MA Social Work

Core units

• Law in Social Work Practice: You will develop an understanding of law and relevant social policy and, through your knowledge and harnessing of relevant skills, be able to use knowledge of law and social policy competently and creatively.
• Applying Social Work Models and Methods in Social Work: The unit will help you develop an understanding of the complex and multi-layered nature of social work with a strong focus on the practical applications.
• Developing Relationship Skills as a Social Work Practitioner: This unit aims to facilitate the development of personal and interpersonal communication skills as well as exploring and understanding theory that will aid the application of these skills in professional practice. 
• Readiness for Direct Practice in Social Work: This unit will prepare and assess your readiness for direct practice through a range of practical guidance, support and knowledge to develop your capabilities against the Professional Capabilities Framework and the Social Work England Professional Standards.
• Human Development: Applying Theory to Practice: You will develop an understanding of human growth, development and behaviour across the lifespan, and different sociological and psychological explanations for this.
• Professional Practice with Children and Families: This Unit will be underpinned by research and evidence based judgements and students will develop their understanding and competence in assessment and intervention with children and their families. Students will be expected to examine their own beliefs and values in relation to protection work and to build on their previous learning in both theory and practice.
• Professional Practice with Adults: This unit aims to prepare social work students for practice with adults in a variety of settings; making reference to contemporary social work practice issues. This includes approaches to intervention, the legislative framework which mandates practice, professional accountability, applying critical thinking, working with risk and complexity, and the importance of evidence-informed practice.
• MA Social Work First Substantive Placement (Parts A and B): These practice based units provide essential practice experiences that you require in working toward meeting the regulations of the professional body.

Core units

• MA Social Work Final Substantive Placement (Parts A and B) – These practice based units provide essential practice experiences that you require in working toward meeting the regulations of the professional body including the opportunity to undertake statutory tasks and legal interventions.

• Reflection on Professional Learning: This unit enables you to consolidate and evidence your learning from the 30 skills days undertaken over the duration of the programme.

Optional units:

• Dissertation: The dissertation draws on conceptual, theoretical and practical knowledge, developed in other units of the programme. It provides the opportunity to consider existing knowledge in a way that is intellectually critical, and has the potential to expand or redefine the application of existing knowledge and/ or contributes to new approaches to practice.

or

• Service Improvement Project: The aim of this unit is to enable students to develop the skills of working in small inter-professional teams to design and develop a service improvement or product to enhance the experiences of people who use services and / or their carers. 

and

• Critical Literature Review: You will undertake an intellectually challenging and in-depth literature review exploring a topic relevant to contemporary social work practice as grounded in evidenced-based practice.

This course ensures that students spend at least 200 days (including up to 30 skills days) gaining different experiences and learning in practice settings. This is normally split between two separate placements, the first substantive placement of 70 days and the final substantive placement of 100 days, plus 30 practice learning skills days. Each skills day and placement day is seven hours in total, plus a break for lunch.

While on placement, you will typically work office hours between 9.00 and 5.00 but this can depend on the setting and the nature of the work you are doing. Some settings operate in the evening, and some areas work on the weekends. Your hours will be discussed and agreed to ensure appropriate work / life balance and supervision in your role. The hours you work will be discussed with your Practice Educator on placement.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

In the first term, in preparation for placement, students undertake a ‘readiness for practice’ unit which evidences they have reached the required capabilities to undertake a first practice placement. Content includes safeguarding education, shadowing opportunities and observed role play.

Your first placement is undertaken in semester two of the first year of the course, and your final placement is during semester one of the final year of the course. Your first placement is 70-days. This may be a day centre providing support and services to people with dementia, or residences supporting people with complex or enduring mental health problems, educational settings, or recovery services for people with problematic substance use, among several other types and locations of services. When placing you, we consider your areas of experience and try and place you somewhere which will provide a contrast and new learning experiences.

In year three you will undertake 100 days within a Social Work team, undertaking statutory tasks, again this may be located across a region encompassing Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Dorset and Wiltshire. Students will be allocated individuals and families to work with under supervision and, as part of this, employers expect students to travel independently to meetings and contacts. This may be across the region the particular service covers, and sometimes further afield, when they have people who are living in other areas but are still under the care of a particular council (eg. children in care).

