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Social Work (Taught)

Course details
  • MA
  • 2 Years
  • Full-time
  • September 2026
  • Postgraduate
Course location
Liverpool John Moores University

Course summary

Social workers work in tandem with other organisations to affect individual and collective change and support and protect people from harm.

Studying your MA in social work at LJMU will allow you to:

  • Develop the necessary knowledge and skills to become a social worker

  • Learn from experienced social work practitioners and service users

  • Benefit from two key work placements

  • Enjoy a wide range of teaching and assessment techniques

  • Apply for bursaries and funding support (available for eligible applicants to cover, partially, the cost of the course)

Social Work education at LJMU is provided in collaboration with the Cheshire and Merseyside Social Work Teaching Partnership.

The regulatory body for social work in England is Social Work England. You can read more about its regulatory body role on the Social Work England website.

Once you’ve completed your accredited MA programme, you are eligible to apply for registration with Social Work England as a social worker.

Social Work England also provides information on using your registered qualification to practice outside of England. This includes guidance for practicing in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the European Economic Area (EEA) and other locations.

Assessment method

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.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • Health and Care Professions Council

Entry requirements

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

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
-Interview required
An interview, written exercise and group-based task form part of the selection process.

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.

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

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.

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