With an MS in Human and Social Services from Walden, you develop the professional skills and global perspective to make a positive difference in the lives of your clients.
You are committed to improving the quality of life for others, and we are committed to helping you reach your goals. Whether your work focuses on conflict management, mental health, crisis intervention, or other community needs, you can prepare to make an even greater impact by earning your MS in Human and Social Services with Walden.
This online master’s in human and social services program focuses on building your effectiveness and professional skills in your chosen area of practice within a global context. As a student of the program, you will develop a holistic, interprofessional perspective that better equips you to help individuals, families, and organizations navigate social services in your community.
Graduates of the MS in Human and Social Services program will be prepared to:
Find detailed information for the general specialization of this program, or all other specializations of this program, including possible occupations, completion rate, program costs, and median student loan debt.
Walden’s MS in Human and Social Services program offers a General Program as well as a variety of specializations to help you meet your personal and professional goals.
With our MS in Human and Social Services, you can prepare to help clients navigate social services in various settings around the world, including government agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), foundations, and religious organizations.
In addition, U.S.-based and international charities are key employers of MS in Human and Social Services graduates. Since they tend to focus on vulnerable populations, charities need professionals with specialized administrative and case-management expertise.
The MS in Human and Social Services can help prepare you for a variety of positions, including:†
Our MA Social Work course will help you become a highly effective social worker through a combination of teaching and practice placements.
Our course meets the requirements of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) for social work practice in England, the Knowledge and Skills Statements for children, adult and mental health social workers, and the regulatory requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
You will be eligible to apply to register as a qualified social worker with the HCPC upon completion of the course.
You will benefit from particularly high quality placements and greater input from practising social workers through our membership of the Greater Manchester Social Work Academy, a government-sponsored Teaching Partnership that ensures close links between local employers and universities across Greater Manchester.
Both placements and taught elements will help you learn how to work with a variety of user groups in a range of settings.
The course aims to:
Outstanding curriculum
Benefit from a range of innovative teaching and learning methods that integrate theory and practice, actively involving service users, carers and current social work practitioners.
We encourage students to take an active involvement in shaping the course.
170 days of placements
You will have two high quality statutoryplacements within a local authority, voluntary or private agency, which will enable you to develop into a confident, resilient and reflective social work practitioner.
Greater employment opportunities
We are a member of the Greater Manchester Social Work Academy teaching partnership and have strong links with social work employers across the region.
Student support
You will receive outstanding study, placement and personal support from staff and fellow students.
Addressing the philosophy of Athena SWAN , we look to minimise early starts and late finishes, and ensure Christmas, New Year and Easter are included in your annual leave entitlement.
Research specialisms
You will have access to teaching staff who actively undertake research in health and social care at a university rated number one in the UK under the Research Excellence Framework (Unit of Assessment 3) in this area.
Our staff's specialist research interests include deaf people and children (SORD), adoption and looked after children, safeguarding practice, law for social workers, mental health, LGBT, learning for professional practice and researching social work pedagogy.
You will learn from experts in social work through interactive teaching sessions incorporating lectures and workshops at the University. See the teaching and learning page for more information.
You will develop practical skills and experience through placements. See the placements page for more information.
We use a range of assessment methods to accommodate different learning styles and learning outcomes.
These include using simulated visits and assessments, essays, case studies and group presentations. We may use other formats.
You will be assessed for your readiness for direct practice (ARDP) prior to commencing your first practice placement, and will be assessed at the end of your first and final practice placements.
Year 1
Learning in the first year provides a solid foundation where students are introduced to key knowledge and skills and prepared for professional practice.
You will learn about what social work is and develop necessary practice skills. You will explore the context social work operates in, including the legal framework and professional safeguarding responsibilities.
You will take:
See a typical first year timetable and find out what a day on placement is like by reading Year 1 student Emily's diary .
Year 2
Learning in the second year provides an in-depth understanding of the processes that govern and inform social work processes and interventions with a range of service user groups.
The Foundations of Research course will prepare you for completing a dissertation for your MA award.
Your dissertation provides an opportunity for you to undertake in depth study on a social work-related topic or aspect of practice.
You will take:
The MA Social Work enables those with a BA degree to obtain the new professional qualification in Social Work, as well as a Masters degree. The University of Birmingham is the oldest running social work education programme in the country and we are proud of our history. The MA Social Work welcomes applications from international students.
You can also find out why our students love living and studying in Birmingham.
