Postgraduate Social Work Pathway Program

Course snapshot

Location

Gold Coast

Start date and duration

March, July, October; 52 weeks max

Language Requirements

IELTS score of 6.0 or its equivalent

Course level

Non AQF Award

Tuition fee (maximum)

$31,000 ($3,875 per unit)

Non-tuition fee

$2,000

Course code

9209118

CRICOS

115655E

Are you looking to pursue a career as a qualified social worker in Australia?

This pathway program enables international students who have not previously studied work or community welfare to prepare for entry to the Masters of Social Work at Southern Cross University.

The pathway program is tailored to each student depending on their previous studies. It comprises of units from the following list:

“During COVID lockdown in Shanghai I heard about all the vulnerable people and I thought, I just have to help them.”

Unit Code Unit Title

WELF3002 Issues of Protection

SWRK5003 Social Policy and Law for Social Work

SWRK5001 Social Work Foundations for Practice

SWRK6001 Social Work across the Lifespan

SWRK6002 Social Work in Groups and Communities

INDG6002 Health and Indigenous Peoples

SWRK6003 Research for Social Work

SWRK6004 Social Work Organisations, Leadership and Management

Students admitted to the Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying) are required to have completed a relevant degree course that contains at least one year, or the equivalent, of full-time studies in the social and behavioural sciences. Successful completion of the Postgraduate Social Work Pathway Program enables you to meet this requirement for entry to the Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying).

The Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying) is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers. It is an entry qualification into the social work profession and meets the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS).

We realise that prior studies will be different for every individual; your individual pathway program will ensure you are prepared to undertake social work studies at a postgraduate level.

IELTS score of 6.0 or its equivalent is required for entry.

Additionally, for the Masters of Social Work program, a higher proficiency is necessary, with an IELTS score of 7.0 being the minimum. Prospective students are advised to consult the specific entry requirements for the Masters of Social Work for further details.

The Southern Cross Model is a game-changer in higher education study.

Our students now engage in shorter, six-week unit structures designed around immersive and interactive learning experiences. The shorter unit structure gives students a greater sense of momentum as they achieve milestones quickly, resulting in increased student success rates, and course and teacher satisfaction. Lectures are a thing of the past - students will be engaged in active, interactive and discussion-based learning.

On-campus students experience a variety of teaching approaches including lectures, tutorials, online activities and video-linked or podcast virtual classes.

Our online study option is highly interactive and may include a combination of podcast or video-linked lectures, electronic study materials, workshops, online discussion forums and virtual classes.

The method of teaching and assessment may vary from unit to unit.

Learn more

What's it like to study a Master of Social Work as an international student?

Why Social Work and Community Welfare at SCU

No.1 in QLD for Skills Development

We're ranked No.1 in QLD for skills development in Humanities and Social Sciences.

(GUG 2023)

Global top 5% in Social Sciences

We're in the global top 5% in Social Sciences

(THE World University Rankings 2020)

Student Support

We're also ranked No.1 in Australia for student support and learning resources in Social Work

(GUG 2020)

Dates for the diary

Our shorter, more focused six-week unit structure gives students a greater sense of momentum and motivation as they achieve milestones quickly. Application dates per Term are shown on each course page however refer to our key dates and teaching calendar for detail on when enrolment opens, studies commence and when grades are published. There are also Dual Term and Tri Term calendars for those who have specific subjects.

See key dates