MA Social Work

Fees and funding

There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students

Fees

The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:

• library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
• access to programme-appropriate software
• library and student IT support
• free on-campus wifi via eduroam

Additional costs

Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:

• accommodation and living expenditure
• books (should you wish to have your own copies)
• printing, photocopying and stationery
• PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
• mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
• field trips (travel and activity costs)
• placements (travel expenses and living costs)
• student visas (international students only)
• study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
• academic conferences (travel costs)
• professional-body membership
• graduation (gown hire etc)

Funding

There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.

Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.

Bursaries and funding support

Postgraduate applicants who normally live in England* can apply for a Social Work bursary (SWB) from their first year of study. The SWB is administered by Student Services, part of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Each year, universities are allocated a number of capped places for bursaries. The university nominates selected applicants for a bursary-funded place; LJMU does this based on interview score. Bursaries are paid directly to the university towards the cost of your tuition fees.

There are two types of SWB: Non-income Assessed and Income Assessed.

• For universities outside of London, the Non-income Assessed SWB is worth £3,362.50
• For universities outside of London, the Income Assessed SWB is up to a maximum of £2,721

Other funding support includes the Parental Learning Allowance, Child Care Allowance, and Adult Dependents Allowance, which some applicants may be eligible for.

For full details of eligibility criteria and exclusions, please visit the NHSBSA Social Work bursary web page.

*The SWB is only available to students who normally live in England and who are ordinarily resident there on the first day of the first academic year of their course. If you normally live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland when you are not attending your social work course, you should apply to your own national funding authority for support.

You will not be eligible if a social care employer is giving you: any paid time off to allow you to attend your studies payment of all or part of your tuition fees payment from a practice learning provider for undertaking placement duties for them. In addition, you will not be eligible if you are receiving: funds through the Department for Education (DfE), excluding student loans any other form of support to assist with your social work training funding from a public body, government benefit agencies and bursaries from your Higher Education Institution.

LJMU Alumni Award Fee Discount If you are eligible, we may nominate you for a bursary. Please note that you would not be able to have both the LJMU Alumni Award (20% fee discount) and the bursary, so are advised to contact moneyadvice@ljmu.ac.uk / 0151 231 3513 for further guidance on which may be the most suitable option for you.

Additional costs

Please note that students are required to fund travel to and from both mandatory placements.

Employability

Further your career prospects

LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.

Social work is an exciting, intellectually stimulating and emotionally challenging career, enabling you to make a positive difference in the community.

This course enables individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds to work as fully qualified social workers, in a range of settings, catering for all service users.

Teaching

An insight into teaching on your course

Study hours

The MA Social Work degree is a full-time course.

In year one, you will have up to four days on site study per week and one day for independent or virtual learning. You will also go on a 70 day full-time placement. Independent learning hours vary from module to module.

In year two, on site study will normally be reduced to three days per week, with two days for independent or virtual learning. You will also undertake a 100 day full-time placement, with additional time to complete your dissertation.

Please note: students are required to fund travel to and from both mandatory placements.

 

Teaching methods

You will mainly be taught by registered social work practitioners who are also expert teachers, researchers and writers. Tutors have good practice connections in the local area ensuring that course content is always informed by the latest practice.

Staff use a wide variety of teaching methods. Interactive lectures involve a range of student-centred learning approaches, including small group work, role-play, discussion and case studies. Specialist IT and online resources are also used. Practical sessions involve live enactments to enhance communication and interpersonal skills.

The course benefits from Liverpool's diverse and vibrant culture. The city's excellent art galleries and museums, for example, offer ample opportunities for critical reflection, with the world renowned International Slavery Museum used to explore the roots of oppression. In addition to this, the varied life stages and experiences of the students themselves create a rich learning environment for all.

Applied learning

The course is designed to balance academic learning and the development of social work skills. There is a strong emphasis on integrating practice and theory, with the purpose of producing theoretically informed and highly competent practitioners. The curriculum is mapped against the QAA Benchmark Statement for Social Work, the Professional Standards (Social Work England) and the Professional Capabilities Framework (BASW).

