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Bachelor of Social Work with Honours (A4S)

Overview (2027)

Duration

Minimum 4 years, up to a maximum of 9 years.

This course is available to study as both part-time or full-time
Duration
Duration refers to the minimum and maximum amounts of time in which this course can be completed. It will be affected by whether you choose to study full or part time, noting that some programs are only available part time.

Location

Hobart
Semester 1, Semester 2
Cradle Coast
Semester 1, Semester 2
Launceston
Semester 1, Semester 2

In the right headspace

Social Work graduate Ella Baker-Condon is helping some of society’s most at-risk and in-need people as a social worker for Headspace, a free youth-focused health service.

Social Workers strive to improve lives and are committed to combating inequality. Recognising compassion and support are key to improving social, financial, environmental and cultural wellbeing. Our Bachelor of Social Work with Honours has been designed with direct industry input to reflect current and emerging practice trends in the profession.

You’ll learn how to respond to social justice, human rights and socio-environmental challenges in ways that are culturally responsive, principled, regenerative, sustainable and effective. Identifying and addressing any external issues that may impact on wellbeing or may create inequality, injustice and discrimination.

Our course focus is applied learning opportunities that include community, health, and human services agencies. Through placement, students establish their professional identity while contributing to our community as agents of change. An unexpected benefit of studying social work is the introspection and self-development it inspires. Many students find their perspective on different social issues have changed or been challenged through their course work and through hearing the perspectives of others.

Our study options have been created for maximum flexibility. You can study part-time or full-time, with recognition of prior learning and experience, no exams in your final 2 years, and authentic, real-world focused assessment tasks. All designed to help those looking to begin a rewarding career, or those in the industry to upskill.

This course engages with distinctive Tasmanian, national, and international contexts. Threaded through the course is a focus on decolonising, Indigenising, sustainability, collaboration, and innovation in social work, ensuring that as a graduate, you are well-equipped for new and diverse roles in
changing workplaces. The palawa / pakana people of lutruwita (Tasmania) belong to the oldest continuing culture in the world. From your first year you’ll learn about historical and contemporary perspectives. You will learn how Indigenous knowledges can inform responses to social justice and human rights challenges, the importance of truth telling, and gain a greater understanding of the Indigenous life world. You will also learn to locate yourself in relation the ongoing impact of colonisation.

The Bachelor of Social Work with Honours prepares students for generalist social work practice, helping them to develop core knowledge, skills and values that can be applied across practice settings, fields and methods of social work practice. In your third and fourth year of study, you’ll complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised professiona field education placement.

The Commonwealth Prac Payment offers social work students support while they’re undertaking mandatory placements. From July 2025, eligible students will be able to access $338.60 per week (benchmarked to the single Austudy rate) while they’re undertaking a placement.

Should you have any questions about the CPP, please reach out to them at the following email address:

commonwealthpracpayment@education.gov.au

What is the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP)? - Ask Us - University of Tasmania, Australia

Part-time students should be aware that undertaking their professional experience placement part-time may extend their course duration by up to a year. If you are studying part-time, please contact the Field Education team to discuss.

Professional Recognition

The Bachelor of Social Work with Honours is a professionally accredited qualification, awarded full accreditation by the Australian Association of Social Workers. It is an entry qualification into the social work profession and has been determined to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards.


Watch our course information webinar

Thinking of studying this course in 2027 and want to learn more? This webinar explores course structures, career opportunities, and the student experience to support your study journey.

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Career outcomes

Social workers may support people in one-on-one direct counselling, helping families, supporting community awareness through casework, counselling, advocacy, community engagement and development and social action. Social workers also work in areas such as policy development, education and research particularly around issues of social justice, disadvantage and the marginalisation of people in their communities or in society.

This demand is already being reflected in graduate outcomes, with the 2022 Graduate Outcome Survey revealing that social work graduates were the third highest paid in the country with a median starting salary of $75,000, ranking only behind doctors and dentists.

The skills and expertise our Social Work graduates gain equips them for a diverse range of rewarding careers, including

  • Project Manager - projected growth of 9.7%*
  • Social and Welfare professionals - 19.6%*
  • Social Workers - 31.8%*
  • Policy and Planning Manager - 21.5%*
  • Counsellor - 29.1%*

Other career opportunties exist include:

  • Migrant and Refugee Settlement Workers
  • Case Manager
  • Drug and Alcohol Counsellor
  • Palliative Care Social Worker
  • Relationships Counsellor
  • Disability Advocate

*National Skills Commission ten year projections from May 2024-May 2034.

Postgraduate study

If you successfully complete this course, you may be also be eligible to apply for a range of other postgraduate courses including Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas and Masters by coursework and research.

Course structure

Completion of the Bachelor of Social Work with Honours requires 400 credit points including:

  • 200 credit points of Core units
  • 100 credit points of Discipline Electives (Studies of the Individual and Studies of Society)
  • 100 credit points from the Research or Professional Honours pathway. Entry into the research pathway is by invitation only.

As an accredited course students must complete their study in the sequence below, ensuring all units at each year level are completed before progressing to higher levels, unless specific written approval has been given to vary the sequence.

Course Planner
Your course planner gives you a visual representation of your course and will help you plan which units to enrol in and when. For course planners from previous years, refer to the handbook entry for that year.

Entry requirements

Fees & scholarships

Domestic students

Commonwealth supported places (CSP) are available for this course. For eligible domestic students, this means your fees will be subsidised by the Australian Government. You’ll only need to pay the student contribution amount for each unit you study within the course.

Commonwealth Supported Place indicative annual fee: $14,271

How is this calculated?

This is an estimate. The calculation is based on the average full-time enrolment for this course in 2026. All figures are indicative only for 2027. Actual tuition fees will depend on specific unit enrolment, and are subject to annual increases each year. You can find the complete fee details for each unit of study on the individual unit pages. The units for this course are found in the course structure section of this page.

These figures do not include other costs such as the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). For further information, please visit Scholarships, fees and costs.

HECS-HELP loans

You may be able to defer payment of the student contribution amount by accessing a HECS-HELP loan from the Government. If eligible, you’ll only have to pay your tuition fees once you start earning above a specific amount.

Further information on student loans and a CSP eligibility checker can be found at Australian Government Study Assist.

International students

2027 annual international student tuition fee: $38,950 AUD

The standard year of study for this course is 100 credit points.

Indicative total tuition fee for international students: $ 167,879 AUD.

This total tuition fee is indicative only. Please visit fees and costs for further information on how this is calculated.

International students are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the annual rate. International students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.

Domestic scholarships

For information on general scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.

International scholarships

The University of Tasmania offers a range of scholarships for international students, designed to recognise academic merit and support access to university study.

For many of our international scholarships, you will be automatically assessed when you submit your International Student Application, so no separate scholarship application is required. Some scholarships may require additional application steps. Explore our International Scholarships to learn more about available opportunities and application requirements.

How can we help?

Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.