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Social Work (Postgraduate Entry) at Goldsmiths, University of London - UCAS

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2025 - 2026
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Goldsmiths, University of London has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

This Masters programme is ideal for graduates with relevant experience interested in pursuing a professional career in social work. You will receive an approved qualification, enabling you to register with Social Work England and work as a qualified professional social worker on completion of the programme. Work with and learn from Experts By Experience The MA Social Work is an academic and professional qualification which also provides a gateway to more specialist therapeutic qualifications and research degree programmes. Social work education at Goldsmiths has a long and distinguished record – we have one of the most respected social work units in the UK, and you'll be taught by established social work academics and associate lecturers who have considerable research and/or practice experience in their fields. You'll learn the values, skills, and knowledge needed to practise as a reflective and ethical social worker, and be well equipped for the challenges of contemporary social work practice. You also will be encouraged to make links between anti-oppressive practice, the social work values, the legal framework, theories, methods and skills of intervention, and social work practice throughout the programme. You'll cover some of the following areas:

  • human growth and development
  • community needs and services
  • social work methods and skills
  • assessment in social work
  • law and organisational contexts of social work
  • research methods
  • children and families pathway
  • adults pathway
  • mental health and disability
Statutory and Non-Statutory Social Work placements The MA includes two practice placements in statutory and non-statutory settings and with different service user groups, so you'll be able to gain valuable real-world experience. Over 90% of all Social Work placements in 2019-20 were in statutory settings. We'll encourage you to think deeply about human rights and social justice, and to embed these values in your practice. You will develop your skills for reflective and evidence-based practice and will be able to further your research mindedness. Find a career after graduation Over 95% of MA Social Work graduates at Goldsmiths go on to full-time graduate-level social work practice. Goldsmiths' social work programmes are highly regarded by potential employers in London, the South East of England, and nationally, and our alumni have an excellent record of securing employment. Past graduates have gone on to work in local authority children's services departments, adult services departments, and independent/voluntary sector agencies such as the NSPCC, Family Action and Mind. South East London Teaching Partnership The Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies (STaCS) is part of a formal teaching partnership with Royal Borough of Greenwich, London Borough of Southwark, and London Borough of Lewisham for the delivery of social work education at Goldsmiths. We were one of only four early adopter sites across the UK to receive government funding to develop and test new and innovative approaches to social work qualifying education, early career training, and continuing professional development programmes. This has allowed a number of social work practitioners from all levels within these Boroughs to be directly involved in the MA, delivering lectures, workshops, and seminars. This means that there is a very close relationship with practice to ensure that, by the end of the programme, students are equipped to deliver authoritative, compassionate relationship-based social work practice that makes a positive difference to people’s lives. It is not possible to study part-time or to transfer onto the second year of the Goldsmiths MA Social Work.

Modules

Successful applicants on the MA in Social Work commit to studying on a full-time taught course over two years. On successful completion you will receive a MA in Social Work which is the professional entry qualification to be a social worker and it enables you to apply for registration as a social worker. At Goldsmiths we recognise:

  • the unique contribution that all students bring as individuals to the programme in terms of their personal qualities and life experiences
  • that professional training builds on the uniqueness of each individual by facilitating the student’s exploration of the values, knowledge base and skills of Social Work practice
  • that it is the student’s responsibility not only to develop a technical acquaintance with the framework of Social Work practice but also to demonstrate competence through its application in practice
  • that Social Workers are at the interface of society’s attempts to promote welfare
Social workers have a dual responsibility to act within the state’s welfare framework and also to recognise the pervasive influence of oppression and discrimination at an individual and a structural level in most of the situations in which they work. We will prepare you for this professional responsibility. Year 1 In year 1 you are introduced to social work as a professional activity and an academic discipline. You consider key concepts such as the nature of need, community, social work services, and the significance of the service user perspective. You are also provided with an introduction to life-span development, assessment in social work and a range of social work intervention approaches. Your assessed practice consists of 70 days spent as a social worker; this gives you the chance to develop your communication and social work practice skills with service users and to work in partnership across professional disciplines and agencies. Human Growth and Development Community Needs and Services Social Work Methods and Skills Social Work Practice Learning Year 1 Year 2 Your second year provides you with an overview of the legal and organisational context of social work and extends your knowledge and skills in one of the two main specialist areas of social work practice: working with children and families, or working with adults in need. You will work in small groups to explore methods of intervention, research and theories which are relevant to a particular area of social work, while another assessed practice element enables you to meet the professional requirements for social work training via 100 days of practice under the guidance of a practice assessor. You are expected to demonstrate capabilities across a range of professional standards (SWE, 2020) and this is formally assessed. The learning on the MA Social Work programme builds over the two years and prepares you to apply that knowledge to practice situations. Law and the Organisational Context of Social Work Research Methods Social Work Practice Learning 2 Practice placements You are required to spend 170 days in practice settings. In Year 1 there is a practice placement lasting 70 days and in Year 2 the practice placement lasts 100 days. These placements are arranged through the allocation system devised by the College. The practice placements will be supported by 30 days for the development of practice skills. You have an identified Practice Educator for each of the two practice placements. Most of our placements are located in South East London, so if you live elsewhere you will need to travel. Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Assessment method

Assessment by a range of methods including assignment, essay, critical reflection, presentation, dissertation, placement portfolio, role play, seen exam, report and case study.

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
L508
Institution code:
G56
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

To be accepted onto the programme you must: Have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second-class honours standard. Have a Grade C or above in GCSE English or certified equivalent (eg Level 2 Key or Functional Skills Literacy). Have a minimum of 6 months' full-time (or part-time equivalent) relevant voluntary or paid work experience (normally within the last two years), of which a minimum of 3 months' full-time experience must have been gained by the time of application and a further 3 months' full-time experience by the start of the degree. Please make sure you read our work experience guide for more information about the experience that we accept http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-social-work/work-experience-guide/ Have the understanding and personal, intellectual, and professional qualities to become a social worker and can demonstrate this through relevant social work experience. Meet the Fitness to Train requirements. It is a requirement of entry onto the course that students possess an enhanced check by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Therefore, any offer of a place will be conditional on a satisfactory DBS enhanced disclosure, which students are required to pay for. You should also be able to demonstrate that you can communicate clearly and accurately in spoken and written English. Where required, our Admissions Office will direct you to acceptable equivalency tests for those who do not meet the required grades or levels. Please note that, due to the volume of applications we receive, applicants who do not meet the entry requirements will not be considered.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-social-work/

Additional entry requirements

Admission tests

Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)

Health checks

Interview

Institutions Own Test (IOT)

MA Social Work written test. If you meet the entry requirements you'll be invited to sit this test which requires you to reflect on a text in relation to social work. This test is to provide evidence of: your ability to communicate clearly in written English; your commitment to core social work values and your capacity for critical reflection. The test takes place on a PC at Goldsmiths. The paper is assessed and on the basis of this, progression to the next stage of the assessment process will be decided.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.5With a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

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

To find out more about fees and funding, please check our undergraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office https://www.gold.ac.uk/ug/fees-funding/
Social Work (Postgraduate Entry) at Goldsmiths, University of London - UCAS