MA Social Work

University of Wolverhampton

Why choose this course?

This graduate entry level course is designed to equip social work students with the knowledge, skills and values necessary for qualification.

Upon successful completion of the course students will have met the required levels of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF). They will then be eligible to apply to register with Social Work England (SWE) to begin their first year in employment as a registered and qualified social worker.

The MA (Social Work) is an academic award dependent upon successful completion of a Masters level dissertation as well as demonstrating capable practice. There is an ‘exit award’ of PGDip, which allows successful students to apply to register with (SWE) as a qualified and registered social worker. Students taking this route may be eligible to complete their dissertation for an alternative MA in a related field.

The specific educational aims of the course are to:

• Develop core social work values as identified by the British Association of Social Workers.
• Develop a knowledge base to underpin capable and effective practice
• Develop the necessary intellectual skills of critical thinking, inquiry and problem solving as applied to academic learning and to practice ethical, research minded and critically engaged practice

Career Paths

The course enables successful students to be eligible to register as a social worker in order to begin their careers in the profession.

The English qualification is accepted throughout the UK.

Graduates may return to the University of Wolverhampton (or any Higher Education Institute) to undertake courses as part of their continuing professional development (CPD), which is a requirement to maintain social work professional registration. These currently include Approved Mental Health Professional and Practice Educator courses, but additional courses are in development following policy changes related to the Mental Capacity Act. There is also the opportunity for candidates to enrol on a programme of doctoral study - either a Professional Doctorate or a more conventional PhD.