MA Social Work

at Bangor University

ou will be taught via a range of teaching methods and learning opportunities. These will include lectures, seminars, group work, role play and student-directed learning projects. During your 200 days of practice placements (which are divided in to two 100 days per year), you will learn from skilled and experienced practitioners within a structured and supportive learning environment. 

Practice placements can take place in a variety of social work teams e.g. Children and Families, Disability, Older Adults, Mental Health. Placements are carefully planned and arranged by placement coordinators based in our partner local authorities. Placements help to prepare the student for holistic social work practice and employability within the current social work workforce.

All modules are core within the course and students are required to pass all assignments

Year 1

• Knowledge and Skills Base for Social Work
• Social Policy for Social Work Practice
• The Life Course
• Values and Ethics for Social Work Practice
• Law for Social Work 1
• The Research Process
• Practice Placement 1 (100 days)

Year 2 

• Social Work with Adults
• Social Work with Children, Young People and Families
• Law for Social Work 2
• The Literature Review 
• Practice Placement (100 days)
• The Social Work Dissertation

Dissertation: The Dissertation provides students with an opportunity to conduct a small-scale, yet significant piece of individual research, supervised by a research supervisor. Students identify a research question and collate and analyse data that relates to the research question, utilising an appropriate analytical framework. They then address the research question in the light of their findings. The research undertaken is presented in the format of a 20,000 word dissertation employing usual conventions.

• 2.2 degree classification or higher
• A minimum of 3 months* (FTE) relevant social care or equivalent experience*
• Grade C GCSE at least or equivalent qualification in Maths and English/Welsh first language
• Offers for places on the course are based on a satisfactory interview of applicants that meet the admissions criteria.
• Speaking & Listening Welsh language skills required**

It is also a requirement that all students accepted onto the programme successfully complete an Enhanced DBS check, and are able to register with Social Care Wales, and maintain their registration throughout their studies.

*Experience may be voluntary or paid work, offering personal care to individuals, and / or help and support to individuals, families and groups. Examples include, but are not restricted to, 1-1 support work in school, social care or health care assistant, sports and leisure activities for children / adults with disabilities, i-can scheme (mental health support), advocacy.  It is important is that you have a basic understanding of the role of social work and why people may need social work at certain points in their lives.

**This means that you need the ability to follow lectures that are predominantly though the medium of Welsh with bilingual slides, and able to converse naturally in Welsh with bilingual individuals. Assessments can be submitted in Welsh or English. If you’re interested in applying for a place on the programme, but unsure if your Welsh is ‘good enough’, please come to talk to us. We can help assess your skills and ensure that you don’t miss out if your skills are good enough, or if you could benefit from support to build on current skills.

Tuition Fee Per Year

£ 16,500

After qualifying, there will be opportunities to take up posts in a wide range of health or social care settings, often working alongside other professionals in multidisciplinary teams. Our links with employers mean that most years all our graduates secure employment contracts before completing their studies. Over the last 3 years, 100% of our graduates became employed as social workers. 

Typical starting salaries for these posts are currently approximately £33,000.