Master of Social Work (Qualifying) (R7O)

Overview  2021

Entry Requirements

See entry requirements

Duration

Minimum 2 Years, up to a maximum of 5 Years

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
Launceston
Semester 1
Cradle Coast
Semester 1

Commonwealth Supported places available

Entry Requirements

See entry requirements

Duration

Minimum 2 Years
Entry requirements

Location

Hobart
Semester 1
Launceston
Semester 1

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.

Now more than ever compassionate and engaged social workers are needed to help improve the life-chances and wellbeing of people and to combat societal inequality.

Contemporary social workers need contemporary skills to respond meaningfully to social problems. Our Master of Social Work (Qualifying) has been redesigned after direct industry feedback to reflect current and emerging practice trends in the profession.

The newly updated course with specialisation options will give you key skills in ethical, innovative and collaborative social work practice.

The new curriculum will equip you with advanced knowledge of social work research principles and methods. It also includes 1,000 hours of supervised professional field education placement, and students are encouraged to take part in additional project and research work with communities and industry.

You will graduate as a creative and ethical communicator who respectfully uses knowledge to meet the needs of diverse social work client groups, communities and organisations. You will be able to respond to social justice and human rights challenges in ways that are culturally sensitive, principled, and effective.

Cradle Coast students should note they are required to attend a series of workshops in Launceston for two units: HGW503 and HGW605.

Students who commenced the Master of Social Work (R7N) in 2018 or earlier should refer to the entry for that course code and relevant year.

  1. Initiate improvements to services, policies and professional accountability in social work through the innovative application of critical analysis, research and culturally relevant knowledge.
  2. Maximise ways of decolonising social work knowledge, frameworks and practices to address inequality and injustice in ways that promote social sustainability policies and goals.
  3. Construct communication strategies that can respond to the needs and capacities of diverse social work client groups, communities, and organisations.
  4. Propose leadership approaches for social work that are collaborative, cooperative and useful in micro, meso and macro contexts.
  5. Develop ethical social work research and practice-based responses to local, national and global social justice and human rights challenges.
  6. Design practical solutions that can contribute to the decolonising agenda in social work in a sustainable way by using creative, entrepreneurial, and relational approaches.

You will need to complete a minimum of 1000 hours of professional experience placement, equivalent to 2 x 14 weeks full-time. Depending on the organisation and where you are at in your degree, there will be opportunities of 5, 4 or 3 day per week placements.

The University will organise your placement. Before you begin placement, you will need to complete preparation activities and tasks. You will be allocated a field educator/social worker, with a minimum of 2 years full time equivalent post-graduation experience in the field. Your professional placement experience provides you with the opportunity to learn how to apply social work knowledge and skills into practice.

It is possible in some circumstances for students to complete a placement in their place of work.

Recognition of Prior Learning is possible for the first placement. Students who are given RPL for the first placement are unable to complete the final placement in their place of employment.

See more information and resources at Field Education Placements.

Career outcomes

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

  • child safety practitioner
  • social worker
  • project manager
  • youth worker
  • mental health practitioner
  • researcher
  • policy analyst and advisor
  • community development worker
  • migrant and refugee settlement workers
  • case manager
  • drug and alcohol counsellor
  • palliative care social worker
  • relationships counsellor
  • disability advocate.

Professional Recognition

This is an Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) accredited course. It is an entry qualification into the social work profession and has been determined to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards. As a new course, the degree meets the national standards for Provisional Accreditation.

Course structure

Complete all the following compulsory units (total 100cp):

Social workers confront ever-increasing impacts of social suffering arising from ever widening and deepening disparities of power and privilege in local and global contexts. This unit equips you with intersectional analysis skills, theoretical knowledge and practice skills to understand, confront…

Credit Points: 25

This unit is currently unavailable.

The unit focuses on key contexts of social work practice in the human services. By developing this understanding, you will gain knowledge of how you can practice effectively and influence these contexts to enhance outcomes for social work clients. Through…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 1
LauncestonSemester 1
Cradle CoastSemester 1

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

Communication and Assessment Skills in Social Work provides a broad overview of human development theories and direct practice skills underpinning work with individuals. Additionally, you are taught communication skills to support assessment report and case note writing. Two key themes…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 1
LauncestonSemester 1
Cradle CoastSemester 1

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

This unit explores how social work theories and contexts inter-relate as a basis for a framework for identifying the purpose and practice of social work. Historically significant social work theories are examined in light of emerging trends that are reshaping…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
Hobart5 Week Session Jun

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

Students are required to undertake a minimum of 500 hours of placement in a setting that is relevant to social work practice in order to experience a range of practice tasks. Field educators are allocated to each student and through…

Credit Points: 37.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 2
LauncestonSemester 2
Cradle CoastSemester 2

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

Non-research intensive final year - complete all the following compulsory units (total 100cp):

