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Social Work – (M.A.)
University of Birmingham
School of Social Sciences
| Annual Tuition Fee: | ≈ € 4,463 - ≈ € 14,000 (non-EEA) | ||
| Location: | Birmingham / United Kingdom / View location on map ▾ Hide location on map ▴ | ||
| Duration: | 24 months | Start Date: | September |
| Educational Form: |
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| Languages: | English | ||
Location of University of Birmingham
This programme leads to an MA in Social Work with the Professional Qualification in Social Work approved by the General Social Care Council (GSCC). This is the qualification required to practice as a professional social worker. As well as equipping you with a professional qualification, gaining the MA allows you to progress on to post qualifying courses or to apply to continue with your academic studies at PhD level.
Career opportunities : On successful completion of the MA Social Work, students are equipped to work in a wide range of areas. They have high employability and do not require any further qualifications in order to become a professional social worker. The specialist options built in to the Masters allows students to direct their knowledge and expertise to the area they would like to work in once they have completed, giving them a competitive advantage in the jobs market.
MA Social Work is one of the few Masters level courses that not only provides you with an academic qualification, but also a professional recognition that you are ready to pursue a career in social work.
Contents
Year 1
In the first year of the degree you will have the opportunity to develop core academic skills and explore the key strands of social justice and inclusion; research-mindedness and evidence-based learning and practice and; respectful, helpful, critical practice. You will also be introduced to the social and organisational context of social work and will be given the chance to develop practice skills in readiness for your 100 day placement for professional practice learning.
We work in partnership with Birmingham City Council, who provide the majority of the placements, as well as with neighbouring local authorities and a range of voluntary and private sector organisations. The placements on offer are challenging and also very rewarding. You may work in areas such as:
* Child and adolescent mental health
* Domestic violence
* Refugee and asylum
* Housing and welfare
* HIV and Aids
* Child Protection
* Disabilities
* Substance misuse
In addition to your practice placement you will participate in a practice based reflection module designed to help you apply the values, knowledge and skills acquired to the practice setting and in your work with a specific service user group. You will also undertake a module in Social Justice and Inclusion, and will follow a strand of teaching entitled: Respect, Integrity, Critical Perspectives and Helpfulness in Social Work Practice (RICH).
Year 2In Year 2 you will undertake a further 100 days of professional practice learning which, in line with GSCC requirements, will be with a different service user group in a different agency setting. All students will have the opportunity during at least one of their practice placements to undertake some statutory duties.
In conjunction with this you will again have the opportunity to reflect upon your learning in preparation for and within practice during the Professional Practice Reflection module. Following on from this, the RICH strand of teaching will concentrate on cross-cutting issues for practice around risk and protection, whole-family approaches, collaborative working, and strengths based approaches. You may then select one elective from a range focusing on areas such as:
* Youth justice
* Substance abuse
* Domestic violence
* Learning disabilities
The final module concentrates on research methods and skills and prepares you to develop, conduct and write-up in the form of a dissertation, an individual piece of literature and/or empirical based research in an area of social work you are particularly interested in.
IELTS
You are normally required to take an English Proficiency Test.
Most European Universities recognise the IELTS test.
Take testRequirements
Entry requirementsOn receipt of your application, your qualifications, experience, personal statement and reference will all be carefully considered. If your application passes the initial screening process, you will be called for interview before a final decision is made. All the above elements will be considered in the decision-making process and the strongest applicants overall will be made a conditional offer. Applicants should be aware that meeting the minimum criteria does not guarantee you a place on the course.
* A degree with a 2:1 classification or above. 2:2 degrees may also be considered if a Masters qualification is also held.
Plus Maths and English, i.e.
* GCSE Maths and English at Grade C or above; or
* O-Level Maths and English at Grace C or above; or
* Access Credits equivalent to GCSE Maths and English (usually 12 credits at level two or three); or
* English (as above) plus an FSMQ (Free Standing Mathematics Qualification) equivalent to GCSE A*-C grade;
* Key Skills Level Two in Maths and English
* Adult Numeracy and Adult Literacy Level Two
Plus
* The ability to write in a clear, coherent and accessible style, as evidenced in the personal statement; and
* The ability to write thoughtfully and insightfully about: * Motivation for applying to the course, and
* Commitment to, and understanding of social work, as evidenced in the personal statement
Plus
* A minimum of 6 weeks to 3 months related social care experience (related personal experience will be recognised but would need to be supplemented with practice-based experience). This does not need to be full time but must show a sustained commitment. Students who gain an offer must provide a social care reference by the date specified.
Plus
* Each student must provide an initial reference. Students yet to graduate should provide an academic reference on the UCAS application, indicating the predicted degree classification. Students who have already graduated can provide a Social Care/professional reference.
* All students who are made an offer, will also need to provide original evidence of Maths and English, along with evidence of degree, i.e. original degree certificate. These will need to be provided by the date specified on the offer letter.
Plus
* All applicants who are made an offer, will be required to complete a 'declaration of health questionnaire', a satisfactory CRB check and a 'Declaration of Suitability for Social Work Form', before the date specified in the offer letter. In those cases where a late offer results in the CRB check not being completed in time for the start of the programme, the University may allow the applicant to start the course but reserves the right to terminate the place if any concerns arise as a result of the CRB check. Likewise the University reserves the right to terminate the course of study if information is subsequently discovered which questions suitability to practice.
Language Proficiency
| Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE): | Grade A (Score: 80) |
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