The MA follows an exciting programme. Committed to social justice, anti-oppressive practice and relationship based social work and drawing upon a number of disciplines informing social work practice, it includes the study of social work values, knowledge, law, theories, methods and skills. You undertake two assessed social work placements, the first lasting 70 days and the second 100 days. International students undertake the same placements as UK students and obtain a detailed understanding of the operation of the English social work system. Additional teaching offers students the opportunity to focus on particular areas of interest and exciting new projects, such as the International Exchange Project, and the award-winning Survivor Arts Project, allow students to move beyond the core curriculum and explore different ways of seeing the world and more creative ways of working. Watch the following video diary of our first exchange visit to Rotterdam, and a film of our award-winning Survivor Arts Project.
Service user and carer involvement
On the MA Social Work, service users, carers and practitioners work alongside academics to create a dynamic environment, both within the department and during supervised practice. The department values highly the contribution service user and carer colleagues make, and feedback from students confirms just how important the user perspective is in helping them to develop greater insight into the role social work can play in people's lives.
Involving service users and carers in all aspects of admissions and the development and delivery of our social work qualifying programmes is a priority for us. We believe it offers students the opportunity to have a thorough grounding in service users' and carers' experiences and expectations from the very start of their social work training.
More information about service user and carer involvement in social work education
Practice placements
Due to its location and strong links with partner placement agencies, the University of Birmingham is able to provide a wide range of practice opportunities within statutory, voluntary and independent social care settings. The social work department is also fortunate to have a range of exciting new small student units and innovative practice projects and we regularly receive excellent feedback from students about these. The learning gained from these placements support and build on the learning taking place at the university.
Blended learning approach to teaching and assessment - Combining Facebook and enquiry-based blended learning to teach social media skills
The following short film outlines how Facebook and an enquiry-based blended learning design were used to help students develop professional social media skills, knowledge and approaches. The film also includes student feedback about their experiences of engaging with this learning design. As educators, we are aware that students who connect using Facebook during their studies can maintain these social networks once they leave University. They can also potentially use these social networks to discuss future work related issues. To enable students to learn about the potential and pitfalls of sharing, communicating and collaborating using social networks once in employment, this learning design was developed to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge required to use these tools professionally. This film provides an illustration of the commitment social work staff at the University of Birmingham have in continually striving to ensure their students are equipped with the relevant skills and knowledge necessary for their future roles.
This degree leads to an MA in Social Work with the Professional Qualification in Social Work which provides eligibility to apply to register with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC). This is the qualification required to practice as a professional social worker. As well as equipping you with a professional qualification, gaining the MA allows you to progress on to post qualifying courses or to apply to continue with your academic studies at PhD level.
Drawing on current research across the social sciences, government guidance, and legislative frameworks, this degree focuses on the issues that are key in facilitating your professional and academic development as a social worker.
Social work education at Goldsmiths has a long and distinguished record – we house one of the most respected social work units in the UK, and you'll be taught by established social work academics and associate lecturers who have considerable research and/or practice experience in their fields.
You'll cover areas of human growth and development; community; needs and services; law and organisational contexts of social work; and research methods. Specific learning will include mental health and disability, and social work processes of assessment, planning, intervention and review.
The Masters includes practice placements in two settings and with different service user groups, so you'll be able to gain invaluable real world experience. We'll encourage you to think deeply about human rights and social justice, and to embed these values in your practice. You'll develop your skills for reflective and evidence-based practice and will be able to further your research mindedness.
The Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies at Goldsmiths has recently entered into a formal Teaching Partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham for the delivery of social work education at Goldsmiths.
We were one of only four early adopter sites across the country to receive government funding to develop and test new and innovative approaches to social work qualifying education, early career training and continuing professional development programmes. As a result, a significant number of social work practitioners, from all levels within these three local authorities, are involved in the MA Social Work programme, delivering or co-delivering lectures, workshops and seminars. This means that there is a very close relationship with practice to ensure that by the end of the programme students are equipped to deliver authoritative, compassionate, social work practice that makes a positive difference to people’s lives.
You will be encouraged to make links between anti-oppressive practice, social work values, the legal framework, theories, methods and skills of intervention and social work practice throughout the course.
The programme has an intake of around 20-30 students each year. Goldsmiths is committed in its policy and practice to equal treatment of applicants and students irrespective of their race, culture, religion, gender, disability, health, age or sexual orientation. We particularly welcome applications from members of minority groups.
The teaching includes lectures and workshops with the entire student group and small study groups, reflective practice discussion groups and seminars of between 10 and 14 students. A significant proportion of the course takes the form of small study groups and seminars.
The MA is a full-time course. It is not possible to study the course part-time. It is not possible for students to transfer from a social work course at another university onto the second year of the Goldsmiths MA in Social Work course.
