Course details

Summary

The Social Work programme at the University of Otago offers two main qualifications designed for different career stages of professional social workers:

• The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is designed for students wishing to obtain a first qualification in Social Work that qualifies them to apply for registration as social workers in New Zealand.
• The Master of Social Work (MSW) degree is designed for mid-career social workers who are already registered but wish to undertake further professional development in a more focused area of professional practice.

Entry into the BSW programme via one of two pathways:

• Students can undertake a four-year undergraduate programme by first enrolling as Social Work Pre-professional students (under the BA programme) and then applying for entry into the third-year stage of the BSW programme (the Social Work Pre-professional years count as the first two years of a four-year BSW programme).
• If students have already completed another bachelor’s degree majoring in a relevant subject such as Psychology or Sociology (other options may be suitable), they can apply for admission directly into the third-year stage of the BSW programme.

Students are welcome to contact the Department of Sociology, Gender and Social Work for clarification of the information provided or to discuss their individual circumstances.

The programme requirements are: first stage compulsory papers: SOWK 111 Working with People: The New Zealand Context; SOCI 101 Sociology of New Zealand Society; MAOR 102 Maori Society; MAOR 110 Introduction to Conversational Maori; EDUC 102 Human Development; or PSYC 112 Human Thought and Behaviour. Second stage compulsory papers: SOWK 201 Fields of Practice; SOWK 236 The Treaty and Social Services; SOCI 201 Sociological Research in Practice; SOCI 205 Social Inequality; SOCI 207 Families and Society; first and second stage elective papers: additional approved papers from Arts and Music Schedule C to make a total of at least 234 points (normally 13 papers).

Third stage compulsory papers: SOWK 301 Theories and Methods of Social Work; SOWK 302 Social Work for Children and Families - Analysis and Theory; SOWK 303 Communities and Organisations - Analysis and Theory; SOWK 304 Kaupapa Maori, and Indigenous Approaches to Social Work; SOWK 320 Introduction to Professional Practice; SOWK 392 Fieldwork Practice 1. Fourth Stage Compulsory Papers: SOWK 402 Social Work for Children and Families: Advanced Practice; SOWK 403 Communities and Organisations - Advanced Practice; SOWK 480 Research Project; SOWK 492 Fieldwork Practice 2; plus one of SOWK 405 Social Work Issues Across the Lifespan, SOWK 406 Social Problems: Policies and Practice Models, or any other 400-level SOWK paper.

Entry criteria

The minimum requirement for students is the completion of a high school qualification plus satisfactory completion of one year's study at an approved tertiary institution or successful completion New Zealand Foundation Year programme.

We also accept the following International qualifications: International Baccalaureate: IB Diploma with a minimum of 26 points; GCE Advanced Levels: minimum grade of 8.

English Language Requirements:

IELTS score of 6.0 in the academic module (with no individual band below 6.0); Internet-based TOEFL Score of 80 (writing 20); Paper-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 (TWE 4.5); CIE Cambridge International Examinations Grade E or better in AS English; Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) - Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) - Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); GCE 'A' Level or 'AS' Level English Language or English Literature - grade C or higher; GCE 'AS' Level General Paper (English) - grade C or higher; APIEL (Advanced Placement International English Language) Examination - grade 3 or higher; IB International Baccalaureate - English at Higher or Standard level in Language A: literature, Language A: language and literature, or at Higher level in Language B; Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic - Overall score of 58 with no communicative skills score below 50.