Social Work MA

Northumbria University is proud of its postgraduate social work courses, with our MA Social Work designed to enable students to gain both a Masters degree and apply to be a registered social worker. On successful completion, graduates can apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.

This up-to-date and modernised curriculum has been designed to meet all the current requirements and recommendations of the regulatory body and will enable students to develop a range of knowledge, skills and values common to social work across a range of settings with service users and carers.

Postgraduate Social Work students will undertake two practice placements totalling 170 days of assessed practice learning. Successful students will be in a position to apply for registration and achieve a Master’s award in 22 months. A Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Social Welfare represents an academic exit award for candidates who choose not to complete the qualifying programme.

This Postgraduate Social Work programme is for graduates wishing to register with the HCPC as a qualified social worker. The programme runs in partnership with local agencies providing social work services and users and carers, and with a strong focus on practice. The programme aims to develop research informed and critical practitioners who are prepared to meet the challenge of social work in the 21st century.

Northumbria University has over 25 years of experience in running successful qualifying and post-qualifying social work programmes. You will study with an experienced and enthusiastic teaching team, many of whom are registered social workers, with a wide variety of research and subject expertise.

Close partnerships with service users, carers, and local employers will be built upon in the programme.

The target audience for this social work postgraduate are candidates who have already demonstrated a high level of academic achievement. The programme has been developed in response to a strong demand from graduates, who wish to gain this professional qualification with good employment prospects.

Postgraduate Social Work course structure

This MA programme offers graduates a recognised full-time 22-month route to registration with the HCPC. Students study six modules which include a range of academic and practice areas including: law, social policy, introduction to social work and its value base, evidence based practice and practice placements. On successful completion, students will have been assessed as meeting the standards of proficiency required by the Health and Care Professions Council and professional capabilities for qualifying social workers. This places them in the position to apply for registration with the HCPC.

The applied nature of Social Work as an academic subject means that practice is an essential part of learning. Students are encouraged to plan, manage and review their own personal and professional development alongside the more formal methods of learning. The programme is delivered in a variety of ways including lectures, seminars, group and one-to-one tutorials, video recording, use of electronic platforms and resources as well as assessed practice placements of 170 days. All these are designed to enable learning of knowledge, skills and values that are essential on a programme leading to a professional award. There is a significant amount of directed and independent learning aimed at encouraging lifelong skills in autonomous learning. Book a campus tour today.