Course details

Summary

Social workers help people to overcome personal and institutional barriers to well-being and achieve their full potential. They work with individuals, families, groups and organizations in a wide range of contexts.

Students develop a strong academic foundation by studying a variety of courses from the social sciences and Maori studies, as well as specialist Social Work topics. Later on in the degree, a large amount of fieldwork practice takes place in the community. Combined, this academic and practical foundation equips students with the values, knowledge and skills for employment in the social work profession, as well as in people-related, social policy and research occupations.

The Social Work programme is friendly and accessible, with interactive classes and a strong practice orientation. Students are likely to work with diverse populations and thus learn about practical issues relevant to 毛利, Pacific and other communities. There is the opportunity to pursue special interests in topics such as mental health, child welfare, criminal justice, violence and abuse, and gender and sexuality studies.

Further study

Social Work graduates are encouraged to undertake further studies. The School offers a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Social Work, the Master of Social Work (by thesis) and the Doctor of Philosophy.

The two year Master of Social Work (Applied) (MSW(Applied)) is a great option to consider if you have already completed an undergraduate degree in arts or science. This degree is delivered in a distance learning format.

Career opportunities

In New Zealand, social workers are employed in both the public and private sectors, providing direct and indirect services. Direct services include those for children, families, older people, those who have committed offences and people with disabilities. Indirect services encompass social sector planning, administration, policy and research.

Direct services may include the protection of children who have been abused, providing group or family therapy, educational programmes for at-risk adolescents, supporting adolescent parents, working with groups aiming to achieve community development, providing interventions for people who are experiencing mental health issues, providing assistance with housing needs, mediation and resolution of family conflict, facilitating access to benefits and other financial resources, and assessment of home and family support for older people.

Social Work graduates can work as community development workers, therapists, counselors, case managers, field workers, youth workers, care and protection workers, probation officers, iwi social workers, school social workers, hospital social workers, service coordinators, educators, policy analysts and researchers.

Social Work graduates are highly employable overseas, especially in the UK and Australia.

Entry criteria

Candidates must have qualified for a Bachelor of Arts or an equivalent degree and satisfied the prerequisites for the subject concerned. Prerequisites vary between departments, but normally good grades in 300-level courses in that subject are required.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum B+ grade; CAE or CPE score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 64 and no PTE communicative skills score below 58.