Social Work MA
This innovative and accelerated postgraduate social work course offers you the opportunity to engage with in an intensive programme of teaching integrating practice placements
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Viewing course details for 2025-26 year of entry
- Code
- L500
- Attendance
- Full-time
- Start
- September 2025
- Fees
- £14,800 (UK) £18,000 (INT)
- Duration
- 17 Months full-time
- Course Leader
- Karolina Slovenko
- Study mode
- On campus
- Location
- Hendon campus
- School / Department
- Mental Health and Social Work
Why study Social Work MA at Middlesex University?
This degree offers an accelerated route to becoming a professional social worker for highly motivated recent graduates or for career changers looking for new challenges and opportunities.
You will experience high quality placements in both adult and children’s services including a final 100 day placement where you will undertake statutory interventions.
You will develop into an excellent and valued social worker with the capacity to work in all statutory social work settings and in a wide variety of private and voluntary workplaces in the UK.
The Masters in Social Work is an academic and professional qualification, approved by Social Work England, where you will experience an integration of practice and research.
We have excellent relationships with local employers through our long-standing stakeholder group. As a result, some of your teaching with be co-delivered by practising social workers and service users.
Course highlights
- You will benefit from high levels of tutor contact time through extended teaching sessions, interactive workshop style seminars and e-learning resources
- You will be taught by staff from within our Department of Mental Health & Social Work, where prominent and pioneering research projects in the disciplines of social work and mental health is undertaken.
Approval and registration
This programme is approved by the regulatory body for the profession, Social Work England. Graduates with Social Work MA are able to register as social workers once their qualification has been published by the university.
Who we work with
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About your course
What will you study on Social Work MA?
You will be studying a range of social work theories and will learn the skills to apply these in different practice contexts. This will include psychosocial perspectives, sociology, psychology and human development. There will be a focus on relationship based practice as well as systemic theories. You will study relevant aspects of legislation and the application of these in practice. The curriculum is mapped against SWE Professional Standards, Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) and the Knowledge and Skills Statements (KSS) for both children and adults.
What will you gain?
You will undertake extensive skills training as part of your readiness for direct practice learning. This will include skills such as use of self, communication, managing conflict and a range of interventions. These will be applied in practice and greatly enhanced and developed throughout your two placements. In your final year you will undertake your dissertation, applying research skills and knowledge.
Modules
Here is an overview of the modules.
This module will provide you with the core skills and knowledge to undertake practice competently and safely, in preparation for your first practice placement. Subjects you will cover will include communication skills, use of self, and professional practice.
Here you will learn vital social work theories to enhance your practice interventions; for example systems theory, attachment perspectives and strengths.
This module will introduce you to key legislation and its application in practice relating to adult and child and family social work.
This module builds on the Social Work Law and Practice Placement modules and highlights the legal, ethical and value debates affecting various areas of practice, including adult and child safeguarding.
You will follow the life course from birth through to adulthood and on to end of life care. This will include observations of children and of adults to support you in understanding child development and factors that impact on the adult life course such as disability, mental health and ageing.
The module aims to enable students to critically examine the concept of advanced practice and to apply their skills to advancing nursing practice in their own practice.
This module is to complete 70 days of social work practice within an approved organisation/setting providing care and support with opportunities for direct practice and experience of working with service users and carers and members of the public. With assistance of Practice Educators you will utilise tools which support your development and learning needs in relation to BASW’s specific level descriptors for the nine professional capability domains at the End of the First Placement (PCF) and Social Work England’s Professional Standards (2019).
This module is to complete 100 practice learning days within a relevant and approved organisation/setting providing care and support with opportunities for direct practice and experience of working with service users/carers and members of the public. Under the supervision of a Practice Educator you will undertake a placement in a setting with more complex situations, where you have the opportunity to undertake statutory social work tasks. This is to enable you to meet the Professional Capabilities Framework (BASW, 2018) End of Last Placement level domains and Social Work England Professional Standards (SWE 2019). You will also become familiar with the Knowledge and Skills Statements in Adults Services (DoH, 2015) or Knowledge and Skills Statement for Child and Family Practitioners (DfE, 2018).
