Social Work
Tauwhiro Hapori
Qualifications
Overview
Social workers help people to overcome personal and institutional barriers to wellbeing and achieve their full potential. They work with individuals, families, groups, and organisations in a wide range of contexts.
Studying Social Work is a great option to consider if you are interested in working in a people-focused career. Professionally trained people are needed in increasing numbers to work in the social services, nationally and internationally.
- Learn about a wide variety of topics in Social Work, such as mental health, child welfare, criminal justice, ageing, violence and abuse, and gender and sexuality.
- Small, interactive classes so you can work closely with staff and other students.
- Practical learning throughout the degree, with 80% of your final year in fieldwork placements within social service agencies around Aotearoa.
- The Bachelor of Social Work with Honours is recognised by Kahui Whakamana Tauwhiro | New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) and internationally so you can work overseas.
Bachelor of Social Work with Honours
UC offers a Bachelor of Social Work with Honours, which focuses on human services, policies, and social development and behaviours.
The third and fourth years of the degree include advanced courses in social work theory and method, research methodologies, mental health, law, and indigenous social work. In third year, the skills course assists you to identify and develop interpersonal helping skills using role-plays, video equipment, and small group discussions.
In the final year, you will also undertake a research project and two fieldwork placements in social service agencies. During this time, you are supervised by field educators who help you integrate the knowledge, values, and skills taught at UC with social work practice in the community.
Limited entry to each year of the degree
Entry to the second, third, and fourth years of the Bachelor of Social Work with Honours is limited to those who have successfully completed the compulsory 100-level courses and who have been accepted into the programme following an application process each year.
If you are unable to or decide not to continue with a Social Work degree, you can credit completed courses to a Bachelor of Arts.
The combination of theory and practice sets you up with the values, knowledge, and skills needed to work in the social work profession. You may go on to working directly with affected people, or on to social sector policy and make changes within the overall system.
Some career pathways could include:
- Counselling
- Iwi social work
- Community development work
- Case management.
Find out more about what you can do with a degree in Social Work.
Contact us
Te Kura Mātāpuna Tangata | School of Language, Social and Political Sciences
Phone +64 3 369 1470
Email socialwork-admin@canterbury.ac.nz
Location
Level 3, Elsie Locke Building – see campus maps
Postal address
Te Kaupeka Toi Tangata | Faculty of Arts
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
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