MA/PG Dip 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.
• Advanced Human Development: 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 placement role. You will need to have access to transport to commute to the base location for your placement. For much of your practice placement time you will also be required to make journeys independently as part of your practice-based role (e.g. to attend appointments or meetings across the geographical area covered by the placement provider), often by car.

Please visit the 'Entry Requirements' section of this page for more information on driving requirements.  

It is the student’s responsibility to cover all transport costs for your placements. These include the cost of commuting to and from the base for your placement and any travel costs during the practice placement. Where you are using car transport during your practice placement activities, the costs you need to cover will include all costs of daily access to a car and the cost of business travel insurance cover. However, when students are in their practice learning setting, and business travel is required, you can claim back mileage costs from the placement provider as if you were an employee. The policies for reimbursement vary by placement provider. The cost to and from the place of work cannot be claimed for. 

The Social Work Bursary offers a flat fee to cover all travel throughout the placement period, insurance and travel to and from placement cannot be claimed as a business travel expense. 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 in person and as part of your interview you will be asked to complete a written exercise. 

A member of the Admissions Team will email you with 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.

On the day of your interview you can ask questions to our current student ambassadors and other members of staff.

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 (three 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

Please view the 'Driving requirement' section below. 

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.

You will undertake two full-time practice placements in a professional social work setting. These are likely to be geographically within Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Dorset and Wiltshire.

If you are made an offer for this course, it is under the expectation that you:

• have or will obtain your UK car driver's licence prior to the start of the course; and
• will have access to an appropriately insured car prior to the start of a relevant practice placement.

If you do not meet this requirement, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to access and successfully complete the required practice-based learning. If you cannot access the placements, you will be unable to meet the full learning outcomes of the course and complete your degree. The only exception to this requirement is if you have a disability or medical condition which prevents you from holding a UK car driving licence. Please contact us to discuss your situation if this applies.

Employers and practice partners expect students to be able to travel to rural and remote locations independently as part of their placement role. You will need to have access to transport to commute to the base location for your placement. For much of your practice placement time you will also be required to make journeys independently as part of your practice-based role (e.g. to attend appointments or meetings across the geographical area covered by the placement provider), often by car.

It is the student’s responsibility to cover all transport costs for your placements. These include the cost of commuting to and from the base for your placement and any travel costs during the practice placement. You may be able to recover some mileage costs where this is considered as business travel, depending on your placement provider. Where you are using car transport during your practice placement activities, the costs you need to cover will include all costs of daily access to a car e.g. hire costs, and the cost of business travel insurance cover. 

What if I have a non-UK driving licence?

​If you have a non-UK driving licence you may be able to exchange your licence for a UK licence, but in many cases, you will need to sit a UK driving test to enable you to meet the driving requirement for this course. You can check the rules about your non-UK licence on the UK government website.  You will need to commit to obtaining a UK driving licence as soon as possible. Please contact us if you need further information on how to do this.

Why do we require students to have a UK driving licence?

The second and final practice placements take place in a setting where statutory social work practice is undertaken. This is necessary so that you can meet the required learning outcomes for the course and become eligible to apply for professional registration with Social Work England, the social work regulator. For this type of practice learning, our practice partners require Social Work students to have access to their own car transport, due to the geography and transport infrastructure of the areas they cover. This means having a UK driving licence and the daily use of a car, with appropriate insurance cover for business use.  This is in-line with the requirements on statutory social workers employed by the providers.

If we offer you a place on this course, we will ask you to complete a form about the driving requirement. If you have any concerns about this requirement, please contact us during the admissions process so that we can discuss your circumstances.

Exceptionally we may withdraw an offer of a place if we determine that you are unlikely to be able to meet the driving requirement for placement (except where this is due to a disability or medical condition, where we will work with placement providers to make reasonable adjustments to the requirement).

