Master of Social Work Studies
Overview
Turn your passion for helping people and addressing social and community issues into a rewarding career with accredited qualifications in social work.
As a social worker, you'll play a key role in developing a society based on social justice and in alleviating disadvantage. Social workers stimulate action to change the social circumstances of individuals and groups who are socially excluded. They also work to reduce personal pain and distress and provide direction for individual development and control over life situations.
The 2 year full-time program is particularly suited for new graduates looking for a clearly defined career path as a social worker, or people working in human services wanting to upgrade their skills to become a qualified social worker.
As part of the core courses, you'll complete advanced practice in counselling, community development, or child and family welfare. You'll undertake 1,000 hours of supervised practical placements in a variety of organisations including not-for-profit, community service organisations and private practice.
This program is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and will enable you to qualify as a social worker and become a member of the AASW.
Program highlights
- Learn from award-winning educators and leaders in teaching and research.
- Benefit from a program created in consultation with professionals in the field.
- Develop your skills and experience through supervised practical placements in organisations including not-for-profits, community service organisations and private practices.
- Launch your career in social work or upgrade your existing experience in human services to become a qualified social worker, accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers.
How you'll learn
Due to the way they are taught, certain programs and plans are not offered online in Semester 1, 2022.
Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Work placements
- Online study
- Fieldwork
Placements and work experience
Students will undertake approximately 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice in a range of clinical settings that includes hospitals and a variety of public and private agencies. During their placements, students will have the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge acquired through coursework to practice and develop their clinical skills in real life setting.
Although this program is offered on a part time basis, students will be required to attend clinical placements on a full time basis.
Students may be required to undertake clinical placements outside of the Brisbane metropolitan area and students are required to fund their travel, accommodation and daily living expenses.
Although this program is offered on a part time basis, students will be required to attend clinical placements on a full time basis.
What you'll study
At UQ, degrees are called 'programs' and subjects are called 'courses'. Here's a sample of the courses you could study in this program:
- Lifespan, Culture and Disability
- Introduction to Key Elements of Social Work
- Direct Practice 1
- The Legal and Policy Context for Social Work Practice
Career possibilities
Postgraduate study can take you anywhere. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:
- Social worker (child protection)
- Social worker (community development)
- Social worker (correctional services)
- Social worker (disability services)
- Social worker (drug and alcohol services)
- Social worker (health services)
- Social worker (migrant and refugee services)
- Social worker (private practice)
- Social worker (youth work and youth justice)
Professional memberships
When you graduate, you may be eligible for memberships with the following professional organisations. Contact the organisation to find out how to become a member.
- Australian Association of Social Workers
Program accreditation
The Master of Social Work Studies is accredited by:
- Australian Association of Social Workers
“I chose to study the Master of Social Work Studies at UQ because of UQ’s international reputation. I really enjoyed the focus on the practical element of the program and the skills I developed.”
JamieGraduate, Master of Social Work Studies
“I chose to study the Master of Social Work Studies at UQ because of UQ’s international reputation. I really enjoyed the focus on the practical element of the program and the skills I developed.”
JamieGraduate, Master of Social Work Studies
Events
See all events
Stories
See all stories
Careers
Is a Bachelor of Arts a good degree to start your career?
Stories
See all stories
UQ people
Meet Hinano from Japan, studying a Bachelor of Arts in Australia
UQ people
Meet the expert: Indigenous Studies with Professor Tracey Bunda
UQ people
What’s it like to do Indigenous studies at UQ?
Entry requirements
Prerequisites
Prerequisites
English language requirements
IELTS overall 7; reading 7; writing 7; speaking 7; listening 7. For other English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores approved for UQ
TOEFL IBT - Overall 100, listening 25, reading 25, writing 27, speaking 23.
TOEFL PB - Overall 600, listening 59, reading 59, writing 64/6.
Pearsons - Overall 72, sub bands minimum 72.
CES - Overall 185, All sub bands minimum 185.
BE and OET are not accepted.
There are other ways to meet the English language requirements. For some programs, additional conditions apply.
Need help meeting the entry requirements?
Additional application information
Although this program is offered on a part time basis, students will be required to attend clinical placements on a full time basis.
Prior to applying, applicants should ensure they will be able to meet placement requirements outlined on this website.
For applicants who need to provide evidence of English proficiency, please note that this program requires a higher level of English language proficiency than the UQ minimum.
Additional application information
Although this program is offered on a part time basis, students will be required to attend clinical placements on a full time basis.
Student visas
International students who are accepted into full-time study in the Master of Social Work Studies are eligible to apply for an Australian student visa (subclass 500).
There are a number of requirements you must satisfy before a visa is granted, including the genuine temporary entrant (GTE) requirement.
Fees and Scholarships
Indicative annual fee
AUD $8,021
Indicative annual fee 2022 Commonwealth supported place
This indicative annual fee is the approximate cost of enrolling in a Commonwealth Supported Place in the Master of Social Work Studies. It is calculated based on a standard full-time study load (16 units over two semesters).
Actual fees will vary according to your choice of courses and their unit value. The Australian Government indexes fees each year.
AUD $28,352
Indicative annual fee 2022
This indicative annual fee is the cost of enrolling in the Master of Social Work Studies for the 2022 academic year. It is calculated based on a standard full-time study load (16 units per academic year).
If you enrol in a larger or smaller study load, your fees will be calculated on a proportionate basis. All fees are reviewed annually.
Additional costs
- Students are expected to fund travel and living expenses associated with placements, some of which may be outside the Brisbane metropolitan area.
Government assistance
Financial aid
As an international student, you might be eligible for financial aid – either from your home country, or from the Australian Government.
HECS-HELP
Domestic places in the Master of Social Work Studies are Commonwealth Supported. This means the cost of your education is shared between you and the Australian Government.
Instead of tuition fees, Commonwealth Supported students pay what are called student contribution amounts.
HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme to assist eligible students with the cost of their student contribution amounts.
Centrelink support
The Australian Government has approved this master's program for income support payments to be made to eligible students.
Scholarships
Make your university experience more affordable with a scholarship. Opportunities include:
How to apply
Applying online
All international applications should be submitted to UQ. If you prefer, you can use an approved UQ agent in your country.
The program code for the Master of Social Work Studies is 5457.
Find out more about applying for postgraduate coursework study
Applying through QTAC
All domestic applications should be submitted to the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).
The QTAC code for the Master of Social Work Studies is 734002.
Important dates
The closing date for this program is:
- To commence study in semester 1 - November 30 of the previous year.
To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar.
Important dates
To check the closing date for this program, go to the QTAC website.
To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants
For support with applying - or if you have any questions about Uni - get in touch with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit.
Explore other programs
Keep up to date
Sign up to get information about applying and studying at UQ.