Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)
Undergraduate
SCU-SWH-DEG 2025Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Social work practice framed by social justice and human rights
Study social work theories and skills. During professional placements, you’ll get to know how human service organisations operate. Focus your honours year on research and practice. Explore legal and policy considerations.
- Study method
- 100% online study with practicum placement
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 4 years full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 32
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
- CSP available
- Yes
Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)
About this degree
Course Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a course. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes.
Course Learning Outcomes
- Apply social work values, knowledge and skills in practice and research processes to address client needs, organisational goals and social policy change.
- Ensure that clients’ needs are addressed holistically and creatively, drawing on relevant theory, research and practice wisdom.
- Promote and implement policies and practices to achieve a fair, equitable and efficient allocation of social resources, and identify inappropriate or inequitable policy goals and outcomes.
- Ensure that client needs, organisational goals and community expectations of social work services are met in the most appropriate manner, using social work knowledge, skills and resources.
- Create research outputs demonstrating advanced theoretical and technical knowledge in the discipline of social work.
- Demonstrate a commitment to continually increase professional knowledge and skills and to continuing education and lifelong learning.
- Effectively communicate with a wide range of stakeholders , including clients, colleagues and managers including within a multi-disciplinary team environment.
- Demonstrate advanced skills to design and implement a research project and critically interpret and communicate the findings.
- Apply knowledge of organisational and societal systems and processes to identify inequality and ensure appropriate action is taken so that social barriers, inequality and injustice are reduced.
The course prepares students to work in a diverse range of fields including health and mental health, child and family welfare, cross-cultural work and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, youth work, homelessness, domestic and family violence, disability, drug and alcohol, community development, and advocacy.
Underpinned by core principles of social justice and human rights, the course engages students in contemporary anti-oppressive, decolonised and trauma-informed approaches to social work practice. This high job growth area offers a variety of careers in client service roles, service management, research, strategy and policy development.
Core units within the course cover essential theories, methods and skills for social work practice with individuals, families, groups and communities. These are complemented by foundational studies in Indigenous world views, sociology, politics, human development and social research.
The Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) is designed for social work students who are interested in designing their own research project or pursuing further studies at a postgraduate level.
Award requirements
To be eligible to receive the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours), students must complete the equivalent of 32 units (384 credit points), comprising all core units.
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Indicative total fee $43,000
The amount shown here is indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.
Fees may vary depending on:
- the subjects you choose
- credit from previous work experience
- your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.
To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 32
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 34
How to apply
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Entry requirements
An applicant for admission to the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) must be currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Social Work and have completed the first 16 units (196 credit points) listed in the recommended course progression with a GPA of at least 5.0.
English language requirements apply to International applicants and other applicants whose previous study was undertaken in a language other than English. The minimum English language requirements for such applicants for entry to this course are as follows:
Overall Score 7.0 minimum in all bands
- Listening - minimum 7.0
- Reading - minimum 7.0
- Speaking - minimum 7.0
- Writing - minimum 7.0.
Credit for Prior Learning, also referred to ‘Advanced Standing’ or Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL), is the process of looking at your prior study and/or experience to assess if you can be awarded academic credit for knowledge and skills you have already acquired. Credit gained through prior learning, experiences and qualification can reduce the duration and cost of your course.
Study method requirements
All students complete 1,000 hours of professional placement across two separate human service organisations.
Career opportunities
Graduates will be well prepared to work as social workers in a diverse range of fields including health and mental health, child and family welfare, cross-cultural work and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, youth work, homelessness, domestic and family violence, disability, drug and alcohol, community development, and advocacy. This course is also a pathway to further postgraduate study.
Professional recognition
This course is provisionally accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). Graduates are eligible for AASW membership.
Australian job snapshots
Data sourced from Australian Jobs 2023.
Role | Earnings | Employment change |
---|---|---|
Health and Welfare Services Managers | Over $120K | Up 56.6% |
Social Workers | $75K to $93K | Up 29.8% |
Welfare Support Workers | $75K to $93K | Up 38.5% |
Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers | $75K to $93K | Up 29.8% |