in Practice Agreement to meet pre-practicum requirements. This includes a National Police Record Check and relevant Working with Vulnerable People Check. See more information and resources at Social Work Field Education Placements.

Students with a Bachelor degree in a related field:

The equivalent of an Australian Bachelor Degree in a related field. Relevant study areas include (but are not limited to):

  • Psychology

  • Sociology

  • Criminology

  • Geography

  • Education

  • History

  • Law

  • Health

  • Nursing

  • Disability studies

  • Philosophy

  • Political sciences

  • Indigenous studies

  • Gender studies

The study must include at least one-year of full-time study in the social and behavioural sciences and have been completed within the last 10 years.

Students with a Bachelor degree in a non-related field:

Students with the equivalent of an Australian Bachelor Degree in a non-related field, may complete a pathway into the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) by completing either:

  • 8 units (100 credit points) from the Bachelor of Social Work with Honours.

  • In addition to holding a completed Bachelor Degree, the Diploma of Arts is accepted.

English Language Requirements

IELTS (Academic) 7.0 (no individual band less than 7.0) - no other equivalencies will be accepted. Applicants will be required to meet this requirement prior to commencing a pathway into their Social Work program.

See the AASW English language requirements for more details.

Safety in Practice Compliance

Students need to complete a Safety in Practice Agreement to meet pre-practicum requirements. This includes a National Police Record Check and relevant Working with Vulnerable People Check. See more information and resources at Social Work Field Education Placements.

Study locations

Cradle Coast

Launceston

Hobart

What you will learn

  • 1 Initiate improvements to services, policies and professional accountability in social work through the innovative application of critical analysis, research and culturally relevant knowledge.
  • 2 Maximise ways of decolonising social work knowledge, frameworks and practices to address inequality and injustice in ways that promote social sustainability policies and goals.
  • 3 Construct communication strategies that can respond to the needs and capacities of diverse social work client groups, communities, and organisations.
  • 4 Propose leadership approaches for social work that are collaborative, cooperative and useful in micro, meso and macro contexts.
  • 5 Develop ethical social work research and practice-based responses to local, national and global social justice and human rights challenges.
  • 6 Design practical solutions that can contribute to the decolonising agenda in social work in a sustainable way by using creative, entrepreneurial, and relational approaches.
  • Career pathways

    The skills and expertise our Social Work graduates gain equips them for a diverse range of rewarding careers, including:

    • child safety practitioner
    • social worker
    • project manager
    • youth worker
    • mental health practitioner
    • researcher
    • policy analyst and advisor
    • community development worker
    • migrant and refugee settlement workers
    • case manager
    • drug and alcohol counsellor
    • palliative care social worker
    • relationships counsellor
    • disability advocate.
    Professional Accreditation

    The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is an externally accredited degree.

    This course is accredited by Australian Association of Social Workers.

    For further accreditation/membership requirements, please visit the Australian Association of Social Workers website.

    If you have any queries about the accreditation process, please contact us for further information.

    The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is an externally accredited degree.

    This course is accredited by Australian Association of Social Workers.

    For further accreditation/membership requirements, please visit the Australian Association of Social Workers website.

    If you have any queries about the accreditation process, please contact us for further information.

    Course structure

    The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) requires the completion of 200 credit points comprising:

    • 100 credit points of Core units at 500 level
    • 100 credit points at 600 level in either a Research Pathway or Non-research Pathway

    If you are starting in 2023 you can find your course planner here. Your course planner gives you a visual representation of your course and will help you plan which units to enrol in and when.

    For course planners from previous years, refer to the handbook entry for that year.

    Graduate outcomes

    Graduate satisfaction and employment outcomes for Social Work courses at University of Tasmania.
    73.6%
    Overall satisfaction
    81.1%
    Skill scale
    64.2%
    Teaching scale
    81%
    Employed full-time
    $65k
    Average salary