Master’s in Social Work in the UK

Social work is a challenging, rewarding and varied career with opportunities to change people’s lives by working with them when they most need support. Taught by experts with real-world practice experience, you’ll gain insight into issues like homelessness, substance abuse, disability and mental health as well as into policies relating to social welfare and the safeguarding of adults and children.

The PhD in Social Policy and Social Work allows you to select a topic of your choice linked to our expertise within the broad field of social policy and social work. Warwick's Centre for Lifelong Learning provides a rich, transdisciplinary academic environment supported by a dedicated team including supervision and personal tutoring.

You can protect the most vulnerable members of our society and make a positive impact for social justice in the dynamic, challenging and rewarding field of social work. Through both academic and practice-based modules, our MSc programme prepares you to effect real change through research-based practice.

You’ll earn both a master’s degree and the opportunity to qualify as a registered social worker in this intensive two-year, full-time programme – and develop your skills with the full support of our professional, experienced and dedicated staff. At GCU, you’ll be part of a thriving and diverse community that’s driven by a shared belief in global engagement, social responsibility and a commitment to the common good.

This challenging MSc Social Work programme provides an accelerated route to qualification over two years. Successful students will draw on a combination of academic and practice experience, enabling them to study effectively at the master’s level.

The Durham MSW is a 21 month course engaging you with the knowledge, skills and values that underpin social work practice with individuals, groups and communities. Academic study is complemented by two practice placements with different service user groups. Practice experience of statutory interventions with children and families or ‘vulnerable adults’ is complemented by opportunities for innovative practice in the voluntary and independent sectors in areas such as family justice, homelessness, substance use, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, community interventions and self-advocacy. With strong involvement of service users, carers and practice partners throughout the course, the MSW provides strong foundations for practice in any field of social work.

The course focuses on developing your skills to engage with a diverse range of people, both adults and children, to address complex life challenges and enhance wellbeing. This will equip you to work in an exciting profession, promoting the rights and wellbeing of people, families and communities, through establishing and maintaining the trust and confidence of those people while acting with professional integrity and promoting ethical practice.

The social work programme meets current Social Work England Qualifying Education and Standards as well as Professional Standards and BASW. The programme and is led by research-active academic staff with contributions from social work practitioners, service users and carers as well as other professionals.

By the end of the programme, successful graduates will be eligible can apply to register as social workers with Social Work England.

Graduates from the MA programmes have consistently demonstrated high rates of progression into relevant employment.

The MSW in Social Work is a two-year, full-time postgraduate degree course.

The qualification is recognised throughout the UK and it’s expected, in due course, to meet the criteria for recognition in the EU and elsewhere overseas. The Masters in Social Work course is based on the Standards in Social Work Education (SiSWE) and is validated by social work's professional body in Scotland, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

The course provides a stimulating blend of university-based teaching and agency-based learning opportunities across both years.

Social work education at Goldsmiths has a long and distinguished record. We welcome enquiries from appropriately qualified applicants with research interests that align with those of our staff.

We provide a thriving research environment in which the research interests of staff are enormously varied, including:

child protection

learning disability

mental health

the interconnections between domestic violence and child abuse

explorations of gender and sexuality in social care

At the heart of social work is the promotion of human rights and social justice, and the protection of individuals and their families. It aims to bring about change through working in partnership with individuals, families and communities often at the point of distress and vulnerability.

Our MA Social Work course is approved by Social Work England. This means, when you graduate, you can apply for professional registration to practice as a registered social worker.

This two-year, full-time masters degree is designed for students with an undergraduate degree who wish to become registered social work practitioners. We'll make sure that you develop the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the professional standards by the time you complete your course. 

As a registered social worker, you’ll work within health and social care teams, including statutory, independent and voluntary services. You’ll work in partnership with a range of professionals across many services and disciplines, including health, the police and housing. You’ll often be in situations that are complex and challenging but you’ll be working towards bringing about positive changes for individuals, families and communities.

It can be difficult to appreciate the difference social workers make until you’ve experienced professional practice – and that’s why you’ll complete work-based placements in both years of this course. 

