University of Tasmania
Master of Social Work (Qualifying)
- Delivery: Face to Face
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 24 months
Uniquely integrates decolonising and ingenising principles focusing on sustainability, collaboration and innovation, preparing graduates to address social justice and human rights challenges in diverse and evolving professional settings.
Course overview
The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) prepares students for generalist social work practice, helping them to develop core knowledge, skills and values that can be applied across fields and methods of social work practice.
In this course, you will learn to respond to social justice, human rights and socio-environmental challenges in culturally responsive, principled, regenerative and practical ways. Threaded through the course is a focus on decolonising, indiginising, sustainability, collaboration and innovation in social work, ensuring that as a graduate, you are well-equipped for new and diverse roles in changing workplaces. These university courses focus on applied learning opportunities that include community, health and human services agencies. Over two years, you’ll complete at least 1,000 hours of supervised professional field education placement.
The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is an Australian Association of Social Workers-accredited qualification. It is an entry qualification into the social work profession and has been determined to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards.
CSP Subsidised Fees Available
This program has a limited quota of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). The indicative CSP price is calculated based on first year fees for EFT. The actual fee may vary if there are choices in electives or majors.
Key facts
What you will study
To earn the Master of Social Work (Qualifying), students must complete 200 credit points comprising:
- 100 credit points of Core units at the 500 level
- 100 credit points at 600 level in either a Research Pathway or a Non-research Pathway
Unless otherwise indicated, each unit is valued at 12.5 credit points.
Complete the following core units for 100 credit points:
- Social Innovation, Sustainability and Regenerative Social Work (25 credit points)
- Social Work Theories, Values and Frameworks for 21st Century Practice
- Social Work Practicum 1 (37.5 credit points)
- Contexts of Social Work Practice
- Communication and Assessment Skills in Social Work
Entry requirements
Students with a Bachelor's degree in a related field
The equivalent of an Australian Bachelor's Degree in a related field. Relevant study areas include (but are not limited to):
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Criminology
- Geography
- Education
- History
- Law
- Health
- Nursing
- Disability studies
- Philosophy
- Political sciences
- Indigenous studies
- Gender studies
The study must include at least one-year of full-time study in the social and behavioural sciences and have been completed within the last 10 years. Students with qualifications older than 10 years may complete a pathway into the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) by completing four units (50 credit points) from the Bachelor of Social Work with Honours.
Students with a Bachelor's degree in a non-related field
Students with the equivalent of an Australian Bachelor's Degree in a non-related field may complete a pathway into the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) by completing either:
- Eight units (100 credit points) from the Bachelor of Social Work with Honours.
- In addition to holding a completed Bachelor's Degree, the Diploma of Arts is accepted.
Safety in Practice Compliance
Students need to complete a Safety in Practice Agreement to meet pre-practicum requirements. This includes a National Police Record Check and a relevant Working with Vulnerable People Check. See more information and resources at Social Work Field Education Placements.
Recognition of Prior Learning
If you’ve already completed some relevant studies, you may be eligible to apply for credit that may count towards the requirements for the degree you are applying for. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
- Initiate improvements to services, policies and professional accountability in social work through the innovative application of critical analysis, research and culturally relevant knowledge.
- Maximise ways of decolonising social work knowledge, frameworks and practices to address inequality and injustice in ways that promote social sustainability policies and goals.
- Construct communication strategies that can respond to the needs and capacities of diverse social work client groups, communities, and organisations.
- Propose leadership approaches for social work that are collaborative, cooperative and useful in micro, meso and macro contexts.
- Develop ethical social work research and practice-based responses to local, national and global social justice and human rights challenges.
- Design practical solutions that can contribute to the decolonising agenda in social work in a sustainable way by using creative, entrepreneurial, and relational approaches.
Career outcomes
There are many career pathways available for students who complete a degree in Social Work, including:
- Child Safety Practitioner
- Social Worker
- Project Manager
- Youth Worker
- Mental Health Practitioner
- Researcher
- Policy Analyst and Advisor
- Community Development Worker
- Migrant and Refugee Settlement Workers
- Case Manager
- Drug and Alcohol Counsellor
- Palliative Care Social Worker
- Relationships Counsellor
- Disability Advocate
Fees and CSP
Estimated total fee in 2025: From $18,624 (Commonwealth Supported Place)
Estimated total fee in 2025: $39,040 (domestic full-fee paying place)
A student’s fee may vary depending on:
- The number of units studied.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of units.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
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 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.
