Master of Social Work

What you will study

Students must complete 225 credit points to earn the Master of Social Work. Each subject is worth 12.5 credit points.

Entry requirements

To be considered for entry into this course, you must have one of the following.

• An undergraduate degree (or equivalent) with at least one year of full-time studies in social sciences (or equivalent), with studies to have been completed within 10 years of commencing this course.
• An older undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and more recent graduate study that demonstrates current capacity for graduate study.

You must also provide:

• A current curriculum vitae (CV) that details your education, workplace experience and other relevant skills and training.
• Contact details for a professional referee
  • Relevant work experience may be paid or unpaid and may be full-time or part-time, but for part-time experience, at least 40 hours should normally have been obtained in a single three-month period.

Meeting the published entry requirements for this course does not guarantee selection. 

English language requirements

All applicants to the University of Melbourne must satisfy the English language requirements. This may be achieved in several ways, including a recognised previous study taught and assessed entirely in English or an approved English language test. If you are from a non-English speaking background, the required standard of English for this degree is one of the following English proficiency test scores:

• IELTS – 7.0, with no band less than 7.0
• TOEFL – 94+, with writing 27; speaking 24; reading 24; listening 24
• Pearson – 72+, with a written communicative skill of 75 and no other communicative skill below 72
• Cambridge – 185+, with no skill less than 185

Contact the university or visit their website for more information.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Prior studies may be credited towards your degree and potentially reduce the duration of your course. This is known as Advanced Standing (also known as credit or recognition of prior learning).

Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Career outcomes

Previous graduates of this program have progressed to rewarding careers in a range of human service contexts around Australia and the world. Graduates have been employed in key roles within health and mental health facilities, the criminal justice system, disability services, child protection and family violence, as well as in human service design and government policy. Some graduates also move into private practice and become registered with Medicare to provide mental health counselling services.

Students seeking a career change experience great success in this course. Those already working within the sector leave the degree with a greater possibility of a promotion to higher-level positions and new specialisations within international and national NGOs and the government sector.

Fees and CSP

Estimated fee in 2026: Not yet available (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Indicative first-year fee in 2026: $42,480 (domestic full-fee paying place)

Indicative total course fee in 2026: $79,863 (domestic full-fee paying place)

Unless otherwise noted, the indicative total course fee shown above assumes a study load of 1 EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load) commencing semester one of the listed year, except for courses with a duration of less than 1 EFTSL.

Fees are subject to annual review by the University, with any new rates effective from the beginning of each calendar year.

A student’s fee may vary depending on:

• The number of subjects studied per term.
• The choice of major or specialisation.
• Choice of subjects.
• Credit from previous study or work experience.
• Eligibility for government-funded loans.

You may also need to pay the student services and amenities fee.

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 only need to pay some of your tuition fees. The student contribution amount is 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 the subjects you're enrolled in.
• Dependent 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.