Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying)

What will you study

To complete the Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying), you must complete 128 credit points

Entry requirements

Academic entry requirements

Completing a relevant three-year AQF Level 7 degree course that contains at least one year or the equivalent of full-time studies in the social and behavioural sciences.

The full year of prerequisite study and/or specified content must be completed before commencing study. Where the prerequisite study has not been met, it can be achieved:

• By single-subject studies.
• Through the Graduate Certificate in Human Services, for students assessed as having already completed six months/four subjects of relevant content.
• As part of another qualification at an undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Language requirements

International students who have not completed a Certificate IV or higher qualification in the English language consistent with the requirements for admission to an AQF Level 9 degree course in Australia must have a minimum score of 7.0 or higher in each component (listening, reading, writing and speaking) of the Academic IELTS test upon application.

Recognition of Prior Learning

If you’ve completed relevant tertiary study or work experience related to your course, you could receive credit towards your degree, which would mean completing your qualification quickly. Please find out how to apply for credit and see our credit policy.

Check your eligibility for credit

We also have several admission pathways to help you step into your preferred course, even if you don't quite meet the entry requirements initially. Find out what admission pathways are available to you.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this course, graduates will be able to:

• Investigate, describe and critically analyse social work's origins, purpose and nature at local, national and international levels.
• Locate, synthesise and apply an advanced, integrated understanding of evidence-informed concepts and theories from other disciplines to social work issues and practice.
• Independently employ professional methods and expert practice skills in various settings to promote health and well-being across the life cycle for individuals, groups, communities and organisations.
• Exercise specialised cognitive skills of critical thinking, reflection, expert judgement and complex problem solving to generate holistic social work actions that account for social, cultural, political, economic, environmental and global contexts.
• Identify, interpret and adaptively respond to ethical issues in practice, including balancing the social, economic and environmental factors essential for ecological sustainability, utilising the Australian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.
• Articulate the principles of social justice, human rights and non-oppressive practice that inform professional social work and apply them adaptively to address discrimination, oppression and exploitation.
• Use decolonising frameworks for culturally-safe and culturally-secure practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, grounded in an advanced and integrated understanding of the process of colonisation as the ‘lived experience’ of Indigenous Australians.
• Communicate effectively and professionally in social work settings, applying a range of specialised technical skills – including the sharing of multimodal information in digital environments – to adapt to the needs of culturally diverse, specialist and non-specialist audiences
• Practise critical appraisal, incorporating collective and systemic approaches to self-reflection and professional self-care as a basis for ongoing development and lifelong learning.
• Undertake various research activities, including critically appraising diverse research methodologies and existing research.

Career outcomes

The Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying) opens the potential to pursue diverse roles. You could work in counselling, case management, social administration and policy formation, social action and program planning, family work and rehabilitation, health, community services and corrections, disability advocacy, legal aid or research. If you're already employed in the human services sector, upgrading your qualifications can provide new opportunities to advance your career. While Charles Sturt University social work graduates can travel the world and work anywhere, they are often found at the heart of communities in rural and regional areas.

Fees and CSP

Average first-year fee in 2025: $9,312 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Student fees may vary in accordance with:

• The number of units studied per term.
• The choice of major or specialisation.
• Elective units. 

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.

Commonwealth Supported Places

The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.

If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you'll only need to pay a portion of your tuition fees. This is known as the student contribution amount – the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.

Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.

Your student contribution amount is:

• Calculated per unit you're enrolled in.
• Depending on the study areas they relate to.
• Reviewed and adjusted each year.

HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.