Our social work graduates are in demand in Australia and overseas in rewarding and challenging careers. Choose the direction you want to take, with strong projected future growth in the field.  

Social workers are employed in a diverse range of government, non-government, and community agencies such as: 

• hospitals and community health centers 
• early intervention, child protection programs, and family support services 
• schools 
• justice and human rights  
• housing 
• mental health 
• community development and advocacy agencies. 

With the emphasis on skill development and continuing lifelong education, a postgraduate social work degree from UNE will position you at the forefront of change and innovation and can lead to opportunities in management, education, research, policy development, politics, and community planning. 

International students studying at regional universities will be eligible to access an additional  2 years in Australia on a post-study work visa  (Which means a Bachelors or Masters graduate can get up to 4 years of PSW visa)

A candidate shall:

1. A candidate shall hold an AQF Level 7 three year undergraduate degree in a discipline other than social work from a recognized university, which includes the equivalent of one year of full-time study (48 credit points (8 units or equivalent) in any Social Science discipline as defined by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. In other words, the 48 credit points may include units in courses such as Accounting, Anthropology, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Law, Linguistics, Marketing, Management, Political Science, Social Medicine, Sociology, Statistics, etc.

2. Candidates who have not completed one year of study of social science units but have completed a health/allied health or physical science degree should complete:

• (a) at least 6 credit points (1 unit or equivalent) of studies in Sociology; and
• (b) at least 6 credit points (1 unit or equivalent) of studies in Social Policy.

Such candidates may be permitted to enroll and complete the pre-requisite units concurrently while enrolling in the approved units for the Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying).

3. Where a candidate holds an international qualification in social work that does not meet the Australian Association of Social Workers' eligibility for membership, admission may be sought to the degree through permission from the Social Work Course Coordinator. However, the candidate will be individually responsible for contacting the Australian Association of Social Workers regarding eligibility for membership based on their individual circumstances.

NSW Ministry of Health Requirements

To be eligible to attend field placement experience all Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying) students must meet NSW Ministry of Health verification requirements within the ClinConnect system by week 9 of the first trimester of study. These include:

1. Adult Vaccination as per the NSW Ministry of Health requirements for Category A Health Care Workers (any interim compliance issued by the NSW Ministry of Health has individual dates of issue and expiry).

2. National Criminal History Check: Students must have a current (expires three (3) years from the date of issue) National Criminal History check and international students must also have an International Police Check or statutory declaration. A valid National Criminal history check must comply with the following requirements:

• it must be from a CrimTrac Accredited Broker Agency (as listed on the CrimTrac website) or an Australian State NSW Police or Territory Police Force or the Australian Federal Police; and
• it must state that it is a National or Australia wide check; and
• it must include the student's full name and their date of birth; and
• it must not have any offenses listed (students with a criminal history must provide a Clinical Placement Authority Card (CPAC) or conditional letter from the Employment Screening and Review Unit, NSW HealthShare); AND
• the name on the Police Certificate must be the same name as on the student's ID card.

3. Completion of mandatory NSW Ministry of Health forms.

Practical, Clinical or Work Experience

UNE specific Placement Requirements

Fieldwork placement experience is an essential part of the UNE Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying) program. There are several mandatory requirements that need to be completed as part of the University enrolment process. Please note a number of these requirements take some time to complete, thus students are advised to commence processes immediately to ensure early compliance requirements are met. By week 9 of the first trimester of study, students must submit a Working with Children Check for the state or territory in which they will undertake a placement. NSW Working with Children Checks is valid for five years from the date of issue.

UNE field education units are compliant with the AASW requirements for practical experience. UNE will require that students undertake 1000 hours of fieldwork. In the Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying), this will be taken as two placements over two units. Students may be required to travel some distance to undertake the placement.

The first fieldwork placement is HSSW450 (18 credit points. There is a compulsory three-day intensive school to prepare students for their placement experience. The number of days per week will be negotiated with individual students and placement agencies (with a minimum of 3 days per week), including a full-time block of at least 2 weeks during the placement.

The second placement is HSSW550 (18 credit points and is usually undertaken alongside the capstone unit HLTH554A. This second placement totals 500 hours plus two days on campus. The number of days per week will be negotiated with individual students and placement agencies (with a minimum of 3 days per week required) including a full-time block of at least 2 weeks during the placement. Due to the nature of fieldwork and the range of agencies involved, this unit will only be offered full time during trimesters 1 and 2 of any year, with part-time students needing to increase their study load for their placement trimester.