Fees
$3,625 per unit | FEE-HELP available
Intakes
Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Oct
Units
12 units, 7 weeks each
Duration
3 years part-time
Save on your fees
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) are available for this course. That means if you’re eligible, the government will subsidise some of your fees, and you may also be able to apply to defer the balance through an Australian Government HELP loan.
Why study the online Master of Social Work (Qualifying) at UC?
Future-focused skills relevant to practice
Develop the practical social work skills needed to work across a diverse range of fields, community settings and graduate practice ready.
Immersive and experiential practice
Through a proactive approach to learning, students will undertake 1000 hours of placement to implement hands-on skills in diverse settings to become qualified and confident social workers.
Exceptional support with personalised guidance
Receive expert career advice, have access to UC Student Wellbeing, InclusionUC, a dedicated Student Success Adviser and a vibrant learning community of students and academics.
Professional and globally recognised master's degree
Developed to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) governed by the Australian Association of Social Work (AASW).
Course overview
The online Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is a professionally and globally recognised degree governed by the AASW and is designed for those wanting to move into social work practice and become a professional social worker.
This accessible, flexible and accelerated course provides students with the specialised knowledge, skills and experience to meet the complex and evolving needs of people, communities and the environments in which they live.
By learning through case scenarios, simulated settings and in-person intensive components, you will be able to immediately apply your learnings from the online Master of Social Work (Qualifying) to practice across a diverse range of fields and community settings.
What you will learn
Demonstrate and articulate social work knowledge, theoretical frameworks, and values in working with diversity and difference.
Analyse intersectionality and the forms of oppression that influence lived experiences and the implications for social work practice.
Critically reflect on social work’s engagement with and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and ways of knowing, being and doing.
Synthesise knowledge of social, economic, and ecological justice for application in social work practice.
Assess, design, and reflect on complex social work engagement strategies at an individual, group, community, and societal level.
Evaluate decision-making processes and professional judgements within social work’s code of ethics.
Plan, design and undertake social work research and evaluation.
Demonstrate the autonomy, expert judgment, and adaptability necessary for leadership roles and a lifelong career in human services.
What you will study
Flexible Online Coursework: Access 100% online coursework units, each completed within a single study block.
In-Person Intensive Components: Engage in online intensive units with mandatory one-week, in-person components. The first is held at the UC campus in Canberra. Subsequent intensive components will be held at the UC Canberra campus and may be held in other locations nationally. Your first unit excludes in-person requirements.
Field Education Placements: Complete a maximum of 1000 hours across two field education placement units, complemented by 28 hours of integrated seminars. Each placement unit spans up to 24 weeks over three consecutive study blocks.
The online Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is structured into 12 units, spread over a minimum of 16 study blocks.
Social Work in Global, Regional and Local Contexts
Working with Diverse Communities
Psychological Health across the Lifecycle
Ethical and Legal Contexts of Social Work Practice
Research and Evaluation in Social Work Practice
Policy Development, Leadership and Organisational Practice
Theoretical Approaches to Social Work Practice
Trauma Informed Social Work Practice
Working with Families, Children and Young People
Groupwork Practice in Social Work
Field Education Placement 1
Field Education Placement 2
Field education placements are pivotal, providing real-world application of theoretical knowledge, essential for well-rounded professional growth.
Total Duration
1000 supervised hours including 28 hours of integrative seminars (14 hours in each field education unit)
Two distinct fields, two different organisations
Structure
Field Education 1 (500 hours)
Field Education 2 (500 hours)
Each Field Education Unit completed over three consecutive study blocks
Working Hours
Full-time, 3-4 days/week (usually Monday to Friday)
No leave arrangements
Course information
Entry requirements
To be eligible for the Master of Social Work (Qualifying), applicants must have:
- An Australian bachelor’s degree or equivalent, or higher-level qualification in a related field from a recognised tertiary institution
- Completed at least one year of full-time study, or equivalent, at a minimum of AQF Level 7 in social sciences and human behaviour.
Examples of related areas of study include:
- Psychology, research, and policy studies
- Allied health, including midwifery, occupational therapy, nursing, audiology, health promotion, physiotherapy, and pharmacy
- Counselling and therapeutic studies including play therapy, rehabilitation, drug and alcohol work, counselling, art therapy, music therapy, and disability and inclusion
- Clinical areas such as child development, medicine, emergency services, and working with older people
- Education and teaching
- Indigenous studies, culture and human diversity, media, gender studies, social theory and population studies
- Human resource management and marketing studies, including diversity, inclusion and wellbeing, leadership and coaching, managing people and change management, negotiation, regulations and ethics.
- Community services, human services, social welfare and youth work
Ready to learn more?
Download your course brochure for more detailed information including:
- What you’ll study
- Recognition of prior learning
- Entry requirements
- Fees and FEE-HELP
Career outcomes
UC’s online Master of Social Work (Qualifying) will prepare you for a fulfilling career in social work. Whether you’re pursuing a career in healthcare, aged care, community services, research, or policy and planning, the MSWQ will provide you with the skills to work across a diverse range of community settings. The career outcomes include, but are not limited to:
- Social worker
- Case manager
- Family support worker
- Community worker
- Engagement officer
- Policy adviser
- Youth worker
Taught by experts in social work practice
“With the professional practice skills and knowledge you’ll develop in the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) at UC, doors will open to a wide variety of career opportunities. You may work in mental health, community development, child protection or social policy. You could be running groups with survivors of sexual abuse and violence, with young people, or people struggling with addiction. Or you could be working with communities to make a difference in issues such as domestic violence, youth homelessness, racism or climate change.”