You'll develop the ability to practise social work in a wide variety of settings with different service user groups.
The programme will enable you to register and practise as a qualified social worker.
Earn your master’s in psychology online through one of the most affordable MS in Psychology programs available online.
Prepare to apply the latest psychological research and theory to real-world problems whether you choose to work in a community agency, in a healthcare setting, or within the educational or social services systems. Walden’s master’s degree in psychology prepares you to pursue exciting new opportunities in the field.
Walden’s Master of Science in Psychology online degree program offers 11 specializations so you can focus your learning on your interests and goals. Gain the knowledge and develop the skills you need to seek career advancement, help others, or prepare for doctoral-level studies. Open to students of all undergraduate backgrounds, this program provides a solid foundation in basic scientific methods and psychological principles. Our redesigned online master’s in psychology program now offers enriched content and streamlined coursework. Five of the specializations even allow you to accelerate your path to a PhD by applying credits earned from your master’s program.
As a student in the MS in Psychology online master’s degree program, you can learn to:
Graduates of our MS in Psychology online degree program will be prepared to:
Would you like to save time and money when you earn your PhD in Psychology? You can. If you enroll in one of the specializations listed below, you can apply credits from the MS in Psychology program toward a doctorate in psychology from Walden.
Credits you earn from all of the courses (with the exception of PSYC 6001) may be applied toward Walden’s PhD in Psychology degree program. The specialization you choose for your master’s program will determine which doctoral specialization will offer you the most transfer credits.
MS in Psychology Specialization
PhD in Psychology Specialization
Find detailed information for this program, including possible occupations, completion rate, program costs, and median student loan debt.
Note on Licensure:
The MS in Psychology is not a licensure program and does not prepare an individual to become a licensed psychology or counseling professional.
Walden's MS in Psychology program offers a variety of specializations to help you meet your personal and professional goals.
The MS in Psychology program can prepare you to effectively analyze psychological research and theory to directly apply your knowledge to real-world situations. Through critical and independent analysis, you can gain an understanding of how to apply scientific methods and principles of psychology in a variety of roles and settings.
As a graduate of Walden’s MS in Psychology program, your career options may include a role as a:
Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.
Possible career settings include:
This graduate entry level course is designed to equip social work students with the knowledge, skills and values necessary for qualification. Upon successful completion of the course students will have met the required levels of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF). They will then be able to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and ready to begin their first year in employment as a registered and qualified social worker.
The MA (Social Work) is an academic award dependent upon successful completion of a Masters level dissertation as well as demonstrating capable practice. There is an ‘exit award’ of PGDip, which allows successful students to register with the HCPC as a qualified and registered social worker. Students, who take this route, will be eligible to complete a Masters dissertation in Social Work Studies.
The specific educational aims of the course are to:
Social Work Skills Assessment Flat
The course at the University of Wolverhampton has some excellent features including:
There is a strong staff and service-user interest in disability and this is embedded into academic modules and workshops.
Ethical and engaged practice is a core element of the award, which is enhanced by skills days relating to values and critical reflection. Several of the staff team have relevant publications in this arena and are also members of the Social Work Action Network, an organisation of social workers committed to equality and social justice.
Core members of staff on the course have a strong record of social work publications and/or conference presentations across a range of areas of interest.
There are also excellent campus facilities (catering, libraries and well equipped social learning spaces) which contribute to an enjoyable learning experience.
The Faculty of Education Health and Wellbeing series of seminars and lectures spans education, sport, care, psychology health and wellbeing, bringing you a variety of engaging speakers and experts from the University of Wolverhampton and many other UK universities, visit http://www.wlv.ac.uk/fehw/lectures
The course enables successful students to begin practice as a qualified and registered social worker.
The English qualification is accepted throughout the UK, the EU and is recognised Internationally.
Graduates may return to the University of Wolverhampton (or any Higher Education Institute) to undertake courses as part of their continuing professional development, which is a requirement to maintain social work registration with the HCPC. A revised framework for Continuing Professional Development and Post-Qualifying Awards is in development by The College of Social Work.
It is a condition of continuing HCPC registration that qualified and registered Social Workers maintain a record of CPD. There is also the opportunity for candidates to enrol on a programme of doctoral study - either a Professional Doctorate or a more conventional PhD.
At the end of this course students will have acquired the knowledge to underpin practice; a range of intellectual skills of thinking and problem solving in academic learning and practice; enhanced self-awareness and social work specific skills. These will be incorporated into the 5 course learning outcomes:
The MA Social Work programme is regulated by the HCPC in collaboration between the University of Wolverhampton and local Health and Social Care providers. Furthermore, there is service user/carer involvement in the management of the course and in the delivery of the teaching.