Social workers work with a wide cross-section of society, including some of the most disadvantaged and excluded people. Our MA in Social Work provides a variety of opportunities for you to develop the knowledge, skills and appropriate values to work positively with people who have lived experience of social work practice.

You’ll develop and integrate knowledge, skills and values for, and in, practice to meet the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Professional Capabilities Framework at the Qualifying Level for Social Workers in England and the Standards for the Professional regulator (Social Work England). 

Values for ethical and effective social work practice are at the heart of the MA in Social Work course, underpinned by connection to people with lived experience of social work, research and the professional evidence base.

You’ll spend approximately 200 days in supported practice settings, building on your academic learning to develop critical understanding of the practice context, professional skills and demonstrate values-based practice to professional standards.

Teaching is provided in a block alongside a blend of opportunities to apply and explore this learning in respect of people with lived experience of social work practice and with social work practitioner contact.

We are looking for motivated and talented graduates with the potential to become registered social workers.

In this two-year programme, you will be taught by social work academics who have teaching, research and practice expertise spanning the range of specialist social work fields.

The depth and breadth of academic expertise and experience is a major strength of the programme. This prepares students to become social workers in their chosen areas of specialist social work practice, equipped with a broad range of theory and evidence.

The programme is underpinned by a psycho-social and life-course approach, encouraging critical thinking and anti-discriminatory practice in response to the needs of people and communities.

The Masters of Social Work is accredited by Social Work England. On successful completion of the programme, you will be eligible to register as a social worker with Social Work England, the professional regulator.

We provide social work education in partnership with a diverse range of local authorities and voluntary sector organisations. A key arrangement with social work employers involves a partnership called 'Developing Together'. This provides strong and mutually supportive relationships between the university and social work employers. Experienced social workers and people with lived experience of social care contribute to your learning and development over the duration of the programme. We have a state of the art innovative skills lab to help you to learn and develop practice skills, preparing you for field learning in two practice placements.

The academic side of the course is rigorous and challenging. You’ll develop a clear understanding of the theory. Through work placements, you’ll become a confident, skilled practitioner.

We’re working in collaboration with the four local authorities in South Yorkshire to lead the way for social work education. This means that you’ll benefit from a social work curriculum that is enhanced by increased collaboration with placement providers and employment agencies.

Social work provides an opportunity to ensure fair and just treatment for those who might not be able to do so for themselves and can be a hugely rewarding career for anyone with an interest in safeguarding the human rights of others.

This programme is designed to provide the professional knowledge and skills needed to qualify and practice as a registered social worker. Through an integrated learning approach, students are supported to develop as competent, confident, analytical, and reflective practitioners who can work safely and effectively in complex, challenging environments to make a difference in the lives of people and society.

You will learn in sessions led by academic faculty, practitioners, experts by experience, service users and carers. In this supportive environment you’ll develop crucial skills for independent and collaborative learning.

You will take also undertake two placements in local social welfare agencies.

Learn from people influencing social care. We work with local social welfare agencies on joint projects. These include development, training and research initiatives.

The MSc Social Work course at Robert Gordon University focuses on the values, skills and competencies required for the practice of social work to the qualifying level set by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). It will give you the ability to positively impact society and improve the lives of individuals in an important profession.

Our academics’ research contributes to new practice developments and policy and will directly inform your learning. Current research areas include; child protection and mental health, child sexual exploitation, autism, learning difficulties, mental capacity, social justice, gender and research minded social work practice. 

The MA Social Work at Northumbria has both a national and international focus and offers the opportunity to gain experience across cultures. Trips previous students have undertaken include observing social work practice in Greece, Turkey and Northern Ireland.

This Social Work Master’s programme has excellent placements within local networks providing excellent practice learning opportunities (70 days in Year 1 and 100 days in Year 2).

We ensure that all our students are offered two, high-quality, contrasting placements in order to offer the very best and most varied work experience to prepare you for qualified practice. Students are supported by a placement team focused on your learning needs during placements