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La Trobe University

Melbourne , Victoria ,Australia

Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)

Life in today's world brings harsh challenges. Poverty, addiction, mental illness, domestic violence and personal crisis can severely impact a person's ability to feel safe, find a stable home and pursue opportunities. As a social worker, you'll provide support and assistance to people and families in need. La Trobe's Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) gives you the clinical knowledge and hands-on skills to launch your career.

You'll learn from world-renowned academics about promoting human rights and the importance of social justice. Our diverse range of subjects provide foundations in both psychology and sociology. Two 14-week placements enable you to put your knowledge and skills into practice and gain professional experience within leading health and welfare organisations in Victoria.

You'll learn:

Sociology and society

  • Discover the cultural changes that shaped Australian society and how individuals connect with each other.

Foundations of psychological science

  • Gain the clinical knowledge and skills used to examine human behaviour and treat mental illness.

Human services

  • Explore the values, ethics and practice of social work and human services.

Social work and inequality

  • Study the issues of inequality and their impact on people's wellbeing

Campus Information

Melbourne Campus

La Trobe’s Melbourne Campus combines parkland beauty with a vibrant campus culture filled with cafés, shops and a multi-level library. It’s also one of Australia’s largest university campuses. You’ll have access to state-ofthe-art facilities, including our brand-new tech and business labs, the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science and our very own Wildlife Sanctuary. You'll also have help to achieve your academic best. We provide dedicated study rooms like the Women's Lounge, the Law Common Room, and the MASO (Mature Age Student Organisation) Lounge. And we host many cultural and academic events on campus to make you feel at home.

Bendigo Campus

Get the best of the city and the country at our Bendigo Campus. You’ll join more than 5 000 students at La Trobe’s secondbiggest campus, and you’ll be studying at the region’s largest provider of higher education. You can take your pick from more than 50 degrees, and with the CBD just nearby, it’s the perfect place to live and learn. It’s a great time to start, as we’ve just given the campus a A$50 million upgrade, so you’ll benefit from world-class learning facilities as you prepare for your future career.

Shepparton Campus

Become part of a rich sporting and cultural community at our Shepparton campus, located in the beautiful Goulburn Valley. Study in the heart of Shepparton with high-standard teaching and study facilities including our clinical learning unit with advanced teaching technologies. You’ll get a personalised study experience thanks to our connections to the local community and industry, and gain hands-on experience through industry placement opportunities.

Albury-Wodonga Campus

Study by the Murray River and nearby snowfields at our Albury-Wodonga campus. With plenty of employment, cultural and sporting opportunities, it's a great place to live, study and thrive. You'll get a personalised learning experience with our friendly staff, plus access to great on-site facilities and La Trobe’s university-wide resources.

Mildura Campus

Mildura is a great place to live, study, work and play. Be a part of a strong arts and agricultura community, with nearby access to nature’s playground at Mungo National Park and the Murray River. We’ve got close ties to the local community through industry partnerships and placement opportunities, which means you’ll get a personalised learning experience with promising employment outcomes.

Intakes

  • March

Application Processing Time in Days: 30

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

La Trobe offers programs that are industry-focused and offer a lot of practical exposure.  Following graduation, students can often struggle to find work relevant to their field of study - that’s why employers value students with pre-existing workplace experience. Students who can readily adapt their university learnings to the real world are far more valuable to employers than those who cannot.

The La Trobe Business School offers a variety of practical learning opportunities to help you develop a competitive edge in the job market. La Trobe focuses on Work Integrated Learning. Following graduation, students can often struggle to find work relevant to their field of study - that’s why employers value students with pre-existing workplace experience. Students who can readily adapt their university learnings to the real world are far more valuable to employers than those who cannot. The La Trobe Business School offers a variety of practical learning opportunities to help you develop a competitive edge in the job market. 

The duration of the internship will vary depending on the chosen course and subject. During this time a student will be expected to complete assessments based on experience. Please note that eligibility criteria do apply.

If you are an undergraduate student, you can choose from the following subjects:

  • Accounting Work Placement (ACC3AWP)
  • Experiential Learning Project (BUS3ELP)
  • Food and Beverage Supervision (THS1FBS)
  • Sports Practicum (MGT3SPR)

If you are a postgraduate student, you can choose from the following subjects:

  • Business Analytics Project (BUS5PR2)
  • Business Work Placement (BUS5WIL)
  • Experiential Learning Project (BUA5ELP)

PSW Opportunity

  • As an international student, a student can work for 40 hrs in a fortnight and full time during breaks and is entitled to 2 years post-study work permit. This implies to students studying any course which is 2 years and above.

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

  • Degree entry: Australian bachelor degree (or international equivalent) with a minimum of a C (60%) grade point average (GPA) in the final year PLUS three years of relevant managerial experience
  • Professional entry: Applicants do not require an undergraduate degree but must have a minimum of 8 years' relevant managerial experience 6.0.
  • Professional entry (no undergrad degree): International applicants must have a minimum IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with no individual band score less than 6.0. Please note that international students studying online are not eligible for an Australian student visa.