Watch our video where MA Social Work placement co-ordinators and Senior Lecturers Mel and Phil discuss all things placements.

Social work is a complex and demanding profession that requires a particular combination of intellectual ability, analytical skills, and personal qualities such as emotional resilience, empathy and the ability and willingness to use role-based authority when needed (SWRB, 2011).

"The learning journey that was provided by LJMU and the teachers, for me, was second to none. Each lesson was structured, at a pace that was manageable, and each teacher was fully prepared to answer all questions posed, in fact actively encouraged us to question, think outside the box, and clarify back to check for learning."

-Jackie Costello, Graduate

Assessment

How learning is monitored on your programme

To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.

You will be continually assessed via essays, group and individual presentations, self-assessment questionnaires and practice learning reports. The research paper, completed as part of the dissertation module, offers the chance to make a real impact.

Entry requirements

You will need:

Qualification requirements

Show all sections

Undergraduate degree

• We normally require you to have a Lower Second class (2:2) honours degree or above. This can be in any subject area.

GCSEs and equivalents

• English key skills/GCSE Grade C/4. We will also consider the following Level 2 qualifications in place of English Language GCSE Grade C/4 or above: Key Skills, City and Guilds, OCR (via Learn Direct) and ALAN

Additional requirements

• Relevant work experience
  • Relevant paid or voluntary work experience and the ability to relate this to the skills and values of social work and understanding of social work roles.  Related personal experience will also be considered alongside relevant practice-based experience
  • Evidence of some form of formal or informal, paid or voluntary personal experience in the social care arena, and/or a commitment to ‘citizenship’ or community related activities

International requirements

• IELTS

  Non-UK applicants should achieve a minimum score of 7.0 overall in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assessment (or an equivalent assessment).

• Other international requirements

  • International students entering on a Student visa cannot study part-time.

Further information

• Extra Requirements
  • Our recruitment and selection process has a commitment to addressing widening participation and inclusion
  • As with professionally qualified social workers, trainee social workers must be physically and mentally fit. You will be asked for information about this and you may be asked for permission to approach your doctor

  • We are seeking to recruit people who demonstrate: a commitment to social justice; concern about social issues and the desire to do something about them; a desire to enter a profession that works to support problem-solving in human relationships and promotes social change;  an ability to reflect on their personal life experiences and work experiences and express how this has influenced their decision to apply for social work and the capacity to be a reflective and critical thinker

  Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

  • Satisfactory Medical Clearance/Examination: We will contact you directly to undertake this.
  • Satisfactory Enhanced DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service - formerly CRB): We will contact you directly to undertake this and further information can be found at www.gov.uk/disclosure-barring-service-check
  • In addition, applicants will need to follow Faculty procedures for declaring any convictions after interview. Any criminal convictions, police cautions and disciplinary matters, including those that are spent must be declared. A DBS check will be made when you join the course.
  • A criminal conviction or a period of ill-health will not automatically debar you from the course as decisions are made on an individual basis. If there is anything about this that you wish to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact us.
• RPL
  • RPL is accepted on this programme

Application and selection

Securing your place at LJMU

UCAS is the official application route for our full-time undergraduate courses. Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/study/undergraduate-students/how-to-apply.

You will apply for this course via UCAS.

LJM Institution code: L51 Course Code: L508

Please take care to ensure you have completed all relevant parts of the UCAS application form as incomplete application forms will not be accepted and we are unable to process amendments.

We shortlist applicants based on current qualifications, predicted grades, references and UCAS personal statements. The assessment process for social work candidates is directed by Social Work England's requirements.

If shortlisted, you will be invited to an assessment day where comprehension and communication skills, commitment to personal and professional values and the potential to develop professional knowledge and skills will be assessed. An interview, written exercise and group-based task form part of the selection process. Service users and carers/or practitioners will be involved in the selection process and involved in the assessment day.

Please note: This course will only run subject to minimum numbers.