Master of Social Work (Qualifying)
Sydney, Australia
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
31 Jan 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Feb 2026
TUITION FEES
AUD 47,500 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for domestic students | 15 January for international student
Key Summary
This program equips you to take on leadership roles in social work and gives you the skills and knowledge to become a professional social worker in the health, community services or non-government sector. It is also a pathway to leadership roles in social work and related professions.
Professional accreditation
This course is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers and has been determined to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS).
If your ambition is to make a positive difference in mental health, women's services, corrections, disability support, child and family services, migrant and refugee services or international development, then this is the program for you.
International student scholarships
For students from other countries
Whether you are an undergraduate, postgraduate coursework student, or a postgraduate researcher, we have an array of scholarships that could be right for you.
Bachelors and honours
We're dedicated to supporting you throughout your time at university and offer a variety of scholarships for international undergraduate students.
Postgraduate coursework
We're eager to help you take the next step in your career and have a wide range of scholarship options to support your postgraduate study.
Postgraduate research – international
We're committed to fostering the best and brightest researchers, and have a wide range of scholarship options to support international research students.
Faculty scholarships
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
From economics and visual arts to anthropology and language scholarships, we have a wide range of options for international arts and social science students.
What you’ll study
The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is a postgraduate coursework degree that will develop your expertise in social work values and practices and your ability to adopt holistic approaches in line with your client’s circumstances, background and needs.
You will complete core units covering key areas including:
- practice with Indigenous Australians
- mental health
- child protection
- violence against women
- ageing
- social exclusion areas.
You will also complete a capstone integration of a learning unit that enables you to contribute to knowledge-building and practice in the social work profession. Additionally, you will complete elective units as needed to meet the requirements of the course.
Professional practice
The AASW guidelines indicate all students must complete 980 hours of work-based training under the direct supervision of a suitably experienced and qualified social work practitioner.
Arrangements for practice learning will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis with students, exploring the possibilities for recognition of prior learning and placement in existing workplaces.
These negotiations will be with the Director of Field Education and will be consistent with the requirements of the AASW for accredited practice.
Mandatory work hours
This course requires you to complete the following number of work hours:
35 hours per week over 28 weeks
980 Total hours
The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) responds to the key priority learning areas identified by the AASW accreditation process: child protection; cross-cultural practice; standards for practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities; and mental health.
Graduates are able to take leadership roles in the social work profession, the health and community services sector, and other fields of practice.