You will undertake a dissertation relevant to Social Work practice. You will be supported by an academic supervisor who will help you to navigate your research and the writing of your dissertation.
To find out more information about this course, please download the Social Work MA course specification (PDF).
Register your interest
Sign up now to receive more information about studying at Middlesex University London.
Teaching
We are currently reviewing our approach to teaching and learning for 2024 entry and beyond. We've learned a lot about how to give you a quality education - we aim to combine the best of our in-person teaching and learning with access to online learning and digital resources which put you more in charge of when and how you study. We will keep you updated on this throughout the application process.
Your timetable will be built around on campus sessions using our professional facilities, with online sessions for some activities where we know being virtual will add value. We’ll use technology to enhance all of your learning and give you access to online resources to use in your own time.
The table below gives you an idea of what learning looks like across a typical week. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on campus sessions. You'll receive full information on your teaching before you start your course.
|
Learning |
Typical hourly breakdown | |
|
On campus |
Contact hours per week, per level: |
6-8 hours |
|
Online |
Average hours per week, per level: |
2 hours |
|
Tutor set learning activities |
Average hours per week, per level: |
2 hours |
Outside of these hours, you’ll be expected to do independent study where you read, listen and reflect on other learning activities. This can include preparation for future classes. In a year, you’ll typically be expected to commit 1200 hours to your course across all styles of learning. If you are taking a placement, you might have some additional hours.
Terms
On campus: This will focus on active and engaging sessions that are both:
- Led by your tutors including lectures, seminars, workshops and demonstrations. We’ll schedule all of this for you
- Student-led by you and other students, like small group work and presentations.
Online: This will include lectures, tutorials and supervision sessions led by your tutor and timetabled by us. It also includes student-led group work that takes place online.
Tutor set learning activities: This covers activities set for you by your tutor, which you will undertake in your own time. Examples of this include watching online materials, participating in an online discussion forum, completing a virtual laboratory or reading specific texts. You may be doing this by yourself or with your course mates depending on your course and assignments. Outside of these hours, you’ll also be expected to do further independent study where you’ll be expected to learn, prepare, revise and reflect in your own time.
Support
You have a strong support network available to you to make sure you develop all the necessary academic skills you need to do well on your course.
Our support services will be delivered online and on campus and you have access to a range of different resources so you can get the help you need, whether you’re studying at home or have the opportunity to come to campus.
You have access to one to one and group sessions for personal learning and academic support from our library and IT teams, and our network of learning experts.
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North London campus
Our north London campus is just 20 minutes from central London, giving you easy access to everything this vibrant city has to offer. Make the most of incredible professional opportunities, cultural experiences, and more affordable living, all within a supportive and close-knit campus community.
Learn moreFacilities and support
Our Sheppard Library has over 1000 study areas with and 600 computer spaces, with some areas open 24 hours a day
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Make the most of our free laptop loans, e-books, printing and photocopying
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We have one of London's biggest and best university campuses with everything you need in one place.
Our facilitiesStudent support
We offer lots of support to help you while you're studying including financial advice, wellbeing, mental health, and disability support.
Additional needs
We'll support you if you have additional needs such as sensory impairment or dyslexia. And if you want to find out whether Middlesex is the right place for you before you apply, get in touch with our Disability and Dyslexia team.
Wellness
Our specialist teams will support your mental health. We have free individual counselling sessions, workshops, support groups and useful guides.
Work while you study
Our Middlesex Unitemps branch will help you find work that fits around uni and your other commitments. We have hundreds of student jobs on campus that pay the London Living Wage and above. Visit the Middlesex Unitemps page.
Careers
How can the Social Work MA support your career?
Once qualified, our graduates have gone onto work as social workers in a range of settings working closely with vulnerable people from groups such as:
- Older adults and later life
- Teenagers with mental health problems
- Young offenders
- Adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems or physical disabilities
- People with alcohol, drug or other substance misuse problems
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- Children who are at risk of abuse or neglect.
