MSc in Social Work Management

The Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma/MSc in Social Work Management is a part-time day-release programme offering busy social work managers a flexible, challenging and professionally relevant course of study leading to one of three postgraduate awards: the Certificate in Social Work Management; the Diploma Social Work Management; and the MSc in Social Work Management. The programme is currently accredited as leading to the post-qualifying Advanced Award in Social Work. The post qualifying award system is being phased out at present by the Scottish Social Services Council, and the Course Director is in contact with SSSC to ensure ongoing accreditation. The course is recognised as an appropriate management qualification for those registering as heads of residential units for children or adults and heads of day care services.

This is a part-time modular course with students usually released from their agencies to attend five days on-campus per module. Students normally undertake two/three each year.

The Certificate in Social Work Management comprises of one compulsory module, Effective Learning for Social Work Management, and two optional modules. The Diploma in Social Work Management comprises the three Certificate modules, one further compulsory module  Methods of Professional Enquiry  and two further optional modules. The optional modules consist of: Management in Social Work Services; Managing Service Delivery; Managing Performance (Finance, Information and Knowledge); Leading and Managing Change and Organisational Learning; Working with Others.

The MSc in Social Work Management requires additional completion of Professional Development and Enquiry in Social Work (a 10,000 to 15,000 word dissertation).

Entry requirements will normally be a first degree (minimum 360 SCOTCAT credit points) or qualifications and/or experience deemed equivalent. Since assessment is by a practice-based portfolio students will normally have at least four years' post-qualifying experience and must be working in a social work agency on tasks that are capable of evidencing an advanced level of practice.