Bournemouth University is located in the south-east of Dorset and as such works with organisations providing services in rural and urban communities. Some placements may require the use of personal transport as public transport to these locations may not be available. For services where you may visit clients, you will need your own transport with insurance for business travel. 

The written work in MA practice learning is assessed at level 7 (master’s level). Practice is working to the same standards as laid out in the British Association of Social Workers Professional Capabilities Framework for all students.

The wide range of placements includes:

• Social work teams engaging in child protection and adult safeguarding with adults, children and their families
• Hospital social work teams
• Fostering and adoption
• Drug and alcohol services
• Mental health services
• Supported housing and homelessness schemes
• Domestic violence refuges
• Children’s centres
• Adult day resources
• Children’s homes
• Youth projects
• Adult disability services

In all placements, you will have an onsite mentor who is called your Placement Supervisor. They oversee the work you are given and provide both informal daily supervision of your workload, and one to one supervision focusing on developing your practice skills and learning how to analyse and understand your development as a practitioner.

You will also have a Practice Educator who is responsible for overseeing your assessment of practice. In your first placement this may be someone from offsite, provided by the university, someone who is a registered social worker or a qualified practice educator. They will provide you with essential practice experience that will develop your social work knowledge and skills. In your final placement, this person may be part of the team and thus the role of supervisor and educator is combined into one person. The Practice Educator role is focused on drawing in evidence and theory to analyse your practice and learn how to be a critical and reflective practitioner, improving and developing your practice all the time. This is a basis for the requirements of Continued Professional Development during your career.

Each skills day and placement day is seven hours in total, plus a break for lunch.

While on placement, you will typically work office hours between 9.00 and 5.00 but this can depend on the setting and the nature of the work you are doing. Some settings operate in the evening, and some areas work on the weekends. Your hours will be discussed and agreed to ensure appropriate work / life balance and supervision in your role. The hours you work will be discussed with your Practice Educator on placement.

You will undertake two substantive placements which are likely to be geographically within Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Dorset and Wiltshire.

The role of the Social Work student encompasses a range of statutory tasks. This can mean students work across wide geographical areas with visits to other areas of the country at times.

Employers and practice partners expect students to be able to travel to rural and remote locations independently as part of their role. This means having access to transport in order to make your journeys to and from placement.

The cost of commuting to and from the base from which you work is the student’s responsibility, as is the cost of insurance cover, which will need to include business travel insurance

Employers each have their own policies for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred as part of the student’s role in practice. Where appropriate, students are entitled to claim business travel through the employer for any journeys undertaken in connection with business, but not including their daily commute.  If you are awarded a Social Work bursary, this includes a contribution towards your placement commuting travel costs in recognition of the cost of travelling to and from placement.

Students are expected to have relevant experience in social work and/or social care and show that they have learnt from this experience. The longer and more varied that experience, the better.

Examples of the sort of experience that candidates often have are:

• Employment as a carer in a residential home
• Being a volunteer in an agency working with young offenders
• Paid or voluntary work in a day centre for people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or mental health problems
• Work on summer play schemes and/or after school clubs
• Personal experience as a service user or carer.

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. View our flowchart for information on how we process applications for courses with additional selection measures. 

For our health and social care courses our admissions team use the DRIVE criteria to assess your application and evidence of this must be show in your personal statement. You can also find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages. 
 
Please note that interviews are part of our selection process and you must be able to demonstrate at interview that you show the necessary insight into social work, as well as the motivation and commitment to become a social worker. 

Your interview will take place online, on a free video communication platform.

A member of the Admissions Team will email you with joining instructions and information about what to expect at interview.

Your individual interview is where you will have the opportunity to tell us a little more about yourself and why you would be a great candidate for the course. You will be scored using a common template and offers will be made based on these scores.