Our social work graduates have gone onto work in local authorities, charities, voluntary sector organisations and private/ independent sector organisations, with many finding employment with our placement partners within neighbouring London boroughs and beyond.
Qualifications
We normally require a second class honours classification or above (i.e. 2:2 or above).
Relevant experience
You should demonstrate a commitment to the profession with previous paid or voluntary work experience of at least three months. This should have been gained over the past five years in a part-time or full-time basis.
We consider experience to be relevant where you have been in a responsible position looking after the welfare of children or vulnerable adults. We have presented a few examples below of the sorts of experience we might consider.
- Example 1: I have been working as a care assistant in a residential home for older people for the past 3 months
- Example 2: I have been volunteering at my local church run youth centre most Saturdays for the last year offering advocacy and support to young people who are asking for help
- Example 3: I have volunteered at a help-line offering support to members of the community.
Further requirements
- GCSE Grade C/4 or above in English or certificated equivalence
- Enhanced DBS check
- You are also required to provide evidence of study within the last 5 years.
Qualifications
We normally require a second class honours classification or above (i.e. 2:2 or above).
Relevant experience
You should demonstrate a commitment to the profession with previous paid or voluntary work experience of at least three months. This should have been gained over the past five years in a part-time or full-time basis.
We consider experience to be relevant where you have been in a responsible position looking after the welfare of children or vulnerable adults. We have presented a few examples below of the sorts of experience we might consider.
- Example 1: I have been working as a care assistant in a residential home for older people for the past 3 months
- Example 2: I have been volunteering at my local church run youth centre most Saturdays for the last year offering advocacy and support to young people who are asking for help
- Example 3: I have volunteered at a help-line offering support to members of the community.
Further requirements
- GCSE Grade C/4 or above in English or certificated equivalence
- Enhanced DBS check
- You are also required to provide evidence of study within the last 5 years.
Find out more about the qualifications we accept from your country. If you are unsure about the suitability of your qualifications or would like help with your application, please contact your nearest regional office for support.
Visas
You will not need a visa to study in the UK if you are a citizen of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. If you are a national of any other country you may need a visa to study with us.
English language requirements
You must have competence in English language to study with us. The most commonly accepted evidence of English language ability is IELTS 7.0 (with minimum 6.5 in all components). If you don't meet our minimum English language requirements, we offer an intensive pre-sessional English course.
Entry onto this course requires a UCAS application and if successful, an interview; either virtually or on campus.
Applicants are required to demonstrate their suitability for social work training which aligns with the Professional Capabilities for Social Work entry level expectations.
Our admission team will contact you within four weeks of your UCAS application to inform you of the next steps. If shortlisted, you will then be invited for an interview which will be held virtually.
Please register as an undergraduate student through the UCAS portal. When adding your choices, search for your institution then the course by typing in ‘Social Work’ which will show you 3 options. Select - MA Social Work and continue with your application.
Our admission team will receive your application, and will contact you within four weeks to inform you whether you have been successful.
If you are successful at interview, you will then be offered a place on the course subject to academic, health and DBS requirements.
Find out what you should expect throughout the application process.
For more information about how this course compares with our Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work, please read the document: Information for Applicants to MA/PGDip Social Work.
Fees and funding
The fees below are for the 2025/26 academic year.
UK students1
Full-time students: £14,800
International students2
Full-time students: £18,000
Additional costs:
The following course-related costs are included in the fees:
- All printing and copying required for your study
- Self-service laptops available for loan for a maximum of 24 hours.
Applicants should be aware that they are responsible for meeting the costs of travelling to and from placement and that these costs cannot be reimbursed by the University or the placement.
Scholarships and bursaries
As an undergraduate alumnus continuing postgraduate studies at Middlesex, you are eligible for an alumni award worth 20% off your fees.
Fees disclaimers
1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase undergraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.
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We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.