Program Overview

Social Work & Social Policy MPhil/PhD

Overview

The School of Health and Wellbeing has a strong mix of academics with a high degree of professional and personal experience, enabling you to get the most out of your programme. Our staff have expertise in social policy, social justice, race and identity, public health, foster care, safeguarding, social work, and coproduction.

Entry Requirements

For MPhil

• First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree or an approved equivalent award
• Research or professional experience which has resulted in appropriate evidence of achievement.

For PhD

• Postgraduate Masters Degree in a discipline which is appropriate to the proposed programme of study
• First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree or equivalent award in an appropriate discipline
• Research or professional experience at postgraduate level which has resulted in published work, written reports or other appropriate evidence of achievement.

International Applicants

International applicants will be required to demonstrate that they have the appropriate level of written and spoken English. For MPhil/PhD this is an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.0 in every component.

Programme Structure

PhD Year by Year

After receiving your application, we try to establish if we have the necessary expertise to supervise your project and we begin to form a supervisory team for you. This will normally consist of a Director of Studies (DoS), who will be your lead supervisor, and at least one other supervisor, who will offer you additional support and guidance throughout your studies.

First Year

You will have submitted a draft research outline with your application. In your first year, you will be working towards submitting a more complete research proposal. You will be aided in your research by meeting with your supervisory team to discuss your progress. You will also be supported through your first year by engaging with a series of three modules as part of our Researcher Development Programme:

• RSDP4001: Developing as a Researcher
• RSDP4005: Approaches to Research
• RSDP4004: Planning Your Research Project

Second Year

In your second year, you will be collecting data and working on your research project under the supervision of your supervisors through regular meetings. You may at this point have research papers ready to publish and you may wish to attend conferences to present your research to other experts in your field.

Third and Fourth Year

In your third and fourth year, you will be writing up your thesis and preparing for your viva voce examination. This is an oral exam with two examiners and a chair. You can also request that your supervisor be present at the exam.

Resources

Access to the University of Worcester’s virtual resources and its state-of-the-art library facilities. The Social Work and Social Policy team at Worcester have an excellent range of resources available to support your learning and your research project, including extensive regional networks of social work partners able to support research activity.

Programme Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest MPhil programme specification or PhD programme specification documents.

Research Areas

Supervisors

• Dr Clive Sealey: Expertise in social policy; poverty; policy analysis; comparative policy analysis; qualitative research methods.
• Dr Peter Unwin: Expertise in safeguarding and child sexual exploitation; fostering; privatisation/agency social work; service user/carer involvement.
• Dr Raluca Sarbu: Expertise in qualitative research in social work, children safeguarding, fostering, roma/gypsy communities, intervention methods in social work.

Careers

All students engage with our Researcher Development Programme (RDP). The RDP aims to develop and enhance the skills, both generic and specific, that you will need to complete your research degree but also to become an effective researcher.

Fees

The current fees can be found within the tuition fees document on our figure out finances page.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study. We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Halls' at £131 per week to 'Ensuite Premium Halls' at £228 per week (2025/26 prices). For full details visit our accommodation page.