Social Work MA

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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.

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Overview

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.

Why us?

The course is approved by Social Work England and once you've successfully completed the degree, you'll be eligible to apply and register with them as a newly qualified social worker
Benefit from a combination of classroom learning where you'll be taught by highly skilled academic staff, and practical experience where you can put everything you're learning into practice

You'll spend 170 days on practice placements, which are an essential part of the degree and will help you determine which area of social work you'd like to specialise in

Course structure

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.

Course modules

The Social Work Context (15 credits)

Explore the context of Social Work in England. Examine legal frameworks and policy contexts for social work with adults, children, young people and families. Critically reflect upon the main statutes and other legal instruments relating to social work interventions. Explore ethical and moral frameworks underpinning social work and consider the degree to which the law supports social work values and enhances or constrains ethical decision making in practice.

Preparing for Practice (15 credits)

Develop practice skills, explore the role and value base of social work, and understand service user and carer perspectives. Consider how discrimination and disadvantage relate to power and oppression. Develop your understanding of diversity in social work and evaluate the range of needs to particular groups of service users and carers. Enhance your interpersonal communication and interviewing skills.

Theories and Models for Social Work Practice (30 credits)

Explore a range of sociological and psychological theories and their application to practice. Learn about different models of assessment and consider the complexities of decision making in professional practice. Discuss different models of service user and carer involvement, emphasising the importance of partnership working. Consider professional social work values and power and critically evaluate theoretical perspectives.

Practice Placement 1 (15 credits)

Demonstrate effective use of knowledge, skills and commitment to core values in social work in a 70-day placement setting, under the supervision of a Practice Educator. Actively engage in direct work with a range of people and situations where there may not be simple, clear cut solutions. Learn from the Practice Educator, other team members, and agency colleagues.

Critical Perspectives in Social Work Practice (30 credits)

Critically evaluate the process of decision-making in social work practice. Examine how legislation, social policy, theory and reflexivity combine to inform the complex decisions needed in social work practice. Develop a deeper understanding of some of the theoretical approaches and how these relate to social work practice. Critically reflect upon your own social work practice approach.

Social Work Research (15 credits)

Understand the nature of social work research to continually evaluate what can be seen as good practice in social work. Develop the attitude of research-mindedness. Analyse the differences between quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Enhance your skills and knowledge in data collection, interpretation and analysis. Acquire the essential attributes required of a critically informed and reflective practitioner.

Social Work Dissertation (30 credits)

Design and implement a research project into a contemporary social work issue/topic of your choice, exploring its contested nature. Draw on your understanding of research methodologies, relevant theoretical knowledge, policy, and literature within your field of study. Critically explore the complex and conflicting relationship between research, evidence, policy, and practice in social work to form a well-reasoned debate and show an awareness of how to apply messages from research to social work practice.

Practice Placement 2 (30 credits)

Demonstrate effective use of knowledge, skills and commitment to core values in social work in a 100-day placement setting, under the supervision of a Practice Educator. Actively engage in direct work with a range of people and situations where there may not be simple, clear cut solutions. Learn from the Practice Educator, other team members, and agency colleagues.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

More about MA Social Work at Sunderland

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As a Social Work student, you'll be able to enhance your practice strategies with our specialist Communication Skills Room, based in Wearside View. As the home is the most common location for social work to take place, you'll have the opportunity to use this space to simulate a living room environment.

View our AccessAble accessibility guide for Wearside View.
Communication Skills Room
You can access free Wi-Fi throughout the University campus, so you can work from anywhere. If you don't want to carry a laptop around, just use one of the University’s PCs or Macs. We have hundreds of computers for you to use in the Murray Library, St Peter's Library, and the David Goldman Informatics Centre. If you ever have any technical problems, just ask the friendly helpdesk team.
IT provision
University library services will be central to your study experience and are delivered at our two libraries on campus, as well as online. Our libraries offer a variety of study environments to meet your needs, including areas for groupwork, individual and silent study. You’ll also have access to desktop PCs, space to use your own mobile technology and printing facilities.

The library works closely with academic staff within each faculty to offer specialist, industry standard resources in your subject discipline. The Faculty of Social Sciences provides thousands of relevant books and e-books, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. You’ll also have access to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals which are always kept up to date, including Project Muse, Lexis, JSTOR and many more.

To find out more information, visit our University Library website.
Library Services - social sciences
Map and directions

Facilities

You'll be based at the recently refurbished Wearside View, situated on the award-winning Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's. This stunning riverside location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.