Studying Social Work
Why study social work?
Short answer: Because you can, quite literally, make a positive difference in other’s lives.
You’ll learn to empower people and support their specific challenges – children-at-risk, people with disabilities, refugees, seniors, victims of crime and families affected by drugs, alcohol and domestic violence – to promote social change across communities.
Through the Bachelor of Social Work, you’ll develop advanced negotiating skills, a nuanced understanding of different cultural contexts and religious beliefs. In essence, you’ll become an expert in problem solving human relationships.
Does this degree lead to a professional accreditation?
Short answer: It does.
Our Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is internationally recognised and accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), qualifying you to work as a professional social worker.
Are professional placements available?
Short answer: Absolutely. In fact, they’re a big part of the course.
In the final two years of the degree you’ll undertake two separate placements in professional social work settings.
These are substantial, hands-on experiences: for over 140 days you’ll apply what you've learned in class to real-life situations, supervised by highly skilled and experienced practitioners.
You’ll learn a lot about the profession and build your own identity as a social worker before graduation.
What sort of work will I be qualified for?
Short answer: The BSW opens doors to lots of different support industries.
Some include health services, aged care, women’s services, disability services, child and family services, international development, and migration and refugee services.
Our grads can be found working across a number of different roles including: individual and family counsellor, aged care worker, community advocate, disability support officer, migrant and refugee liaisons, international development workers, as well as social policy advisers.
Besides becoming a registered social worker, what are some other career paths?
The core units of the degree focus on sociology and social policy – the fundamentals of social work and also human rights and social justice. These are areas you can also work in.
By taking the degree, you’ll develop exceptional communication skills, a heightened sense of empathy, practical self-awareness, resourcefulness, and a capacity to lead and make strong professional judgments.
These skills are highly sought after across different types of social justice contexts including community work, policy development, advocacy, and research.
Prospective students should refer to our course pages for the most up-to-date information.
BANNER: Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash