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MA - Social Work

Social work is an essential and meaningful profession supporting people across every community. Social work is an ethics-based profession, with a global perspective, that is delivered locally and always with an individual connection.

Course Overview

Our programme will support you to develop the full range of knowledge, values and skills needed to be an effective social worker. Social work is an exciting profession. It relies on developing a balanced approach and finding solutions with people who are often at a vulnerable stage in their lives. The programme will explore contemporary issues and allow you to learn from people with lived experience of social work, as well as professionals in practice.

We have excellent relationships with local employers who host you on placement with the support of qualified practice educators. After successfully completing both placements and the academic modules, you will be able to apply for registration as a qualified social worker.

Our intimate teaching environments mean we can focus on your individual development so that you have a long, successful and healthy career in a great profession! There is a great record of employment for our MA Social Work graduates. Our course team are happy to talk any of this through with you.

On this course you will...

• Learn to understand the subject of social work as well as the diverse role that social workers play in a wide range of organisations, from local authorities to the voluntary sector and beyond.
• Develop your academic skills as well as your knowledge, supported throughout by a personal tutor from the lecturing team who will be there for you for the duration of the programme.
• Build meaningful connections and insights. Our MA Social Work is a journey you will share with other students, where we recognise, respect and value how everyone is unique.
• Gain real-world experience both in our modern campus facilities and the workplace.

Key Details

• Recruiting to: UK / RoI / Settled in UK
• Course Location: Carlisle - Fusehill Street
• Institute: Institute of Health
• UCAS Code: L500
• Delivery Style: Blended Learning
• Course Duration: Full-time: 2 Years
• Course Start Point: September
• Award: MA

Minimum entry requirements

• 2:2 Honours degree
• GCSE minimum grade C in English language or equivalent
• Associated experience and knowledge of current issues within and affecting social work is also required

Tuition fees

• £5,900 - UK (per year, subject to inflation)

Course Structure

What you will learn

Throughout our master's degree in social work, your progress will balance across building knowledge and developing practical skills. Successful social work is an applied profession, valuable in the way that it takes the knowledge of what helps and what works and then applies it in the real world in ways that respect individual people, supporting them to live their best life.

The world is complex. However, research constantly informs social work so that we remain current and continue adding value to society. This MA programme gives you the opportunity to understand the professional standards underpinning our profession, as well as enabling you to develop your own creativity. Society is continuously changing and evolving. We recognise that while also emphasising the foundations of the work which have a rich history, such as social work’s commitment to social justice and anti-discriminatory practice.

Year one

• Professional Knowledge and Skills for Social Work
• Critical Analysis of Contemporary Issues in Social Work
• Critical Applications in Statutory Social Work
• Readiness for Direct Practice
• Critically Evaluating Interventions with Diverse Populations
• Safeguarding and Ethics
• First Placement – 70 days

Year two

• Understanding Research Evidence to Enhance Social Work
• Dissertation: Research Production, Analysis and Dissemination
• Resilience, Leadership and Healthy Social Work Careers
• Final Placement (100 Days)

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

Learning is based in academic study as well as practice placements which students will be actively encouraged to use, apply and integrate their developing knowledge within the context of Social Work practice. In adopting a reflective approach, we endorse a pedagogically valid method that fosters an enquiring, evaluative attitude to academic study.

How you will be assessed

A key feature of your academic journey will include formative assessment. That is work that helps to inform or become part of your final ‘summative’ assessment, and the nature of it varies across the modules. Formative work may include in‐class or online activities such as presenting draft assignments, work in progress, or multiple-choice tests.

Summative assessment is authentic and aligned to both the module-learning outcomes and programme aims. Summative assessment encourages progressive development through feedback and reflection, which is of relevance to both further academic progression and your future employment needs.

Entry requirements

• A 2:2 bachelor's degree or above in an associated field and relevant experience and understanding of the profession of social work (assessed through application and interview)
• GCSE minimum grade C in English language or equivalent
• Associated experience and knowledge of current issues within and affecting social work is also required

Selection criteria

• Equivalent qualifications other than those listed above may be accepted
• Students are selected according to the entry level criteria laid out by The British Association of Social Workers

Fitness to practise and health requirements

• All offers of a place are subject to satisfactory health screening
• Further information will be provided following the offer of a place

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

• £5,900 - UK (per year, subject to inflation)

Additional Costs

• There will be some additional costs, such as stationery and text books
• Extra costs may also be applicable to cover field trips, membership fees etc.

Books and Journals

• The following is a list of the key texts for the first year of the programme
• It is not recommended that students purchase all these books before the course has started
• Many books are available electronically as ebooks
• Graham, M., J. (2017) Reflective Thinking in Social Work, Learning from student narratives. Abingdon: Routledge
• Healy, K. Mulholland, J. (2019) Writing Skills for Social Workers (Social Work in Action series) London: Sage
• Ingram, R. (2015) Understanding Emotions in Social Work: Theory, Practice and Reflection. Maidenhead: OU Press (available as an e-book)
• McLaughlin, H. (2011) Understanding social work research. London: Sage (Available as an e-book)
• Parrott, L., & Maguinness, N. (2017) Social work in context: theory and concepts. London: Sage (Available as an e-book)
• Walker, J. (2017) Social work and human development. 5th edn. Exeter: Macmillan

Stationery

• Students should budget for stationery and consumables for your own personal use
• This should include notebooks, pens and pencils for taking notes in class and/or in the field
• Students should also budget for the purchase of USB pen drives, as well as occasional printing and photocopying costs incurred in the preparation or submission of coursework

Clothing and Equipment

• There is no dress code for the social work classroom
• However, in fieldwork placements, students are expected to wear clothes that are smart casual and appropriate for a professional working environment

Field Trips

• The University of Cumbria has an annual social work conference in the summer which students are encouraged to attend
• The fee is modest and likely to be no more than £20