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Make a real difference to some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in society. Help disadvantaged people access essential social services. Begin an extremely rewarding career in social work.
As a social worker, you'll have opportunities to make a real difference to some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in society. You could take your career in a number of directions such as working in child protection, with young people in care, older people, people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health difficulties, homeless people, people with drug dependencies, or with any other group of people with specialist needs.
MA Social Work combines classroom learning and practical experience. You'll study the context of social work, legal and policy frameworks, social work theory, psychological and sociological theory, power, discrimination, and anti-oppressive practice. You'll consolidate this theoretical knowledge with two placements to put your learning into practice.
A typical week on the master's in social work will include lectures, seminars and workshops, with a strong emphasis on individual participation and discussion. During the first semester, you'll also develop a Practice Skills Portfolio that helps you to reflect and make the best use of supervision.
Compared to an undergraduate course, you'll find that a master's degree requires a higher level of independent working.
Your progress will be assessed with assignments, written coursework, presentations, professional discussions and workbooks/portfolios.
Throughout the MA Social Work course, you'll have one-to-one support from academic staff.
We caught up with Drew Dalton, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Sunderland, to find out why social sciences are a great area to study at degree level.
Explore the impact studying social sciences can have on the way you think
If you choose a degree in social science, you could be presented with a wide variety of job opportunities when you graduate. We’ve compiled a list of seven potential jobs you could go into with a social science degree to give you some inspiration.
Read about the jobs you could get with a social science degree
Are you considering becoming a social worker but want to find out more about what this career involves? Here, we explore everything you need to know, including the roles and responsibilities of a social worker, the skills and qualifications you’ll need, and more about our social work courses.
Find out more about social work
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| a Canadian bachelor's degree | GPA 2.40 |
| a USA bachelor's degree | GPA 2.5 |
If you already hold a postgraduate qualification, please see our Applying for additional postgraduate degrees Help and Advice article.
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
We require applicants to hold a minimum 2:2 undergraduate degree or equivalent.
You also need Grade C or above in GCSE mathematics and English language, or equivalent qualifications. If you've studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade, you'll need to achieve a grade 4 or above.
Please note, if you're an international applicant, you'll be required to demonstrate that you've met the English Language Testing System (IELTS) at a score of 7.0 in all components, or equivalent, before your application is assessed for the next stage of the selection process and an offer letter is issued.
In addition to the application form, you must submit supplementary questions for your application to this course to be considered. Please attach these completed Supplementary Application Questions when you apply online, using the apply now button on this page. The supplementary questions will be used together with your application form to assess whether you'll be invited to attend one of our selection days.
To apply for this degree you must have experience (voluntary or paid) in a social care setting. You can include placements that you've undertaken as part of college, but we do expect more experience than this. Experience could include volunteering during weekends, evenings, or holidays. We may also consider any relevant personal experience you might have.
You should clearly describe your experience in the personal statement section of your application and show how this relates to a career in social work.
Social work involves working with some of the most vulnerable people in society, and social work education is regulated by Social Work England. We must therefore be satisfied that you're 'fit to practise' before we can accept you onto this degree.
In addition to the academic qualification and work experience, you'll need:
Social work is listed in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 [amended 2013]. This means that we must ask you for an enhanced DBS check. Some spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, which means that we can't take them into account when deciding on your suitability for this course. You must read the Disclosure and Barring Service Filtering Guide to decide whether or not you need to tell us about your spent convictions or cautions.
If we offer you a place on this course, we'll need you to make a written statement about any prior incidents. We’ll need your permission to share this anonymised information with our partner placement agencies, so that we can make a judgement on your fitness to practise.
We may also need your permission to contact the agencies involved in any incidents that you declare. Any offer of a place on the course will be subject to a satisfactory outcome of this process. However, declaring something doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be prevented from attending the course, and we judge each case on its merits.
We welcome applications from international students, however, it's important to be aware that the focus of the course is the nature and context of social work in England and is based on UK legislation. On successful completion of this course, and in order to practise as a social worker in England, you would need to be eligible to register with Social Work England and have the right to work in the UK.
While it's not mandatory that you hold a driving licence and have access to a vehicle to undertake this course, please be aware that the availability of placements may be limited by not driving. Many Local Authorities in the North East also require driving or access to mobility support as an essential requirement for employment.
Students studying a health or social care course that has a placement within the NHS or any other Care Quality Commission establishment are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Find out more in our Help and Advice article.
Fees are:
Part-time fees for this course are £833.33 per 15 credits. Part-time study is not available to international students who require a student visa to study in the UK.
See the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
A limited number of Social Work bursaries are available. For more information visit the NHS Business Services Authority Knowledge Base.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
MA Social Work is a highly practical postgraduate qualification. After successful completion of the degree, you'll be eligible to apply to register with Social Work England as a newly qualified social worker.
Many social work jobs are with local authorities, but you could also work in an NHS trust, a voluntary agency, a charity, the criminal justice system, or other agencies helping people in need of support.
With a postgraduate degree in social work, you also have the option to continue in academia and apply to study for a PhD.
Read more about what you can do with a Social Science degree.
The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS) regularly hosts visiting speakers and it can be an excellent way to learn from the real-life experience of people who already have a strong track record in social work.
CASS is the centre for applied social science research at the University and you may find opportunities to collaborate with the academic team.
View our upcoming CASS lectures here.
Placements are an essential part of your master's degree in social work. You'll spend a total of 170 days on practice placements, arranged by our Practice Learning Coordinator. There is in-depth preparation before the placements and you'll be supported and supervised by an assigned practice educator.
Placements allow you to apply your learning in a real-life context and get a sense of what type of social work you might want to specialise in when you graduate. When you’re ready to start searching for a social work job, you'll already have a wide network of professional contacts who can help you find the right career opportunities.
The University fully supported me in trying to fulfil my career expectations.
Studying at the University of Sunderland was the best time of my life.