Welcome to the Masters of Social Work (MSW-UTC) program. You are entering an exciting profession with countless career possibilities. Social Work is one of the fastest growing and diverse professions in the United States. The profession is unique, however, in its dedication to working and empowering people who are vulnerable, oppressed, or living in poverty. While social workers practice as lobbyists, administrators and policy makers, they frequently choose to work directly with individuals, families, and groups.
The MSW-UTC program is a professionally oriented, evening program designed to prepare working adults for advanced social work practice with older adults. Advanced practice at the MSW level refers to refined training of candidates for use of social work knowledge, values, and skills in specialized areas of practice. Advanced social work practice encompasses knowledge and methods of engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation used in non-profit, for-profit, public, and private social service settings to promote the well-being of targeted populations. The knowledge and skills learned in an MSW program are used across a wide variety of career fields, including medical social worker, hospice social worker, clinical social worker, volunteer coordinator, group home manager, and nephrology social worker.
Field Education is the signature pedagogy of social work education. The MSW-UTC program is pleased to offer a wide variety of agencies that can serve as field internship sites. Students complete 900 hours during their internship experiences. Employment-based internships are encouraged for those already working in a social work setting, as long as a new learning experience can be provided.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) the accrediting body for social work education. The MSW-UTC program is expected to enter "Candidacy," a major step in the accreditation process, in 2016. Students admitted during the academic year in which candidacy is granted will be considered as having graduated from an accredited social work program once initial accreditation is granted. Therefore, as students in a new program, you will hear about the progress of the program as it moves from candidacy to initial accreditation. In Tennessee, graduates from a program in candidacy can be issued temporary licenses.
As a MSW student, you will be encouraged to pursue your own interests and goals as well as the goals of the program in order to become an active and independent learner. Each member of the MSW-UTC faculty stands ready to assist you, and we look forward to establishing a team effort towards your social work education and career.
The MSW program at UTC prepares students for advanced social work practice. Courses equip students to provide competent services to individuals, groups, and communities, with special emphasis on serving older adults throughout the Chattanooga region. Graduates of the program will be prepared for employment as social workers in numerous fields and agencies. Graduates of the program will also be able to obtain licensure as clinical social workers.
The MSW-UTC program will provide coursework to meet the needs of adult students. All required courses will be offered through personalized, face-to-face evening courses paired with online and hybrid delivery as appropriate for the course material. Students will also complete 900 hours of field education (400 hours in the foundation year and 500 hours in the advanced year) under the supervision of the Director of Field Education and assigned agency MSW field instructors. Students develop learning contracts at the beginning of their internships that outline how they will demonstrate mastery of the social work competences and practice behaviors learned in the classroom.
The first year of the MSW-UTC program involves 30 credit hours of foundation-level course. Foundation-level courses equip students with the knowledge, skills, and professional values that form the core of generalist social work practice. The second year involves 30 credit hours emphasizing advanced practice with older adults and their families.
The University of TN Chattanooga MSW program has achieved Candidacy for Accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation.
Candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation indicates that it has made progress toward meeting criteria for the assessment of program quality evaluated through a peer review process. A program that has attained Candidacy has demonstrated a commitment to meeting the compliance standards set by the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, but has not yet demonstrated full compliance.
Students who enter programs that attain Candidacy in or before the academic year in which they begin their program of study will be retroactively recognized as having graduated from a CSWE-accredited program once the program attains Initial Accreditation. Candidacy is typically a three-year process and attaining Candidacy does not guarantee that a program will eventually attain Initial Accreditation. Candidacy applies to all program sites and program delivery methods of an accredited program. Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
For more information about social work accreditation, you may contact http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation.
The Masters programme in Work-Based Learning (WBL) at Newman University provides flexible lifelong learning opportunities for professionals currently in employment (either paid or voluntary). The programme is designed to engage students in maximising their knowledge, skills, employability attributes and professional development opportunities needed in the workplace, by developing and implementing systematic professional enquiry and research. As a result, students can become more informed and more effective at work.
Throughout the programme, students are encouraged to explore their own personal and professional interests, whilst utilizing (and building upon) their existing expertise. By focusing on a WBL approach to study, numerous benefits can be available to students such as: bespoke, relevant, student-focused, flexible programmes of study offering formal recognition of their occupational role; an acknowledgement of skills and knowledge gained at work; opportunities for workplace continual professional development (CPD) and career advancement; networking openings; alongside routes into various higher education awards. Indeed, if students wish to progress their studies even further then the WBL programme provides an appropriate academic platform for progression to doctoral study at level 8 such as PhD, EdD, DProf.