We would normally expect you to have some paid or voluntary experience in a social work and/or social care capacity or clear insight in the field of work being applied for. 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
• Employment as a social work assistant in a social services department
• Work on summer play schemes and/or after school clubs
• Personal experience as a service user or carer.
• If you are still in full-time education, you will need to have additional experience outside of the work experience arranged by your school.

You can find out about opportunities for volunteering from local volunteer bureaus, citizens advice bureau or in the public library. Newspapers such as the Guardian on a Wednesday or a magazine like Community Care are helpful.

NB. It would be unusual for us to offer a place to anyone without such social work/social care experience, but we will consider the merit of each application as a whole. Please contact us if you are in any doubt.

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 costs

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 shop stocks stationery supplies on campus
• 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. 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. 

Orlanda is a senior lecturer in Social Work, specialising in Developing Professional Relationships and Leadership. She teaches on both pre-qualifying and post qualifying programmes. She completed her doctoral research on exploring men's recreational use of Androgenic Anabolic Steroid Use. Orlanda began her career in Leadership Development, before becoming a Social Worker. She is working with her colleague Dr Louise Oliver to research innovative methods to support students develop their skills to critically reflect on their social work practice and also to on research into DVA. Orlanda also co-facilitates a group to support woman who have experienced intimate partner violence and abuse.

Her current research interests include: Domestic Violence and Abuse, leadership, critical reflective practice and Image and Performance Enhancing Substance Use.

Previous Career: She qualified as a Social Worker in 2016 and has worked in the Addiction and Adult Social Work fields. Prior to that she was a learning and development professional (with an interest in leadership and management). She has 17 years’ experience: including roles at both Bournemouth and Cranfield University and also working for Amazon. She is a Royal Air Force veteran.

Stefan Kleipoedszus qualified as a Social Pedagogue from the Leuphana University in Lüneburg (Germany) and has since than worked as a researcher for the Thomas Coram Research Unit at the University of London, a Social Worker in Child Protection Teams in the Southwest of England, a manager of statutory social work Teams and a Principal Social Worker before joining Bournemouth University in 2015. At Bournemouth University Stefan is the Deputy Head of Department for Social Sciences and Social Work.

His research covers the reintegration of women prisoners into employment, prevent juvenile delinquency, Children’s Homes and Social Pedagogy. Currently Stefan who is also a PhD Candidate at Centre for Seldom Heard Voices: Marginalisation and Societal Integration at Bournemouth University is involved in research on Decision Making in Social Work, online safety of children and Secure Children's homes.

In current and previous research projects Stefan has applied qualitative and quantitative research methods and has in-depth knowledge about the use of Qualitative Data Analysis Software (Atlas Ti, NVivo), SPSS, MATLAB and the statistical programming language R.

Rosslyn joined Bournemouth University in September 2017 and has teaching responsibilities in practice learning which creates natural links to practice through the Teaching Partnership and external partners. Her teaching also includes mental health and substance use, drawing on my practice experience in this field.

She is currently undertaking a PhD which focuses on exploring the role of mistakes in social work practice learning and how this can lead to meaningful learning.

Rosslyn worked in community mental health teams as a social worker and Approved Mental Health Professional. This involved working with adults experiencing severe and enduring mental health issues. She also has experience as a safeguarding adult practitioner, has worked within a multi-disciplinary team delivering Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and worked as a Best Interest Assessor (BIA).

Before joining Bournemouth University, she had a role assisting the Principal Social Worker for adults in the Bournemouth area. This role supported strategic management and, involved working with all teams within the Local Authority, developing key policies and procedures to comply with legislation, networking with other Local Authorities, implementing key practice changes, undertaking audits, supporting the development of newly qualified social workers, implementing training, and workforce development.

Rosslyn is a qualified practice educator and is also interested in the role and influence of effective supervision within practice. As a practitioner, she understands the importance of receiving good quality supervision to provide foundations for creative and robust practice. She is particularly interested in the learning journeys of social work students and how these experiences can shape professional identity. She is fortunate to be researching the area of practice learning and the nature of learning opportunities within her PhD.