If you are invited to interview, you will also be able to access online on-demand information presentations, course talks, virtual campus tours and more which you can watch before your interview. On the day of your interview you may also be able to join a live chat-room where you can ask questions to our current student ambassadors and other members of staff.

Please see our website for the application deadlines. You should apply as early as possible to be considered for your course of choice. If you require a student visa, apply for the visa as soon as you have an unconditional offer and receive your CAS. There may be delays in visa processing in your country and you need to be in Bournemouth ready to study for the start of term.

You will need to apply for this course through UCAS. Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to access the UCAS website.

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:1 in any subject, or equivalent. 

• Applicants with a 2:2 may be considered if they have strong relevant work experience.

​If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (four years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%  
• Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:4  
• China: Chinese Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with 65% or above  
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0  
• Ghana: Bachelor's degrees from University of Ghana or Legon with a grade of 2.00 or above, or from Cape Coast with a grade 2.5 or above  
• USA: US Bachelor’s degree (four years), with a 2.5 GPA or above  

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 7.0 with minimum 6.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

IT skills

IT skills are increasingly important in almost all professions. In the social work sector IT is now a vital tool for accessing and maintaining service user records, accessing literature about social work interventions and conducting practice-related research. As a student you will receive an introduction to IT near the beginning of your course and you will be provided with computer access and your own email address. During the course you will be expected to use your developing IT skills to produce assignments, to conduct literature searches, and to use agency record systems in a practice setting.

Occupational health checks

This course is physically and mentally demanding and you will need to be mentally and physically able to undertake your chosen course. Places are offered subject to passing an OH check, and this will be carried out by the Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust. Health conditions need to be dealt with on an individual basis e.g. deafness, blindness, eczema (or other dermatological allergic reactions) on exposed areas, epilepsy, back problems, or mental health conditions, eating disorders and other disabilities. These do not automatically exclude you but please ensure that you fully disclose your condition to OH. The University can then consider the recommendations made by OH and whether reasonable adjustments can be made to support you on your chosen course. If you require more guidance please contact us for more information.

You will be required to provide a record of your immunity status or be vaccinated or have the required blood tests. You may need to ask your GP or current OH department or find your childhood vaccination record for details of your past immunisation records. You should be aware that there may be charges made (for which you will be liable) relating to your gaining the appropriate immunity required prior to starting your training programme.

Driving

The role of the social work student encompasses a range of statutory tasks. This can mean students work across wide geographical areas. This can include visits to other areas of the country at times.

Given the nature of our location, employers and practice partners expect students to be able to get to rural and remote locations independently, in the course of practice-based learning. This means having access to personal transport is often a requirement.

Employers each have their own policies for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred as part of the student’s role in practice. Drivers will need to have business mileage included in their insurance.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check (previously known as CRB)

All successful applicants will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barred List check; this will be a condition of offer and will need to be completed prior to commencing the course. Please see the Government website for the most up to date information.

Before you start the course in September, BU will carry out an enhanced DBS check.  When you get the certificate, please take care of it. You need to provide this for your practice placement provider to see before you start your first substantive placement.

We also make a strong recommendation that you sign up to the online update service that keeps your DBS up to date, meaning any employer (who you wish) can check your DBS without starting from scratch. The fee for this service is £13 per annum. 

Refusing immunisations

The University has an expectation that all students will comply with the vaccination programme as it is Public Health England requirement for healthcare workers and social workers to have certain immunisations. This ensures that you will be able to undertake the wide range of training placements that your course will require and aims to keep you, as well as the people in your care as safe as possible. Please note that at this time Covid-19 vaccinations are not a mandatory requirement for health or social care workers and so are therefore not a mandatory requirement for health or social care students either. Occasionally some vaccinations are contraindicated in certain medical conditions. Occupational Health (OH) will advise the University in these cases. The University will consider students on an individual basis. Refusal to have immunisations may result in the student not being allowed to attend practice placement and being withdrawn from the course. There is no opportunity to appeal against the requirements of the immunisation policy.

