Social Work (Postgraduate Entry)

Why study MA Social Work at Goldsmiths

This Masters programme is ideal for graduates with relevant experience interested in pursuing a professional career in social work. You will receive an approved qualification, enabling you to register with Social Work England and work as a qualified professional social worker on completion of the programme.

• The MA Social Work is an academic and professional qualification that also provides a gateway to more specialist therapeutic qualifications and research degree programmes.

• Social work education at Goldsmiths has a long and distinguished record – we have one of the most respected social work units in the UK, and you'll be taught by established social work academics and associate lecturers who have considerable research and/or practice experience in their fields.

• You will learn the values, skills, and knowledge needed to practise as a reflective and ethical social worker, and be well equipped for the challenges of contemporary social work practice.

• You also will be encouraged to make links between anti-oppressive practice, the social work values, the legal framework, theories, methods and skills of intervention, and social work practice throughout the programme.

• In the 2023 Guardian League Tables, our team was rated top in London for course quality and satisfaction.

Statutory and non-statutory placements

• The Masters includes two practice placements in statutory and non-statutory settings and with different service user groups, so you'll be able to gain valuable real-world experience.

• We will encourage you to think deeply about human rights and social justice, and to embed these values in your practice. You will develop your skills for reflective and evidence-based practice and will be able to further your research mindedness.

Begin a career after graduation

• Over 95% of MA Social Work graduates at Goldsmiths go on to full-time graduate-level social work practice.

• Goldsmiths' social work programmes are highly regarded by potential employers in London, the South East of England, and nationally, and our alumni have an excellent record of securing employment. Past graduates have gone on to work in local authority children's services departments, adult services departments, and independent/voluntary sector agencies such as the NSPCC, Family Action and Mind.

• As we were a founding member of the South East London Teaching Partnership initiative, we have established a fantastic programme where you will be jointly taught by practising social workers-teaching consultants. Depending on your profile, interests, and experience, you may also secure social work placements in local authority settings.

This programme is approved by Social Work England (SWE).

It is not possible to study part-time or to transfer onto the second year of the Goldsmiths MA Social Work.

Year 1
In year 1 you are introduced to social work as a professional activity and an academic discipline. You consider key concepts such as the nature of need, community, social work services, and the significance of the service user perspective.

You are also provided with an introduction to life-span development, assessment in social work and a range of social work intervention approaches. Your assessed practice consists of 70 days spent as a social worker; this gives you the chance to develop your communication and social work practice skills with service users and to work in partnership across professional disciplines and agencies.

You will take the following compulsory modules:
Theories of Individual Development
Multidisciplinary Research Design and Methodologies
Social Work Skills and Methods 1
Introduction to Law and Social Work
Social Work 70-Day Placement and Practice Integration
Theory, Policy and Practice

Year 2
Your second year provides you with an overview of the legal and organisational context of social work and extends your knowledge and skills in one of the two main specialist areas of social work practice: working with children and families, or working with adults in need. You will work in small groups to explore methods of intervention, research and theories which are relevant to a particular area of social work, while another assessed practice element enables you to meet the professional requirements for social work training via 100 days of practice under the guidance of a practice assessor.

You are expected to demonstrate capabilities across a range of professional standards (SWE, 2020) and this is formally assessed. The learning on the MA Social Work programme builds over the two years and prepares you to apply that knowledge to practice situations.

You will study the following compulsory modules:
Social Work Skills and Methods 2
Research Methods/Social Work Dissertation
Social Work 100-Day Placement and Practice Integration

Practice placements
You are required to spend 170 days in practice settings.

These placements are arranged through the allocation system devised by the College. The practice placements will be supported by 30 days for the development of practice skills.

You have an identified Practice Educator for each of the two practice placements. Most of our placements are located in South East London, so if you live elsewhere you will need to travel.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Assessment by a range of methods including assignment, essay, critical reflection, presentation, dissertation, placement portfolio, role play, seen exam, report and case study.

Professional standards
Social work is a regulated profession. From September 2019 Social Work England (SWE) took on the regulation of social workers and the regulation of the performance of social work courses. This means that social work students will need to adhere to the professional standards set out by Social Work England. These are the standards social work students are expected to demonstrate at the end of their last placement/ qualifying level.