WBL has been defined as the learning arising from real-life activity within the workplace, with students taking work activities as a starting point for their studies. It is a structured and learner-managed approach to maximising learning and professional development opportunities. The focus is upon ‘capturing learning in the workplace’, by exploiting the different kinds of knowledge which can be used at work, via an application to working practices. This is achieved by centring upon the critical evaluation and synthesis of an individuals’ professional practice by specifically analysing their professional and personal development. Put simply, work-based learning is learning for work, at work and through work.
There are four core awards available to students, focusing on enhancing professional practice:
There are 12 subject-specific ’named awards’ available to students:
Master of Arts (MA) in Work-Based Learning (Business Management)
Master of Arts (MA) in Work-Based Learning (Drama)
Master of Arts (MA) in Work-Based Learning (English, Literature, and Society)
Master of Arts (MA) in Work-Based Learning (Health Mentor)
Master of Arts (MA) in Work-Based Learning (Heritage and Public History)
Master of Arts (MA) in Work-Based Learning (Social Care: Policy and Practice)
Master of Arts (MA) in Work-Based Learning (Working with Children, Young People & Families)
Master of Arts (MA) in Work-Based Learning (Youth and Community Work)
Master of Science (MSc) in Work-Based Learning (Applied Social Science)
Master of Science (MSc) in Work-Based Learning (Business Management)
Master of Science (MSc) in Work-Based Learning (Enhancing Healthcare Practice)
Master of Science (MSc) in Work-Based Learning (Health Mentor)
The Master’s level WBL programmes at Newman University are designed to cater for learners already in employment (paid or unpaid), normally in professional settings, who are looking for:
There is an opportunity of progression for Newman University postgraduate students wishing to progress to a full Master’s degree from programmes such as:
PG Cert in Higher Education Practice
PG Cert in Heritage and Public History
PG Cert in Chaplaincy with Young People
PG Cert in Safeguarding
The WBL courses will be delivered using a ‘blended’ approach, which consists of a mixture of distance learning (supported by materials available online), and some campus-based taught sessions. Campus-based taught sessions will only be used when necessary, and will usually be delivered at the Genners Lane Campus, at the weekend.
In respect of student workload, it should be noted that 30 credit modules require 300 hours of study and a 60 credit module requires 600 hours of study.
Part-time students have a maximum period of study of 5 years to complete a full Master’s degree. However, students will normally complete a full Master’s degree on a part-time basis, over 2-3 years.
For students submitting an RPL/RPEL claim up to the maximum of 90 credits, a full Master’s degree could be completed in 12 months.
Students will experience a range of work-based assessment formats including: written reports and essays, digital resource creation, project report and case study, e-portfolio, presentations, work-based research. Through the completion of such assessment activities, the course will develop independent study skills that are transferable to a range of both learning-based and work-based situations.
The MSW in Social Work is a 2-year, full-time, postgraduate degree course.
The qualification is recognised throughout the UK and it’s expected that in due course it will meet the criteria for recognition in the EU and elsewhere overseas. The course is based on the Standards in Social Work Education (SiSWE) and is to be validated by social work's professional body in Scotland, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
The course provides a stimulating blend of university-based teaching and agency-based learning opportunities across both years.
You'll undertake a range of taught modules, a dissertation and assessed placements in a range of social work service settings.
Work towards the Masters dissertation is mostly scheduled for the period beyond Year 2 of the programme. You’ll be told of the arrangements during year 1.
The School of Social Policy and Social Work has a long and rich tradition of education, research and consultancy in social work. It brings together a staff group with extensive experience in the varied areas of social work practice i.e. children and families, criminal justice social work and community care.
The Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (funded by Scottish Government to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable children and families, and care leavers), the Centre for the Child and Society, and Community Care Works are all based within the School and contribute to teaching in the course as well as to research and consultancy.
The teaching and learning approach is student-centred and aims to promote reflective learning. Our key approach is problem-based learning which is universally recognised as an effective way of developing the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed by busy professionals.
The course is taught through lectures, seminar groups, simulations and individual skills rehearsal with a commitment to use interactive e-learning wherever relevant. At the heart of the course is practice learning in social work service agencies with formally assessed placements being undertaken in both years.
Our assessment methods consist of regular feedback on specific tasks related to teaching and learning as you work through a module.
Modules are formally assessed in a range of different ways, including essay, report, presentations and peer group assessments.
Qualified social workers are increasingly valued. Promotion and career development opportunities are excellent. Social workers can be found in:
Job titles include:
Employers include:
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