Social Work MA

Course Content

• Course Details

  The MA Social Work programme is a challenging but ultimately rewarding route to professional qualification within a dynamic and multi-faceted career. The programme itself is aligned with the education and professional standards of the current professional regulator: Social Work England, additionally the academic and practice-focused material links with the British Association of Social Workers, Professional Capabilities Framework which starts at entry to the programme and follows professional development through to qualification.

  The programme offers opportunities to develop academic/professional skills such as analytical report writing, assessing and managing risk, developing an understanding of the application of legislation in practice, evidence-based and theory linked practice plus direct work with families, children and other professionals. A key focus within the programme is the skills development linked to practice placement experiences which enable students to further, test, analyse and develop their Social Work skills with a range of organisations and individuals.

  We have a broad range of placement providers which enables us to match students to suitable placements in the arenas of children in need, adults with mental health needs, youth offending, child protection/adult safeguarding, domestic abuse and education. All placements are quality assured by our dedicated placement team and full support is offered to all students whilst on placement via on-site or long-arm Practice Educators.

  MODULES

  Module information can be found on the Award Map.

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• Entry Requirements
  • A relevant undergraduate degree (ideally a 2:1 classification) or other recognised equivalent qualification. A Pass or 3rd will not be considered.
  • Applicants are advised to discuss the relevance of their Degree in their personal statement.
  • All applicants must have GCSE’s grade C/4 or above in English Language and Math or certified equivalencies Key skills Level 2 will be accepted, regardless of other qualifications. Applicants without these will not be considered.
  • Applicants must have 6 months of relevant social care or social work focused work experience, ideally 2/3 days a week (and be able to evidence this). This could be paid or voluntary work.

  Students yet to graduate should ideally provide an academic reference (although a professional reference would be acceptable).

  Students who have already graduated should provide a professional reference.

  All offers of a place on the programme are subject to:

  • satisfactory Occupational Health Screening (OH),
  • satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) report (this does not mean an applicant must have a ‘clear’ DBS. However any DBS issues will need to be discussed prior to your interview (where possible) and full enrolment on to the programme) and;
  • successful interview by the University.

  Please note, entry requirements must be maintained as the programme is endorsed by the Social Work England.

  English Language Requirements

  All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:

  • Minimum standard – IELTS 7.0 with no component less than 6.5.

  For more information on how to make an application, please visit our How to Apply page.

  If you are an international applicant and would like more information on applying for Social Work MA, please visit our How to Apply page.

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• Fees and Funding

  2021/22 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 2021/22 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  January 2022 Intake

  • UK Year 1: £4,050 (The course is charged over 2 years)
  • UK Year 2: £4,050 (The course is charged over 2 years)
  • International: £14,000 (The course is charged in Year 1 of the course)

  2020/21 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 2020/21 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  January 2021 Intake

  • UK and EU Year 1: £4,050 (The course is charged over 2 years)
  • UK and EU Year 2: £4,050 (The course is charged over 2 years)
  • International: £13,750 (The course is charged in Year 1 of the course)

  2019/20 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 19/20 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  January 2020 Intake

  • UK and EU Year 1: £4,050 (The course is charged over 2 years)
  • UK and EU Year 2: £4,050 (The course is charged over 2 years)
  • International: £12,750 (The course is charged in Year 1 of the course)

  Social Work Bursary

  There are limited numbers of postgraduate Social Work bursaries awarded by the NHS Business Service Authority for those enrolled on our MA Social Work programme. Postgraduate Social Work students can apply for a bursary to help you with your living costs. If you’re eligible for a bursary, you’ll get a contribution towards your tuition fees. To be eligible for the Social Work Bursary, you must satisfy the residency conditions. For more information and to apply, please visit the NHS website.

  Please note that if you are successfully awarded the Postgraduate Social Work bursary, you will not able to apply for the student finance.

  Placement Travel Allowance (PTA)

  If you aren’t allocated a bursary, but meet the eligibility criteria, you’ll receive a PTA of £862.50 towards your travel expenses at the beginning of your academic year.

  If you’re allocated a bursary, your PTA will be included as part of your bursary so you won’t receive any further help for travel.

  Additional costs

  Travel costs to and from placements, and extra costs associated with placements, may be incurred throughout your studies depending on where you are based.

  The extra costs incurred by placement should be covered by the postgraduate Social Work bursary, or in the event of not receiving a bursary, the above PTA is a standalone contribution.

  Additional Information

  Placement learning opportunities can be outside of Northampton to cover diverse placement opportunities to meet your learning and practice needs. You will need to be able to travel independently. Placements are located within a 60 mile radius of the University.

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• Practice Placement

  All students have two practice placements which are 5 full-time days per week, currently these are 70-days and 100-days in length.

  These are core mandatory elements on the programme and students must pass these elements (in addition to all other modules) to receive the full Social Work award.

  Placement learning opportunities can be outside of Northampton to cover diverse placement opportunities to meet your learning and practice needs.

  You will need to be able to travel independently. Placements are located within a 60 mile radius of the University.

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• Professional Body

  The programme is approved by the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and supported by Social Work England (SWE).

  

  The programme enables graduates to register with Social Work England as Social Workers.

  By the end of the course you will have been assessed against the the Professional Capabilities Framework and Social Work England (SWE) Professional Standards will be able to apply to Social Work England for registration.

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• FAQs

  Where can I find more information about social work and professional bodies?

  For more information about social work, professional bodies, adult and children services, community work and more, please see the useful websites:

  • The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)
  • Community Care
  • The British Association of Social Workers and the Professional Capability Framework
  • Social Work England (SWE)
  • Knowledge and Skills Standards for Adult Service and for Child and Family Social Work.

  What will I be taught?

  The programme prepares you for professional social work practice and enables you to develop your practice skills. You will develop your skills and knowledge in working with other professions. MA Social Work raises your political awareness and encourages you to be a creative, critical and reflective thinker.

  The Social Work subject team are committed to the International Federation of Social Work definition of social work and the curriculum is informed by it. Digitisation of Social Work features throughout all modules.

  The programme is designated as full-time and as such all modules, delivered sessions and placements are mandatory which also reflects the professional underpinning by the regulator Social Work England.

  How will I be assessed?

  Assessment is varied and can be in the form of essays, reports, presentations, practice assessment and there is a law exam.

  The programme is modular in design with all modules listed on the award map being mandatory and a pass grade is required on all items of assessment to ensure students can claim the full Social Work award. All assessments are first marked; usually by the module lead and a selection are moderated by another academic member of staff to quality assure the grading and feedback process. The programme has an External Examiner who also oversees samples of student work on each module, providing feedback at a modular and programme level supporting the development of the student experience.

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Careers and Employability

Employment prospects for Social Work graduates are excellent and you will be able to pursue various social work careers across the country. Successful graduates will need to apply to Social Work England for registration. As Social Worker is a protected title, you need to have this registration before you can practice as a social worker. Only those graduating from a social work course can apply for this.

If you leave the course before completion, you may be able to be awarded an intermediate award, but you will not be able to register as a social worker.

Clearly this programme is designed specifically to prepare and train for the Social Work profession and it can be utilised to develop onward skills in specific/specialist roles that link to the core Social Work qualification.