This unit extends understanding of what it means to initiate responses to social problems, take responsibility for enacting and leading these responses, and being a part of ventures that do the same. Collaborative and collective social work leadership approaches and…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 1
LauncestonSemester 1

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

This capstone unit provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate the integration of your learning that was applied to design and implement interventions, including research, across your entire social work degree including a specific focus on your final placement. You…

Credit Points: 25

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 2
LauncestonSemester 2
Cradle CoastSemester 2

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

Social Work Research Practice examines research methodologies that are utilised by social workers in working towards a more just, humane and inclusive society. Themes of decolonisation, collaboration and sustainability create a focus for designing research processes that are participative and…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 1

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

This unit examines the intersection between trauma and justice and is informed by a commitment to social justice and a political ethic of care. At a macro level, you will learn how social workers can promote policy, legislation and practice…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 1
LauncestonSemester 1
Cradle CoastSemester 1

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

The final year Social Work Practicum is one of the capstone units in the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) degree. Students undertake 500 hours (minimum) of placement in a setting that is relevant to social work practice. Placements are undertaken…

Credit Points: 37.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
Hobart16 Week Session Jul
Launceston16 Week Session Jul
Cradle Coast16 Week Session Jul

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

Note entry to the Research Intensive pathway is by invitation only.
Research intensive final year - complete all the following compulsory units (total 100cp):

This unit extends understanding of what it means to initiate responses to social problems, take responsibility for enacting and leading these responses, and being a part of ventures that do the same. Collaborative and collective social work leadership approaches and…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 1
LauncestonSemester 1

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

The final year Social Work Practicum is one of the capstone units in the MSW(Q). You will undertake 500 hours (minimum) of placement in a setting that is relevant to social work practice. Placements are undertaken on a full time…

Credit Points: 25

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
Hobart16 Week Session Jul
Launceston16 Week Session Jul
Cradle Coast16 Week Session Jul

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

This capstone unit provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate the integration of your learning that was applied to design and implement interventions, including research, across your entire social work degree including a specific focus on your final placement. You…

Credit Points: 25

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 2
LauncestonSemester 2
Cradle CoastSemester 2

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

Social Work Research Practice examines research methodologies that are utilised by social workers in working towards a more just, humane and inclusive society. Themes of decolonisation, collaboration and sustainability create a focus for designing research processes that are participative and…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 1

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

Social Work Thesis A extends your understanding of the purpose and practices of research that you gain in HGW608 Social Work Research Practice. You will do this by conceptualising and beginning to implement a research topic that focuses on improving…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 1
LauncestonSemester 1
Cradle CoastSemester 1

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

This unit examines the intersection between trauma and justice and is informed by a commitment to social justice and a political ethic of care. At a macro level, you will learn how social workers can promote policy, legislation and practice…

Credit Points: 12.5

LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
HobartSemester 1
LauncestonSemester 1
Cradle CoastSemester 1

Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

Entry requirements

Applicants for the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) degree will have:

  • a completed three year degree other than social work from the University of Tasmania or a recognised university in a related field with relevant units in the social and behavioural sciences (psychology, nursing, education, arts);

OR

  • a completed degree (or equivalent) in a non-related field. They will be required to complete 8 x 12.5% units of the BSW(Hons), which includes 4 required 200 level units (Discipline and Degree Core Knowledge units) and 4 electives (Experience and Engagement units) that include at least one unit with a focus on studies of the individual/behavioural science.

The English proficiency requirement for entry to the MSW(Q) will be an IELTS overall score of 7 with each band no less than 6.5.

Exemptions regarding entry requirements may be made at the discretion of the Head of Social Work.

Police Record Check

Students will need to obtain a Tasmania Police Schedule 1 National Police Record Check and Working with Vulnerable Persons and Children Check to meet pre-practicum requirements.

Safety in Practice Compliance

Students will also need to complete a Safety in Practice Agreement to meet practicum prerequisite requirements.

See more information and resources at Field Education Placements.

Passes in subjects or units in courses (completed or otherwise) at another approved tertiary institution may be credited towards the degree, provided that the College may specify what more a candidate so credited shall be required to do to qualify for the degree.

Fees & scholarships

Domestic students

Domestic students enrolled in a full fee paying place are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the fees you pay for each unit you enrol in. Full fee paying domestic students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.

Detailed tuition fee information for domestic students is available at the Domestic Student Fees website, including additional information in relation to a compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).

Domestic students enrolled in certain postgraduate coursework programs may not be eligible for student payments through Youth Allowance and Austudy. Visit the Department of Social Services website to find out more about eligibility for Centrelink support and the list of eligible courses

International students

2021 Total Course Fee (international students): $ 69,088 AUD *.

Course cost based on a rate of $33,950 AUD per standard, full-time year of study (100 credit points).

* Please note that this is an indicative fee only.

International students

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.

Scholarships

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

How can we help?

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

Domestic
1300 363 864
International
+61 3 6226 6200
Email
Course.Info@utas.edu.au
Online
Online enquiries

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