Master of Social Work (MC-SOCW) // Attributes, outcomes and skills

KNOWLEDGE

Graduates of the Master of Social Work (Coursework) will be academically strong. Upon completing the course, students should be able to:

• Integrate the principles of intellectual integrity and ethics in social work scholarship and practice
• Synthesise the underlying theories, principles, concepts, practice and skills of contemporary social work practice
• Explain how social, political, economic, historical, cultural, and ecological systems are important considerations of governance and can influence equality and justice
• Explain how social constructions of physical and mental health and wellbeing, disability and psychosocial issues can influence practice, social policy, research and societal responses.

SKILLS

Graduates will acquire a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment. Upon completing the course, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate practice skills in all methods of social work intervention at micro and macro levels of practice, with individuals, families, groups and communities
• Communicate effectively, with empathy and respect, across diverse practice contexts and with a diversity of people, communities and organisations
• Utilise research, evaluation and communication skills to design, evaluate, assess, implement, analyse, and reflect on developments, theories, methodologies and professional decisions that contribute to social work professional practice or scholarship
• Demonstrate the intellectual and practice skills required for professional practice as a social worker, including capacity to engage in professional supervision
• Think critically and creatively, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning, through information gathering, critical analysis and use of communication technologies.

APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Graduates of the Master of Social Work (Coursework) will demonstrate the application of knowledge & skills in professional practice and research activities with high levels of personal autonomy and accountability.

Upon completing the course, students should be able to:

• Apply intellectual integrity, ethics and respect for cultural difference in the critical application of their practice skills to diverse settings and practice environments, generating a clear sense of professional social work identity
• Critically engage with, and apply, social work knowledge, theories, values and ethics within a human rights and social justice framework, by assessing the impact of social, political, economic, historical, cultural, and ecological systems and social constructions of physical and mental health and wellbeing, disability and psychosocial issues
• Critically analyse and synthesise knowledge and values and engage in reflective thinking, professional supervision and self-learning to inform professional judgement and practice to achieve socially just outcomes
• Contribute to evidencing social work practice by applying research knowledge and evaluation skills to evaluate current practice; and developing, executing, and disseminating research findings to inform future practice.

Through the theoretical and practical curricula of the MSW degree, its graduates will be professional social workers who are academically excellent, knowledgeable across disciplines, leaders in communities, attuned to cultural diversity, and active global citizens.