Consent for roleplay and practical activities

It is important that you understand what will be expected of you as a student studying for both an academic award and professional qualification in social work. You must agree to participate in roleplay and practical activities within the Social Work course at Bournemouth University as detailed in this document. As participation is a requirement for successful competition of the course, failure to comply with these expectations could lead to disciplinary action.

Career progression may lead to you becoming a:

• Social Worker
• Community Care Officer
• Team Leader
• Service Manager
• Academic Lecturer.

Should you wish to work as a social worker outside the UK, the Social Work Master’s qualification is recognised in many countries.

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

What's included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and mandatory field-based teaching activity.
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and/or fieldwork and non-financial support whilst on placement.
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service.
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow.
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions.
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances.
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.
• Professional body accreditation of the course.
• Occupational Health services and checks are included but you will be charged if you do not attend Occupational Health appointments without giving appropriate notice. You are also responsible for travel costs to Occupational Health appointments.

Additional cost

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning Library has a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock stationery supplies on both campuses.
• You will need to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as a condition of enrolment, including any Post Office or Digital ID verification charges.
• You may need to pay for immunisations if they are not covered by your GP, and you will be charged for missed immunisation appointments.
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information.
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• All students, including International students, must pay for travel costs to and from their placement, including car parking charges and car insurance. Where possible, travel distance and time are minimsed as part of the placement allocation process.
• SportBU membership

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

We offer a range of scholarships to students who are beginning their studies at BU. Our fees and funding pages also provide details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. For January 2025 entry, a £5,000 deposit is required. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

If you are planning to study the MA Social Work at BU, you may be eligible for a bursary during your study.

Please note that if you are successful in your application for the MA Social Work Bursary you will not then be eligible for the postgraduate loan in addition. 

Richard’s passion for making a difference to children, young people and families, is central to his academic work.

Having joined BU as a Senior Lecturer after his years in practice, he continued to focus his teaching, writing and research on outcomes in general and the positive impact of social work in particular.

Working at BU has allowed Richard to extend his interest in managing hostility and mediation and to apply this to teaching across different disciplinary groups.

Richard currently project manages a research project ‘The Heart of the Matter’ commissioned by the Bournemouth & Poole LSCB into the child protection processes and procedures. This work has successfully engaged with professional groups as well as parents, significant other adults and children and young people.

Prior to joining Bournemouth University (BU) in May 2003, Jill held both strategic and managerial positions in relation to social work. Jill’s last post in practice was that of a Principle Education Officer within Bournemouth Local Authority.

Jill’s currently undertaking a PhD, which has drawn on research from the UK and South Africa, where she undertook a five week field work study in Zululand, South Africa. In October 2014, Jill was awarded a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in recognition of my success as a high quality educator.

During Jill’s time in practice, she held specialist posts including managing a social work service to all Bournemouth Local Authority and Independent Schools. Jill retained responsibility for ensuring all children, living within the Bournemouth local area, were effectively achieving their optimal educational outcome and effectively safeguarded from harm or abuse. Jill also took the Education lead for the Local Authority on Serious Case Reviews.

Mel is a Senior Lecturer in social work and a practice educator with specific interests in the student experience, practice learning, mental health and substance use.

Mel’s research includes articles on:

• The impact of service user and carer involvement on students’ subsequent social work practice: a follow up study
• Developing standards of care in residential homes: A participatory Action Research project in collaboration with The Patient Association
• Gaining insight into what works to minimise loneliness and isolation. A participatory action research project in collaboration with the Poole Wellbeing Collaborative
• Principal investigator: evidencing the impact of service user involvement in professional health and social work programmes
• Principal investigator: Parents Story Project: Gaining insight into parental substance use

Margarete Parrish’s career in social work began with her MSW from the University of Georgia in the US, where she specialised in Mental Health Social Work. Her PhD in Social Work is from Rutgers University, where she also specialised in Mental Health. Her practice background has been in both medical and mental health settings. Her practice specialities include adaptation following trauma, adolescents, mental health and substance misuse.

Margarete has taught in the UK since 2004, and joined the social work team at BU in January 2013. The second edition of her book “Social Work Perspectives on Human Behaviour” was published in 2014.