Master of Social Work

Social work is challenging and rewarding and requires a personal commitment to the ideals and values of the social work profession. Those considering social work as a career option should be aware of its ethical and value dimensions and, in particular, the commitment of practitioners to the promotion of social justice.

In accordance with Irish statutory regulations this Master in Social Work/Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work programme is approved by the national regulatory body for health and social care professionals (CORU). The programme offers professional social work education for applicants with a primary degree in Social Sciences or equivalent. Upon completion of the Master in Social Work/Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work successful candidates will be eligible to apply for registration as a professional social worker.

This is a two-year fulltime programme consisting of 14 weeks full-time academic attendance and 14 weeks fulltime professional practice placement in the first year, and 14 weeks full-time academic attendance and 14 weeks fulltime professional practice placement in second year.

The programme has an international perspective and students may avail of international placement opportunities.

The Masters in Social Work Programme prepares its student cohort for registration as professional social workers with CORU, the regulatory body for health and social care professionals. All health care professionals have a stated duty of care to the public and as such, all new entrants to the social work programmes in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, must successfully complete the required health screening and vaccination to certify their vaccination status or immunity to specified infectious diseases. This is in the interest of reducing the risk of the transmission of infectious disease from service users to students, and from students to patients. Information about the health screening is available on the Master in Social Work webpage.