Dr Lynne Keevers
Discipline Lead Social Work, the University of Canberra
Taught by experts in social work practice
Dr Amelia Wheeler (she/her) is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Canberra. Amelia has been a social work educator for 12 years and is passionate about creating inclusive and socially just spaces for learning. Her current research, primarily undertaken in partnership with organisations and practitioners, explores best practices in areas across gender-based violence, children and young peoples’ participation in welfare services, anti-racist social work and ethics in everyday professional life. Before entering academia, Amelia worked in the fields of child welfare, Out Of Home Care, domestic and family violence and family law.
Dr Amelia Wheeler
Senior Lecturer in Social Work, the University of Canberra
Frequently asked questions
Qualified practitioners in the field of social work actively enhance the quality of life for individuals and communities facing disadvantage. They actively strive to improve, advocate for, and safeguard the health, wellbeing and safety of individuals and communities.
Yes, our Master of Social Work (Qualifying) course is recognised as a professional qualification in social work and has provisional accreditation by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).
Yes, there is great demand for Social Workers across Australia. Labourmarketinsights.gov.au predicts very strong growth at 23.3% for the profession over the next five years, making it the ideal time to study towards becoming a qualified Social Worker.
Those who have completed a three-year Bachelor of Social Welfare or Bachelor of Community Services and have a minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience may be eligible to receive credit for up to 25% of the Master of Social Work (Qualifying), including field education placement and course work units, with community services and human services units the most common to receive RPL.
Applications for RPL need to be made through the Program Director. If you have any questions, please contact our team of Student Enrolment Advisers.
Each coursework unit is seven weeks long. Each intensive unit consists of six weeks of content and one week of in-person face-to-face sessions over one study block (a total of seven weeks). Field education placement units run for up to 24 weeks over three consecutive study blocks.
The University advises a minimum of 15 to 20 hours of online study per week. The master’s course can be completed in as little as 32 months (part-time)
Through its online studies, the University of Canberra is committed to making sure you enjoy a truly flexible and inclusive learning experience that works for you and with you – no matter who or where you are. When you enrol, you’ll have the support of a dedicated Student Success Adviser who will be with you from O-Week all the way through to graduation. They’re on hand to provide help whenever you need it, from how to plan your schedule to answer any enquiries about your course.
Yes, the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) requires students to complete 1000 hours of field education placement in order to become recognised and qualified social work professionals by the AASW. There are also in-person components that students are required to complete within the intensive units (A total of four weeks throughout the course).
A Master of Social Work (Qualifying) from the University of Canberra will prepare you for a rewarding and challenging career in social work. This course will provide you with the skills, tools and problem-solving techniques to confidently step into roles such as:
- Social worker
- Case manager
- Family support worker
- Community worker
- Engagement officer
- Policy advisor
- Youth worker
- Mental health social worker
- Child protection worker
1000 hours of total placement in two distinct practice fields and two different organisations.
Yes. With a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP), the government will pay a portion of your fees and reduce the overall cost of your course. This subsidy is not a loan and you will not have to pay it back.
As a Master of Social Work (Qualifying) student, you may be eligible to receive the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) of $331.65 per week (2025 rates) paid while you complete mandatory placement.
The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) Field Education placements consist of 2 units, each totalling 500 hours. Each unit is organised into three study blocks, spanning approximately six months. Students are expected to attend full-time placement, with a minimum of 3-4 days per week, depending on the site and circumstances. The placement team will provide details on the schedule and location in advance of the relevant placement blocks.
Yes, the University can consider placing students in their current place of employment for one of the Field Education placements. However, an agreement must be in place with the employer, ensuring that the placement is supervised by someone else and is conducted in a service or section different from the student's usual role. It's important to note that students in placement cannot be remunerated for the time spent in learning activities during this course of study or for hours counted as placement.
In social work education, a qualifying master’s degree refers to a program that meets the academic and placement requirements for professional recognition as a social worker. These programs are designed for students who do not already hold an accredited undergraduate social work degree and therefore “qualify” graduates for entry into the profession.
The University of Canberra’s Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is designed in line to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) governed by the Australian Association of Social Work (AASW). Graduates are professionally recognised as social workers in Australia and are eligible to apply for membership with the AASW if they choose.
Social work remains a highly valued profession in Australia due to ongoing demand across healthcare, mental health, child protection, disability services, and community support. The profession offers diverse career pathways, strong public-sector presence, and opportunities for leadership and specialisation.
Completing a master's in social work allows graduates to access regulated roles that require accredited qualifications, making it a meaningful investment for those committed to social impact and long-term career stability.
Entry into a Master of Social Work typically requires completion of a recognised undergraduate degree that includes at least one year of study in social and behavioural sciences, or an equivalent qualification assessed as meeting this standard. Applicants must also demonstrate academic readiness for postgraduate coursework and be prepared to undertake compulsory supervised field education placements as part of the program.
At the University of Canberra, the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) aligns with Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) entry standards and incorporates the required field education components needed for graduates to pursue professional recognition.
Costs for a Master of Social Work vary by institution and study load. Many programs offer Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) and FEE-HELP, reducing upfront financial burden for eligible students.
The UC Master of Social Work (Qualifying) publishes unit-based pricing, with CSP availability for eligible applicants. Prospective students should refer to UC’s official course page for the most current fee information.
“Social work” broadly refers to the profession and its practice areas, while “social work (qualifying)” specifically describes entry-to-practice degrees designed for those without prior accredited social work qualifications.
The Master of Social Work (Qualifying) at UC is distinct from post-professional master programs because it enables graduates to enter the profession for the first time, meeting accreditation and placement requirements necessary for recognition as a social worker in Australia.
Question not covered here?
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