Name: Social Work, MA
Price: £9,450 per year GBP

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Attendance

Campus

Start

Duration

2 years

Start

September 2025

UCAS Code

L508

Delivery

In-person

Social workers work with a wide cross-section of society, including some of the most disadvantaged and excluded people. Our MA in Social Work provides a variety of opportunities for you to develop the knowledge, skills and appropriate values to work positively with people who have lived experience of social work practice.

You’ll develop and integrate knowledge, skills and values for, and in, practice to meet the standards for the professional regulator (Social Work England). You will also meet the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Professional Capabilities Framework at the Qualifying Level for Social Workers in England.

As part of the Masters in Social Work course, students are required to complete 170 days in practice. This consists of a 35 hour per week, 70 day first placement. This usually starts in the February of the first year of study. And a 35 hour per week, 100 day final placement starting in the February or March of the second year of study.

A specialist team arranges all student placements: students do not find their own placements. All placements are based in the North-West of England, primarily across Lancashire. With a small number of placements in Greater Manchester, Wigan and South Cumbria. First placements normally take place in private, voluntary, independent or charitable (PVI) organisations. Final placements take place either in PVI organisations, NHS teams, or local authority teams.

Our NHS partner is Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust. Our local authority partners are Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council. All placements are audited according to Social Work England’s professional standards and the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF).

Why study with us

Values for ethical and effective social work practice are at the heart of the MA in Social Work course, underpinned by connection to people with lived experience of social work, research and the professional evidence base.
You’ll spend at least 200 days (including 30 skills days) gaining different experiences and learning in practice settings. This enables you to build on your academic learning, developing a critical professional skills. You will demonstrate values-based practice to professional standards.
Teaching takes a blended approach of lectures, seminars and in-person learning opportunities.

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What you'll do

In Year 1, the focus is understanding of the contexts for social work practice; self-awareness and self-development for resilience and effective practice; developing skills for working with others; developing and applying this knowledge, and learning from people with lived experience of social work practice.
In Year 2 you’ll have the opportunity to build on your skills and knowledge from the first year to consider and work with key complexities and challenges in social work practice, be supported to reflect on your developing professional capabilities, and plan for your intended social work career.
The experiences, messages and views of social work practitioners, service users and carers underpin the course and are drawn upon to support your development as an effective social work practitioner in response.

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The tutors are really supportive – they tell you what your development areas are, helping you progress to your full calibre.

Usman Ahmed

Social Work graduate

Modules

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information. However, our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may cause alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or revisions to subject benchmarks statements. As well as to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

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image overlay — The Library (Preston Campus)

students-library — The Library (Preston Campus)

Student centre rooftop students — Student Centre

Academic expertise

Charlotte Ennis

Lecturer in Social Work

Katie Martin

Senior Lecturer in Social Care and Social Policy

Che McGarvey-Gill

Lecturer in Mental Health Social Work

Dr Ruth Parkes

Senior Lecturer

Matthew Graham

Senior Lecturer in Social Work

As part of the course you will have the opportunity to hear about the experiences of service users, carers, patients and public members via our community engagement and service user support groups (Comensus).

Future careers

Recent graduates of the MA in Social Work have gained jobs in social work teams in safeguarding/support roles, in children’s, young people and adult’s services, and with local authority, third sector and private organisations.

Entry requirements

Please note if your application is deemed unsuccessful subsequent applications submitted within the same UCAS cycle will not be considered.

2:1 degree and English GCSE grade C/4 or equivalent
IELTS: grade 7.0 with no component lower than 7.0
B3 from WAEC acceptable
Applicants are required to attend a selection day when they will be interviewed for the course
A satisfactory Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland) and Fitness to Practice assessment are required for this course

This course will involve you working with vulnerable groups of individuals, this may include children. In order to ensure that the University offers places on their programmes to suitable candidates you will be required to obtain a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service clearance (formerly termed CRB).

We will be able to guide you through this process once you have been offered a conditional place of study at the University of Central Lancashire.

It is important to note that should your Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prove to be unsatisfactory for the purpose of the course you have applied to, your offer of a place for that course may be withdrawn. If you have already enrolled on a course and your DBS check subsequently discloses a criminal conviction, you may be required to withdraw from the course even if you have already started. If you are aware that your DBS check will disclose a previous conviction, please contact the course leader for advice as not all convictions may preclude you from continuing with the course.

Fees and funding

2025/26

Full-time£9,450 per year

International

Full-time£17,900 per year

Scholarships and bursaries

We have a wide range of bursaries, scholarships and funds available to help support you whilst studying with us.

Select your country to see eligibility information and how to apply by selecting more info on the cards below.

Select your country/region

Social Work Bursary (NHS)
The Social Work Bursary is available through the NHS Business Services Authority, it can help with study and living costs and is a grant not a loan.
Find out more about Social Work Bursary (NHS)
NHS Learning Support Fund
If you are thinking of studying for a health-related undergraduate or postgraduate degree, take a look at what financial support is available.
Find out more about NHS Learning Support Fund
Dependants Bursary
Students with financially dependent children may be eligible for our Dependants Bursary as part of our financial support package. 
Find out more about Dependants Bursary
Carers Bursary
If you need extra support because you have unpaid caring responsibilities alongside your studies.
Find out more about Carers Bursary

Key aspects of the programme include:

Professionalism: developing awareness in students of how to behave as a professional social worker and in accordance with professional requirements.
Values and ethics: understanding and applying values and ethics to practice in an anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory manner.
Diversity: recognising diversity in all its forms and applying anti-oppressive principles in practice.
The advancement of human rights, social justice and economic wellbeing.
Applying knowledge for social work: knowledge of human growth and development, psychology, social policy, sociology, law, research and theory for social work.
Critical reflection and analysis in respect to professional decision making: critical approach to contexts, professional development and individuals/groups concerned.
Self-awareness, emotional intelligence and skills and knowledge for resilience within a challenging profession.
Skills to intervene to promote independence, provide support and prevent harm and abuse – both digitally and in person.
Working in organisations. including collaborative working between agencies/organisations and individuals/professionals.
Taking responsibility for professional learning and development of yourself and others through leadership.

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This course is delivered by the School of Health, Social Work and Sport

For information on possible changes to course information, see our essential and important course information

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at the University of Central Lancashire on our student contract page

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