Social work courses

A social work degree teaches you how to improve the lives of vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, First Nations people, migrants, refugees and those impacted by domestic violence, alcohol or drug abuse, or mental illness.

With a degree in social work, you could directly counsel or advocate for affected individuals, groups or communities—often, these jobs are with government-funded or non-profit organisations. Other social work graduates choose to direct their efforts into program planning, social action and policy making.

To practise as a social worker, you must complete a Bachelor of Social Work or Master of Social Work that that is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)—all courses offered through Open Universities Australia meet this standard.

Your social work degree will include units and topics such as:

• sociology
• mental health
• human services
• human rights
• inequality
• developing cross-cultural competency
• understanding First Nations perspectives
• interpersonal communication
• ethics
• social policy
• law in relation to social work

While most of your degree can be studied online, you’ll also be required to complete two placements of at least 500 hours each, in a health or human service organisation. This workplace learning will help you stride with confidence into your future social work career.

You should study social work because it’s a profession that pushes for social justice and human rights. No matter how tough your day at work, you’ll always leave knowing that you’ve improved someone’s life.

According to the Australian Government, we’ll need 25.2% more social workers by 2026, which translates into an additional 19,100 jobs. Knowing that ‘doing good’ is in demand—priceless. 

Studying a degree in social work online is ideal if you have a busy schedule. With most coursework taking place online, it’s easy to make the jigsaw puzzle pieces of work, family, friends and study fit together.

But what about putting theory into practice? It's a person-centred career, after all. In addition to online coursework, you’ll complete two work placements as part of your social work degree. Your work placement could be in-person or a combination of in-person and remote working.

There are a lot of reasons to study your course online through us.

• You can enrol without entry requirements 
  We have a unique open-door policy that makes it possible for everyone to enrol in university study, no matter their academic history. If you don’t meet the entry requirements for a degree, we’ll help you get in through single undergraduate subjects and transition into a qualification from there.
• You have total control over how you study
  Upskill without committing to a whole degree upfront. Or enrol in a full degree, but take it a subject at a time. We’ll introduce you to flexible study options you didn’t even know about, so you can fit uni around what matters to you.
• You’ll graduate with the same qualification as an on-campus student
  Once you enrol through us, you’ll study online with the university that provides your degree. This means that when you complete your qualification, you’ll graduate with the same degree as on-campus students.
• We’ll help you navigate the university world
  Our friendly student advisors will be your guide every step of the enrolment journey. They'll help you compare universities, choose a course, provide documentation and understand your finance options.

Depending on the university, social work degrees ask for an ATAR that can range from the high 50s to the high 60s. However, at Open Universities Australia, you don’t need an ATAR to be accepted into a social work degree.

Because we have a special arrangement with our university partners, you can bypass entry requirements on undergraduate courses. Instead you can instantly enrol in online social work subjects that are open to all. Upon successful completion of these subjects, you will meet the academic requirements for a full degree.

It depends on the course and whether you choose something short or long-term. Here’s a general guide: 

If you study a degree in social work through Open Universities Australia, you have the flexibility to choose how many subjects you take per term. This means you can complete your qualification at a faster or slower pace than you would on campus.   

Social work offers a range of careers to support to people in need.

Some examples of social work roles include:

• social worker
• counsellor
• case manager
• mental health clinician
• community worker
• housing worker
• policy development advisor
• youth worker
• child protection officer
• outreach coordinator
• community development coordinator
• domestic violence women’s advocate

Before starting an enrolment, it’s important to read the entry requirements for your chosen course to ensure that you’re eligible to apply. If you don’t quite meet the requirements, we may be able to help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study.

Chat with us to find out more.

Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool, or request help from one of our student advisors.

When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Apply now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.

Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.

Please note that enquiries and applications for some courses are handled directly by the university. If this is the case, it will be indicated on the course listing page.  

For more information about enrolment, read our online self-service enrolling instructions. If you get stuck at any time, contact us and we’ll talk you through it.